The acronym DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
It came sharply to the forefront of business awareness and conversation during the spring of 2020 when Americans were able to hyperfocus on the stories surfacing from the Black community because experiences and news stories in 2020 gave us more space to think, process, and discuss. Businesses, including military spouse entrepreneurs, wanted to do better and do more.
To help build awareness around DEI, Stacey Gordon, a chief diversity strategist, presented a Masterclass to the AMSE community titled, “Embedding DEI Into Your Company DNA” (Premium AMSE members can go catch the replay on the dashboard under Replay Premium Events → Human Resources). She outlined the difference between diversity and inclusion in a very simple way:
“Diversity is counting the people. Inclusion is making the people count.”
Catalina Coleman, a director of HR and inclusion, defines equity as “the process of ensuring that processes and programs are impartial, fair, and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual. Equity requires that employers recognize barriers and advantages.”
Seasons have passed since the initial DEI call to action, so it’s time for a pulse check. Let’s look beyond the expert definitions and focus on our military-spouse owned businesses and organizations. Here are a few questions to get the conversation started:
Did you determine that your business needed a DEI upgrade?
In May and June 2020, many businesses chose to make a public statement in support of Black lives. Did you publicly or privately state or determine that you wanted to do more or to do better?
Did you follow through on your upgrade?
There’s a big jump between deciding to upgrade DEI and actually getting to the action steps. In her masterclass, Gordon mentions that one big pitfall in this process is that we instinctively want to jump to action steps. We may find that we may not get to implement the best action steps if we fail to start with awareness and alignment.
Did you do an awareness check of your business to determine how diverse, equitable, and inclusive your business was to start?
Who makes up your team, board, and clients/customers? Who’s depicted in your social media and on your website? What does your organization care about? What are your values and how does DEI play in? Gordon made a really important point that if you don’t know what your starting data points are, you can’t measure change.
Did you do an alignment check?
Is your team on the same page? Inevitably, if your team is large enough, there are going to be people who care about DEI more than others. It may take some time to identify those who care less because they may want to publicly follow the moral high ground in a high-pressure situation.
In the end, alignment is about deciding on a way forward. That doesn’t require everyone to be on exactly the same page, but according to Gordon, it does require that the individuals leading the initiative need to build in time for reflection and decision making. If you don’t take the time to move forward with DEI, your regular business activities will eat up your time, and you won’t be able to create the action steps you need to make a difference.
Were you able to identify other demographics in the military spouse community that would benefit from a DEI upgrade?
Black military spouses as well as other demographics in the community are hurting because they are experiencing exclusion, prejudice, and hate. Did you maintain a broad demographic scope when developing your DEI plan?
Are you keeping your community informed about your DEI action plan?
It is easier to wait and be patient when you’ve received an update. If you are in a demographic that’s suffering, you want to see changes right away to help alleviate that suffering. If weeks and months go by without any visible progress, you feel like businesses and organizations in the community aren’t seeing or supporting you. Once you’ve reached the point of launching a DEI action plan, consider sharing it with your community so they know that you care and you’re doing something.
Have you spoken with your critics?
If you are perceived as not acting fast enough, you may start to receive some comments or direct messages on social media asking for change or criticizing what they’re seeing. This is an effort to create change, though it may come across as harsh.
Realize that the people sounding the alarm may not be ready or willing to step forward and help with the change-making, but they may appreciate an invitation to contribute privately or publicly. A written conversation may not go well. Ask for a phone conversation or video chat because this is a great opportunity to grow and both parties will be better able to communicate emotions and intentions. Keep in mind that not everyone wants to be the face or voice of change, so offer them several ways to participate along with an easy out.
Resources
Developing or keeping up with a DEI program is a worthwhile but ever-evolving practice. Military spouses are worth the effort. I hope that even if we were not able to execute our best intentions just yet, we will not give up on our commitments to do better. Here are some resources to get you started:
AMSE MASTERCLASS - Embedding DEI Into Your Company DNA | Access through your dashboard
BOOK - Unbias: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work by Stacey Gordon
Mocha Stock: Quality images featuring people of color
Kimberly Bacso is an MBA who exchanged an office with a view for a life of adventure when she became a military spouse in 2001. She is the co-founder of InDependent, a non-profit on a mission to make wellness accessible to all military spouses. She is the managing editor of Legacy Magazine, a print publication celebrating service member families and the communities that support them. Kimberly is an experienced registered yoga teacher and a lifelong vegetarian who can often be found traveling off the beaten path with her husband and teenage daughter.
