Yes, Diversity is the Right Thing to Do, but Inclusion is the Smart Way to Do It.

I have a lot of conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Most of the time, people just assume that I will advocate for diversity. Most are shocked when I, an African American woman living a few decades-long corporate experiences (talk about intersectionality), tell them I am more of an advocate for inclusion and my goal is to accelerate the shift in perception.

Let me explain.

Three years ago, I had the epiphany of a lifetime, when I finally learned that most leaders believed that just having me in the room was enough. Up until that point, I had wondered why I was frequently invited to join organizations but never really invited to challenge prevailing thinking. I would speak up in meetings against ideas that I knew wouldn’t work, I would stand up to comments that really made no sense, and I challenged others to see a different perspective. And most of the time, I paid the price. Fewer invites to meetings, check. Overlooked for key promotions, check. Limited exposure in key events, double-check.

What the organizations were saying to me was, “just be here but don’t really bring what you have offer,” we don’t want it. And as I began to observe, I noticed that the people who moved up were those who said exactly what everyone else was saying. Forget moving the company forward, it was all about saving face and looking like your intellect matched the wisdom of the crowd.

The ugly truth is that most organizations are the same. Filled with individuals who are afraid to rock the boat, so they sit on ideas, sit on conflicting ideas, and sit on game-changing conversations that, ironically, might be the future. We don’t need more diverse people who do more of the same, we need to make room to include the ideas of individuals who aren’t swayed by then norm. This can only happen when we make space in our organizations for things to be different, to change, and to expand what we know to be right.

So yes, inclusion is the smart way to do it.