Summary: How to Be a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador: Everyone’s Role in Helping All Feel Accepted, Engaged, and Valued by Celeste R. Warren

• The book provides a proven three-part framework for becoming a diversity and inclusion ambassador: become aware of your biases, take an inventory of your surroundings, and develop a personal action plan.
• The book is full of practical tools, exercises, questions, and checklists that help the reader apply the framework and develop their skills as a diversity and inclusion ambassador.
• The book is also inspiring and empowering, as it shares the personal journey and insights of the author and other diversity ambassadors from different backgrounds, industries, and roles.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) may well be a stated goal of your organization – but what can you as an individual employee contribute to help make everyone feel valued, seen and appreciated for who they are?

This book summary “How to Be a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador” recommendation offers a practical guide for becoming a “diversity ambassador.” Author Celeste R. Warren covers topics such as developing your DEI skills and capabilities, adopting behaviors that support DEI, and practicing advocacy and allyship.

Recommendation

Anyone can play a role in promoting workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to thought leader Celeste R. Warren. She provides employees at all levels with a concise, workable guide to becoming a “diversity ambassador.” While you might find some chapters repetitive, Warren offers something for everyone, outlining tailored action plans for individual contributors, frontline managers, senior executives, chief DEI officers and HR professionals. She argues convincingly that any successful diversity ambassador must be self-aware and emotionally intelligent.

Take-Aways

• Everyone in an organization has a role to play in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
• The concept of DEI has now expanded beyond its traditional core dimensions.
• DEI ambassadors need a range of skills and capabilities, including emotional intelligence.
• Whatever your organizational role, the path to becoming a diversity ambassador begins with self-awareness.
• Diversity ambassadorship requires you to take action.
• Individual contributors can make substantive and systemic DEI contributions.
• Chief DEI officers must bring deep personal, organizational and strategic awareness to their work.
• Executives must create the conditions for DEI efforts to succeed.
• Frontline leaders have a critical role to play in promoting DEI within their teams.
• HR practitioners should embed DEI in all people systems and practices.

Summary

Everyone in an organization has a role to play in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

When it comes to workplace DEI, many people feel unable to lead change. Those who don’t occupy positions of authority might feel powerless or constrained by leaders. Colleagues might not want to talk about DEI, considering the topic too fraught with personal risk or inappropriate for conversation in a professional setting.

But DEI is here to stay. Around the world, workforces are becoming more diverse with each generation as people become more interconnected, workers migrate across borders and cultures blend. And two trends in business also mean DEI will remain a focal point. First, economic inclusion – the idea that all people should be able to access financial products and services – is becoming more widely accepted, and that means all companies will need to know how they can contribute toward reducing financial inequality. Second, corporate social activism continues to grow in importance, as consumers and employees increasingly insist that companies align with their values.

“Whether one is a senior leader, a middle manager or an employee who does not manage people, all of us are important in developing an equitable and inclusive culture.” (Merck executive chairman Kenneth C. Frazier)

Despite perceived barriers, any employee, no matter their role or level, can become a diversity ambassador – someone who represents and promotes diversity – and help create an environment in which all employees feel valued and included. For real DEI change to take place, individual contributors, frontline managers, senior executives and HR professionals must become fully involved.

The concept of DEI has now expanded beyond its traditional core dimensions.

When you think about diversity, consider it in the broadest sense, to include not only age, ethnic heritage, race, gender, sexual orientation, and mental and physical abilities, but also differences in socioeconomic status, religious views, political beliefs, national origin, moral values, and more. Now DEI is also considered to have an organizational dimension, including, for example, how long diverse employees have had tenure in the organization and whether they have managerial status. DEI also includes a cultural dimension, featuring aspects such as body language, ways of managing conflict and views on authority. And awareness of intersectionality is increasing – the recognition that many people possess several attributes that make them diverse, such as being both Black and female, and that these intersections affect people in different ways than the individual forms of diversity alone.

