Recently, someone acknowledged a success of mine, saying that it wasn’t like I achieved ‘X’ because of DEI. It was meant as a compliment.
I received it in the spirit in which it was given, but as a business owner (a female one, too), the DEI hate is confusing. DEI is our new bogeyman. It has expanded from being the new shorthand for unearned advantage to encompassing issues as disparate as general inefficiency to plane crashes. But why?
I understand the proclivity of humans wanting a singular answer to complicated, nuanced concerns. We want to believe our problems are solvable. But I find it strange that this is the answer that many leaders and owners have determined is right. The most successful people I know are not interested in leading clones of themselves but are looking for the people that fill gaps in talent, experience, skill and perspective, making this pretend emergency more perplexing.
I wasn’t a DEI hire, but I also wasn’t a traditional choice. I had the right leadership experience and had success within similar constraints. While I didn’t have direct industry experience, my background was relatable that, were I of a different gender, it wouldn’t have mattered as much. But I was aware that my credibility as a leader wouldn’t be assumed. As one of only two women in the company, I had to prove that I deserved the job — an inequity I had, sadly, grown numb to. Thankfully, the previous owner and boss felt the differences I brought were also my strengths.
In industrial rotating equipment repair, we are focused on supporting manufacturing. Even if we were more narrowly focused, the people we do business with could be anyone from anywhere. To grow, we need to relate to different people and build relationships — the more diverse my company is, the better equipped I am to do that. That includes the relationships inside my building, too.
For us, the biggest barriers on the road to growth have been hiring the right people with the right skills. Skilled labor, we all know, is in high demand and the pool of talent is small. We need to engage and attract as many people as possible out of that narrow field. If there are qualified people we are not effectively reaching because they are members of a group that we aren’t relating to, or have cultural or socio-economic barriers that prevent them from being able to picture themselves in our organization, then we’re just amplifying those same barriers. Our own gaps in perspective and experience could prevent great people from contributing.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” a sentiment encouraging individuality, challenging personal beliefs, embracing change versus being bound by conformity. A dynamic organization that wants a culture that invites growth should take Emerson’s words to heart.
We are not a perfect company, and I am not a perfect leader. We aren’t exactly the industrial services version of a Benetton ad (if you are old enough to remember those). My company is overwhelmingly white and male. I am not aware if we have veterans currently on staff. We have neurodivergent staff (me for one), but no one with other cognitive or physical impairments. But we strive to be better. The more our organization can reflect inclusivity and diversity, the less likely we are to get mired in legacy thinking, not recognizing when the game has changed. Or worse, looking too fondly in the rearview mirror, missing the opportunities ahead. ●
Jennifer Ake-Marriott is Owner and CEO of Redmond Waltz
