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1/ There is no quick fix to systemic racism & other ills that plague a company or organization.
A statement is a good first start – now the desire for change is on record. The *will* for change is yet TBD. Here are some suggestions (A thread. Please add more):
A statement is a good first start – now the desire for change is on record. The *will* for change is yet TBD. Here are some suggestions (A thread. Please add more):
2/ Culture change takes time, money and determination. A good process will make the company stronger throughout. Commit to the work for the long haul. Recast budgets to prioritize DEI work. It will be hard but it can be beautiful.
3/ Don't make the mistake of diagnosing too soon. "We have a pipeline problem." "Leadership is not representative." "Our policies are unwelcoming." It is likely ALL of those and more. Focusing too soon on any one of them can make larger problems invisible.
4/ Be ok with failure. It means you're trying. The good news when I fail, when something is my fault, it means I can fix it. Making it better is within my power. That is amazing.
5/ Top-down & bottom-up are both important. Simultaneously. No matter how great your pipeline is, retention is impossible without the highest levels of the org committed to advancement. No matter how great leadership is, without accountable recruitment nothing will change
6/ Beware of any one-and-done models. Host a training for a managers? Yes, sure. Will your managers then create a culture for success for Black staff? No way. Not after one training. Nothing in life works that way. Practice, work, fail, tweak, try harder, practice, repeat forever
7/ Audit everything. Systemic racism is sneaky--hard to pinpoint but at the same time is everywhere. Some systems will need minor tweaks like changing words or meeting times. Some systems will need complete overhauls, like salary structures & evaluation rubrics
8/ Consider how much money is spent on the consultant class. They help with coaching, recruitment, trainings, retreats, marketing, etc. Do all of your consultants prioritize DEI? They must. Every single one. Otherwise you are fixing problems w/ more problems. Blind spots are real
9/ @DreamCorpsTech was founded by @vanjones68 after a conversation with Prince in the wake of the Trayvon Martin verdict. They set out to change the culture of the tech sector while building a strong pipeline of diverse talent. I’ve been on the team from the start. My takeaway:
10/ Organizational transformation is possible. At scale is still elusive. It is labor intensive, expensive & the timeline is long. Consensus from our sister orgs--demand has never been higher (YAY). Find a partner for this work and invest in them for the long haul. Let's do this!
Would love your additions @cultureshiftlabs @reshmasaujani @BlackGirlsCode @blkintechnology @Code2040 @BWTalkTech @HiddenGeniusPro @AllStarCode @codepath @EAFNYC @TLM @MLTOrg @NPowerOrg @PerScholas @joinpursuit @SMASHprogram @chrislyons @goodienation
And please follow ^^
And please follow ^^
