Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a topic on everyone’s minds right now. Having a depth of perspectives and backgrounds represented makes teams more creative, better problem solvers and decision makers and more attuned to different markets-- it’s good for business, and it’s simply the right thing to do. We asked Maria Simon, CFW Careers’ Vice President of DEI Practice and Talent Strategy, for her thoughts on how companies can shape DEI initiatives and goals that are truly moving the needle.
After such a successful run in sales with companies like Blackbaud and Schoology, what led you to dedicate your career to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work at CFW Careers?
One of the ways sales careers can be incredibly rewarding is that they offer the opportunity to connect with people of different backgrounds and gain direct insight into multiple aspects of how companies work. Through these connections in my sales career, I witnessed inequality first hand across levels at all types of organizations. In particular, I saw talented women drop out of sales at alarming rates. I knew there was nothing the women should have been doing differently in their roles; the problem had more to do with a fundamental issue in how corporate America operates. Corporations often create environments that make it very hard for women to sustain demanding careers as they move through different life stages such as motherhood. Barriers are even higher for women of color, particularly Black and Latinx women who are paid less and often face compounded discrimination.
This realization led me to co-found "Changing the Conversation" with Cynnie and Rachel in 2014. Initially, we started the project to create a safe space for women to network, exchange resources, and learn from each other. With time, the project evolved to be much more than merely a networking group. Through that evolution, we learned many lessons about what it truly means to create diverse, inclusive, and, most importantly, equitable spaces. We started accounting for intersectionality and opening up our events to a broader community of allies. I could no longer ignore the urgency of the work, so I decided to leap from sales to DEI full-time last year and join the talented team of women at CFW Careers. It felt like coming home to a supportive team committed to living our mission of "Building workplaces that reflect our ideal communities (diverse, equitable and inclusive) and helping individuals, teams, and companies realize their full potential and maximize economic opportunity. "
What distinguishes yours and CFW Careers' approach to DEI work?
The first word that comes to mind when I think about what distinguishes us is "Actionable." One of the problems that I have observed with DEI strategies over the years is that they are deployed as separate initiatives, and are not embedded in everyday decision making and processes. For DEI initiatives to work, they need to be sustainable. For them to be sustainable, they need to be actionable, which means that leaders need specific tools to support their decision making, examples of tools we design include SMART Action plans, process interventions, and toolkits.
The second differentiator is that we take a holistic approach to DEI initiatives. Our firm addresses the talent part of the equation, but goes beyond focusing on the "top of the funnel." We focus on three key areas: attraction, hiring, and retention, which help our clients ensure that when they hire diverse talent, individuals are supported, recognized, and given fair opportunities to help them advance their careers.
Last but not least, we recognize that we are not experts in all areas, and support our work with a best in class ecosystem of partners. This includes organizational coaches, leadership coaches, diversity and inclusion consultants, and sales organization experts.
When working with clients, how do you help them ensure DEI is top of mind, with related goals embedded into all stages of talent strategy- from attraction to hiring and through retention?
We typically start conversations with clients by looking to outline their goals, why they set those goals, and the ideal outcome related to successfully reaching those goals. It is a process that seeks to understand “What?” “Why?” and “How?”
With that information top of mind, we focus on outlining a plan that breaks the goals down into actionable steps to achieve the ideal outcome. We look at the existing protocol, tools, and makeup of the organization and break down the process into interventions centered at embedding diversity across the three key areas:
Attraction: Focusing on employer brand and building talent pipeline through intentional diversity sourcing strategies.
Hiring: Focusing on inclusive and equitable recruiting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding practices
Retention: Focusing on employee experience-- inclusion, retention, culture-building and supporting individuals' growth through coaching services.
Breaking down the plan into smaller steps and setting actionable strategies for each step helps the overall process become manageable and sustainable while minimizing disruptions and ensuring successful outcomes, and, most importantly, accountability.
In order for DEI initiatives to be truly effective, it's imperative that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion be an initiative on the minds (and OKR's!) of everyone in an organization, from the leadership team to the hiring team and the very members of those teams themselves. How do we ensure DEI initiatives are present and consistent throughout an entire organization, rather than siloed in HR?
In one word: Accountability. Executives and employees need to be held accountable for the commitments their employers make towards Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Accountability is easier said than done; examples of steps that organizations can take to ensure accountability include:
Build DEI goals into the company's OKR's (Objectives and Key results)
Assign an influential leader to oversee the execution of each DEI OKR (just like you would with any other OKR)
Put budget behind the initiatives and tie the DEI OKR's to executive compensation (just as you would with any other OKR)
Executive teams must lead by example, have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to executives not modeling the right behaviors
Communicate expectations and goals clearly to all employees and review them frequently
Enable safe spaces for employees to report incidents that go against policy
Make DEI part of your company's DNA, and not something that is an afterthought. Inclusivity should be the definition of your culture
Empower allies and influencers to speak up and find the spaces they need to bring new ideas to the table
We find ourselves in a unique historical juncture where the pandemic has made more people aware of the consequences of inequality, and recent incidents of police brutality have made many people aware of the effects of systemic racism. Any advice on how corporations can ensure that this awareness transforms into action and lasting change?
Awareness is the first step, and a crucial one but sustainable action is more important. I have seen many corporations make bold statements that include significant commitments, but I haven't seen many statements that specifically outline how corporations plan to fulfill those commitments. Corporations need to make sure they outline clear steps to ensure they can fulfill their commitments.
The level of institutional change necessary is significant. It requires ongoing commitment, so don't expect to be able to fundamentally change your corporation in one fell swoop, take it one step at a time, and continuously revise your goals to measure progress. Each goal should be tied to a SMART action plan and supported by experts who can ensure the successful execution of those goals. Most importantly, when you reach a goal, don't settle, set new and more ambitious goals to continue progressing forward. Incremental goal-setting helps to break down large goals into manageable steps.
Lastly, while you work towards your larger goals, take action towards short-term solutions, donate money, sign petitions, read, listen, learn, vote and strive to personally take at least one step towards eliminating racism and inequality every single day.
If you’re currently working on building out DEI practices and processes at your organization, we’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to us at careersteam@cfwcareers.com. We’re happy to be a resource in the development of a holistic DEI strategy, specifically related to all aspects of your talent process- from attracting diverse talent, to hiring and retaining your team.