SO YOU HIRED A DEI CONSULTANT - NOW WHAT?
Ah yes. It’s that time of year again.
Back to school? Yes.
Colder weather? Yes.
Busier schedules? Yes.
Those are all true.
But “that time of year” that I’m thinking about is this: the time of year when everyone likes to blame their DEI consultants for “nothing changing”. You know it. I see it. I’ve read the articles about “How DEI training fails” and “How your DEI consultant took your money and left you with nothing.” I’ve seen them. I’ve read them.
Is this true? Sure. Not all trainers, facilitators, educators, and organizers are the same. Some have had more experience than others; some have had more formal training; some have learned by process. We are not all prepared the same, and we certainly do not all deliver the same.
When I’m on a discovery call with an organization, I let them know upfront that “I might not be the right person for you.” I am clear about my philosophy, my process, and both the scholarship and practice that have informed my work. I have been in this field for over 20 years, and because of that experience, I have carefully integrated what works and what doesn’t work. I have been faced with nearly every “what if” scenario out there to the point that very little surprises me or shakes me. And, I am always learning. I make it a point to go to other people’s workshops to not only learn new content but also new ways to facilitate and organize my work. I am constantly learning.
But, as experienced as I am and as much as I know, there are a number of ways in which I am confident that it is not me who failed you and your DEI initiatives, it is YOU. It is you, as an organization. I am good - but I can’t solve the problems that you are not willing to face, to confront, and to address. Just hiring me does not make these go away.
LIVED EXPERIENCES DO MATTER. To be completely clear here — of course lived experiences matter. To be a person going through this world, this current society, and these current conditions as a person of color (or holding other marginalized identities) matters. Without this context or experience, information is simply theoretical. And yet, it can’t be the only thing one has. If someone is charged with changing, shifting, and addressing oppression and ideologies that are embedded within an organization, one should know about organizations — the behaviors, mechanics, politics, and levers. If your DEI practitioner is charged with managing HR policies and practices, they should know about HR policies and practices. If your DEI practitioner is charged with influencing and revamping curriculum, they should know about curriculum change and teaching. We have seen, far too many times, when a person has been promoted to a DEI position who lacks the skills and training, how quickly they fail — but not as a personal fault alone, rather as an institutional failure to not prepare the leader. If you are a DEI leader who has been placed in a position, demand professional development. Demand training. Demand support. Demand a network. You deserve to succeed.
Institutional leaders, I’m calling on you. Do better. Set people up for success. And in the meantime, pay attention to why your DEI training doesn’t work from an organizational lens. So, I give you a list of a few reasons why your DEI work isn’t moving forward, even after you’ve spent hours with a DEI consultant:
YOU RELIED ON THE CONSULTANT TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS WITHOUT BEING TRUTHFUL ABOUT WHAT YOUR PROBLEMS WERE.
I am often called in to assist with a specific task: hiring, retention, curriculum, teaching practices, reducing bias, etc. While there are somewhat general tasks, your organization needs to be clear about why these are important. When I’m asked to come in and help you with “racially diversifying our faculty”, what you are asking me is “how do we bring in more BlPOC people” but what you really need to answer is “Why are we so White? What structures exist that have allowed us to be an all-white or predominantly white faculty?”
WHEN YOU FIND OUT WHAT YOUR REAL PROBLEM IS, THE DISCOMFORT MAKES YOU RETREAT
It is not a surprise to me that when I am asked, “Liza, can you help us racially diversify our faculty” and I return that with “First, why are you all so white?” that some people never return my call. I have hit a nerve - a level of discomfort - that you don’t want to touch. So, instead of actually addressing the structures that uphold whiteness, you simply throw your hands up and say, “Well, I guess we just won’t ever be able to do this” instead of “Dang, that’s hard. Let’s do this.”
YOU BELIEVED THAT DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION CAN BE SOLVED IN 60 MINUTES EVERY FEW MONTHS
For those individuals and organizations that have really committed to this work and transformed their ways of being, knowing, and thinking, they worked at this every single day for years. They never gave up. They kept integrating issues of DEI into every conversation, meeting, experience, and exercise. They were relentless about their pursuit of becoming anti-racist. So many organizations commit to “60 minutes every few months” and make no effort (because they are too busy…?) to do this every single day. Tell me, “What else do you do for 60 minutes every 3 months that you have gotten really good at?”
YOU LACKED ACCOUNTABILITY
After your 3-hours of trainings and workshops, what did you do next? What kind of accountability did you put in place? Who holds you accountable? What holds you accountable? Who would ever know if you just stopped doing the work? What does it mean to have to show up to this? In my workshops, I often have people do writing/journal exercises. And, for those who do it, you are creating a record of your thoughts, actions, and beliefs that you can - days later- open back up to, confront, or even have conversations about. There are also those of you who don’t write anything down during those workshops. I have some guesses as to why: 1) You just don’t want to, and this is your act of protest. Congratulations.; 2) You don’t think this is for you; 3) You don’t want to be held accountable for your thoughts, and you certainly aren’t going to let this Asian American woman tell you what to do with your time. Where’s the accountability?
Some of you think that this person is my responsibility — I assure you, they are not. Whenever I see this behavior from a participant, I actually think one level up: “Which supervisor has given you the message that disengagement is an option here? How long have you been getting away with being inactive in this work, that this is no longer an act of defiance but a daily expectation of your behavior? And, at an organization that is working so hard to make this a priority, why do you still have a job here?”
YOU DIDN’T ADDRESS THE RISK AND CONFLICT THAT COMES WITH THIS WORK
Not only is risk and conflict inherent in the work of DEI, it is also inherent in leadership. It is false that “everyone loves diversity work.” That is just not true. You have people in your community that will actively work against it — even if they profess to be “progressive liberals.” Engaging in DEI work means that an aspect of power and privilege must be addressed, and not just when it is convenient.
In my workshops, I have participants do a Pain/Gain Model to determine, “Is all of this work - emotional, time, physical, psychological - worth it in the end?” Some folks come up with “YES! SO worth it!” Others realize, “Nope. Not worth it. Too much risk and conflict.” Well, at least they have figured that out. Sometimes this work fails because people don’t address their own relationship to risk and conflict.
CHOOSE WISELY
There is a whole range out there of who calls themselves “DEI Experts” — so get recommendations. Find out if that consultant a) pushed you, challenged you, moved you to action or b) if the consultant upheld the status quo and didn’t confront risk and conflict effectively. People have different styles and organizations have different needs. You have to find the one who does the work and who makes you better — to the extent that you are willing to work.
For my consultants in the house, YOU choose wisely, too. There are organizations who want you to come in and check off the “we did a workshop” box, and then unfortunately blame you when they say, “Yeah, we brought in a consultant, but it didn’t do anything…” This work takes time. And, some organizations are not willing to put the time and effort into this. Decide if you want to be a part of a movement that pushes organizations to do better - to work harder.
WE CAN’T DO THE WORK FOR YOU
Each year, my doctor tells me to lose weight, to lower my blood pressure, and to reduce my stress. She even has me coming every 3 months instead of every 12 months. But, with all of her training, her medical degrees, and her tens of thousands of patients, I wouldn’t ever blame my doctor because I didn’t do the personal work.
When my surgeon, post-knee surgery, tells me to go to physical therapy, and I go once but then leave weeks in between, I never blame my surgeon for my knee not getting better and not progressing. I didn’t do my follow ups.
DEI consultants, strategic partners, and facilitators are there to provide you with years of experience, helpful tools, and support. We can’t do it for you.
You have to decide if it’s go-time.
Peace and power,
Liza