Among the new administration’s first actions were a handful of executive orders intended to “terminate DEI” in the federal government and the private sector. While those executive orders don’t change existing federal law, they send a strong signal about the near-term political context for DEI programs. Organizations are reassessing their approaches in real time, with some publicly announcing rollbacks and others defending their efforts. The environment is marked by uncertainty and concern.
During a NationSwell virtual Leader Roundtable on February 5, leaders gathered to take stock of all the challenges and opportunities this new reality presents, and to discuss the strategies they’re implementing to protect and evolve their initiatives in a shifting landscape.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:
Avoid knee jerk reactions or uninterrogated changes; our current moment demands a clear-eyed approach. This moment of political chaos may be best met with a moment of pause — an opportunity to be thoughtful about the non-reactionary, tactical approaches we can take to safeguard our DEI work and even some of the ways DEI can be more intentionally incorporated into talent and culture conversations moving forward. Although the political swirl and media noise can make it tempting to make fast changes, there is long term value in staying steady in this moment.
Internal assuredness and transparency will have external ripples. Even as many leaders feel reluctant to make public-facing statements about DEI, having open internal conversations about why a diverse and engaged workforce is good for business can have a positive internal effect on team members that ends up alchemizing into an external signal about the direction you’re rowing in.
Explore new dimensions of DEI to create opportunities for shared value alignment. Linking DEI to employee wellness initiatives, for example, can help to ensure that your efforts are being felt by employees outside of ERGs or other traditional forums. Showing that you can create value across multiple areas of the business ultimately serves to make the case for the work and can have the effect of making it more durable in the long run.
We have an urgent challenge around devising language that is simultaneously precise, non-provocative, and inclusive. Nailing the language of DEI in a way that works to further our goals in a non-politicized way without diluting the work at all will be a huge component of the challenge we face in the coming months and years. How do we speak about the work that we do in ways that mitigates risk without signaling a retreat from our values?
Have the tough, honest conversations with partners and grantees wherever possible. The realities of the current political landscape will require honest, transparent , and difficult conversations with partners that work in spaces that have been heavily politicized and impacted by government funding cuts. As always, bringing your presence and humanity into tough conversations about how to avoid lightning rods for politically-motivated actors will be the best way to navigate through them. Creating intentional spaces for radical empathy and candid conversations with partners will help them to feel heard and respected, and will also help to most efficiently surface their needs for your support during moments of turmoil and hardship.
