I read your posts. Now, what next?
At first, there was a brutal murder, all too familiar to some in its senselessness, but impossible for all to ignore when it went viral globally. For once, it was hard to dismiss, too blatant to explain away and lethally mal vogue to remain silent on - these acts of injustice that have robbed so many, of so much, for so long.
It started with one statement from a company we know all too well, "For once, don't do it. Don't pretend there's not a problem in America".
Bold.
With the waters tested by someone else, there was a rush for the keyboards and the dam broke on corporate sadness. For three weeks non-stop, we have read the entire glossary for "shocked", "disgusted", "repulsed" and many other synonyms.
Interesting.
To ram the despair home, many companies have literally put money where their mouths are, and a number of civic groups across the country (and the world) just made budget for next year.
Positive.
In this new normal rush to racial piety, we have also heard stunning acknowledgment of "police brutality due to systemic racism" and equally breathtaking admissions about company success being "nothing...without Black artists, Black employees, and Black consumers".
Wait!
There is no reason to doubt that any of the responses to the moment are heartfelt, but it is a tragedy in itself that global brands to whom consumers have bestowed so much power, wealth and success for so long, are only now, belatedly, reciprocating with truth, and courage and allegiance. So much wasted opportunity. So much for brand leadership. So much need for their own systemic change.
As we all look forward, the question to the new corporate allies of fairness is "What next?" If change is a 5-step process of Empathizing (with the situation), Envisioning (the future), Engaging (the organization), Enacting (new behaviors) and Embedding (a new culture), then put away the keyboards and let's do it! Let's move past step 1!
Were I to reach into my experience in the business world and offer a litmus test for this new corporate commitment, then here would be my checklist of (9 + a bonus) questions:
What does the company truly believe? What is its culture or values statement? What gets talked about at onboarding? What behaviors do people get fired for?
Is the internal communication and commitment to employees as strong as the external one to the media? Is there a plan to sustain it?
Does the company's definition of diversity include race? Which races? How specific is this language?
Does Recruiting actively target black people and other people of color? Is their representation aligned with the market or consumers?
What structures are in place to keep the focus on or support racial diversity? Are there published KPIs tracking goals and progress? Are there affinity groups or safe spaces or a cultural openness to having courageous conversations?
Are black people and people of color progressing? Being retained? Being promoted...rewarded and recognized at par?
Is the executive team (reporting to the CEO) aligned and allied? Do they show up or are they known for their own support of under-represented groups? What about the business unit or regional heads? Is the team itself diverse?
Are external community initiatives token and camera-staged? How much is done beyond that but not broadcast to the world? What is being done when the cameras are not looking?
Is the CEO truly committed? What does he or she say, or not say, or do? Are they consistent in private and public? Is he or she a known champion of diversity?
Seriously, is the CEO truly committed? Is the Supervisory Board or Board of Directors prepared to replace the CEO or the executive team for non-delivery of material results?
There is much work to be done and it is very encouraging that the army of the committed might be multiplying. Let's hope it truly is. Let's hope nobody is pretending. That would be such a waste of the moment.
#purpose #courage #leadership #impact