Your Middle Managers are your DEI MVPs. Here’s why:
Every day I think about the steps we need to take to lift up and guide diverse talent to success. I’m committed to coaching so-called “minority” individuals to embrace our potential, shift our mindset, increase our self-determination, and create our own definitions of success.
That work is integral to creating a career (and living a life) by design. But even when we do all the work we can - and all the work we can reasonably be expected to do as individuals - there’s still a gap. And that gap MUST absolutely be tackled at the organizational level.
On the current trajectory, it will take about 95 years for Black employees to reach talent parity (or 12 percent representation) across all levels in the private sector. 95 years! That’s far too long to simply wait. Remember, these are people’s lives we’re talking about - not abstract percentages. So there are no two ways about it: Taking a “wait and see” attitude is plainly insulting to diverse candidates who are ready, willing, and able to contribute their brilliance RIGHT NOW. But we have to face facts: recruiting is not enough to address this gap. Recruiting by itself will not produce the culture and the systems that develop, promote, and retain diverse talent.
Picture this: You’re invited to go swimming. But instead of a calm, beautiful beach or a serene lake, you’re dropped smack in the middle of shark infested waters…with no crew and no gear. That’s what happens to diverse talent when you focus on recruitment alone. This bottom-up transformation strategy is just doomed to fail. Because it only focuses on frontline and entry level roles.
New recruits can’t reasonably be expected to transform your organization. Firstly, they may just feel that if they rock the boat then their job security will be at risk. Bias and retaliation have an insidious and lasting impact, which new recruits will be keen to avoid. And crucially, recruits are not key decision makers in the typical company power structure. These are not the positions empowered to lead or maintain equity and inclusion. Those folks are in the middle.
The middle is where the work - all work - actually gets coordinated and translated into action. Your middle managers are your biggest asset in transforming company culture and aligning your team with our national (and international) multicultural reality. Don’t believe me? Consider this:
Middle managers are your ambassadors to newly recruited diverse talent
When frontline and entry-level recruits are NOT promoted, the middle remains the status quo
Without transformation and consensus, your middle managers actively contribute to low retention and pushout
It’s your managers and supervisors that take DEI recommendations and bring them to life. It’s their daily on-the-job habits that inform, shape and reinforce company culture. Without consensus and consistency on their part, all you have is an inert diversity statement and the accumulating cost of lost talent.
What’s the moral of this story? It’s simply this: You MUST invest in your middle managers. DEI work is not just about doing the right thing. It’s about doing the right thing effectively.
Taking the time and resources to establish purpose, consensus, and role clarity in the middle is what will take your company from mere “education” to implementation and cultural transformation.
When you are ready to truly create an inclusive culture within your organization, let’s connect to discuss how DF Coaching & Consulting can help!
