Can you imagine starting a job, one that places you in leadership, only to be silenced?  I recently had the opportunity to connect with a mid-career professional who was considering leaving their new organization because of a lack of support.  Their attempts to make any progress were often dismissed as not being aligned to the organizational strategy or limited resources.  However, they noticed that their peers (mostly white males) were successful in getting buy-in from leadership.  A quick look around the room would soon reveal the barriers to their progress – she is an African American woman.  The reality that quickly was manifesting was that if she wanted to get anything accomplished, she would need to rely on the support from her male colleagues – something she was not willing to succumb to.

While it may come as a surprise to some, her experience is the lived reality of many minority people in organizations.  In fact, according to a survey completed by McKinsey and LeanIn, despite representing about 18% of the U.S. population, women of color represented only 4% of C-Level positions in 2018, falling far below white men (68%) and white women (19%).  With so many initiatives to promote DEI within organizations, we’re still struggling to be fairly represented in organizations.  This leaves many minority individuals feeling that they were nothing more than a number to reflect an organization’s attempt to represent diversity.  In the case of this young lady, she determined she had only two choices, she could serve as a pawn to this organization’s failed diversity efforts or be a voice to invoke change that states, I will not tolerate the obvious attempts of showcasing diversity.  Organizations that are wishing to center diversity should proactively advocate for others. What she needed at that moment was someone to support her, to advocate for what she wanted to implement to move the organization forward.  What she got is what so many of us get – nothing but empty unsupported promises.  She hit a wall – one that would prove to be unmovable.

The movement that sparked our current DEI movement is far from over.  Minorities have no desire to be a number in organizations’ attempts to reflect diversity.  These individuals are talented, innovative strategic thinkers that are motivated to do work that will take organizations to the next level.  The question that remains; are you willing to fully support their efforts or do they just represent a number that showcases your diversity?