Our company has a solid growth trajectory from now to EOY. Several of us will receive promotions that will require our positions to be backfilled with new hires. Refreshingly enough, our VP has been vocal about ensuring diversity, equity, inclusion are top of mind as we search for potential backfill candidates.
I struggled with this and here's why:
I too want a diverse team. It is one of the most important elements to me as we build out our company. Only issue is that when I looked at my entire network, the one individual who I felt could impact winning at the highest level, is the same race and sex as me.
So I brought it to our VP's attention. "Hey man, I can't get this off my mind and wanted to share with you. I'm in a pickle because I know this individual could help us the most out of anyone I know, but they are the same race and sex as me - which is counterproductive to our mission of building a diverse team."
He explained to me that diversity extends beyond what we can see. He challenged me to include attributes like skillset, way of thinking, way of doing when I think about diversity.
IDK - I mean, I see what he is saying, and agree to an extent. But still, when I think about diversity, I think about sex, race, nationality, etc... Particularly in a corporate setting, where there is no shortage of bro'd out, whitewashed orgs.
- What does diversity mean to you?
- Do you have any suggestions on how to build a diverse team?
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