“Intersectionality has come to the forefront in the last few years and is a critical aspect of diversity and inclusion strategies.”

DEI today emphasizes inclusion: equal access and treatment, including accommodations, for people who’ve historically suffered exclusion. It entails, among other things, fair access to the benefits and resources of work, such as training and flexible work options relative to each person’s needs. Equality is understood to mean the provision of opportunities on an equal basis, along with valuing people’s diverse skills, interests and perspectives equally. Equality of opportunity, however, often requires treating people differently – the principle of equity.

DEI ambassadors need a range of skills and capabilities, including emotional intelligence.

DEI ambassadors should develop the ability to steer difficult conversations toward healthy exchanges over destructive conflict. They should exhibit honesty and unwavering integrity while encouraging the same in others. It takes courage and fortitude to speak up when another person says something inappropriate, but DEI ambassadors must do so consistently.

“Without integrity, the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, a diversity ambassador cannot exist.”

DEI ambassadors earn credibility and can ground their decisions in reality by developing hard business and financial knowledge. They should nurture their own curiosity, continuous learning, collaboration and agility; they must find meaning and passion in their work to keep them committed through ups and downs. By exercising good judgment and demonstrating respect and impartiality, DEI ambassadors can make a difference in their organizations no matter their role or status.

Whatever your organizational role, the path to becoming a diversity ambassador begins with self-awareness.

To begin your journey to becoming a diversity and inclusion ambassador, you’ll need to know a lot about yourself. Start by conducting a thorough self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses as they relate to DEI, including your knowledge in the area and the skills you either possess or need to develop in order to serve as an ambassador and drive change. Take an inventory of your relevant personal qualities as well, such as your willingness to confront situations and people through difficult conversations.

“Diversity skills are those necessary to be flexible and accommodating of multiple lifestyles and needs, and to accept the viewpoints and expertise that different people bring to the work environment.”

Becoming aware of your own assumptions or biases that could derail your diversity efforts must take priority. Every human has biases, both conscious and unconscious. These include assumptions or prejudices you might hold regarding people of certain races, backgrounds, genders or ages. These biases might have taken root because you’ve had little or no exposure to some groups, or they might have formed due to the way you were raised. You might assume, for example, women will want to stay home with a newborn, but men would prefer to work. Explore your memories of childhood and your experiences, and challenge your own assumptions. Make noticing and removing your biases an ongoing, lifelong process.

Diversity ambassadorship requires you to take action.

An ambassador is a person who represents and promotes something. A DEI ambassador makes a difference by promoting DEI principles and working to see them implemented. All the assessments and deep thinking in the world amount to nothing without action. The action necessary includes working to address what you discovered during the self-awareness stage of your journey: rooting out your conscious and unconscious biases and building the skills and capabilities you’ll need.

“You can’t simply say words of solidarity, you have to demonstrate it through your everyday actions.”

Talk to people in DEI roles to get a deeper sense of what will be required, and devise a plan to close the gaps over time. This might mean attending training, conferences or an employee resource group, networking, volunteering, getting a coach or other activities. Break your plan down into stages, and set SMART goals – goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Move in steps, keeping your eye on the long term. Measure your progress. You’ll never be able to master every aspect of DEI – no one can – but you can learn continuously.

This doesn’t mean giving up your day job. You should weave your efforts to further the cause of diversity and inclusion into your everyday work. This might mean speaking up when you see inequities or microaggressions, or seeking out more diverse candidates if you have hiring responsibilities. For a chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDO), it will mean developing a strategy and vision for the organization and working with others in the executive suite to implement them. Supervisors and managers should create safe environments for people to talk about DEI and show up authentically at work.

Individual contributors can make substantive and systemic DEI contributions.

If you’re an individual contributor, without a position of formal authority, you should assess your strengths, skills and gaps related to DEI advocacy, that is, your ability to support and promote diverse people. How willing are you to speak up when you witness a microaggression, for example? Do you share your thoughts in meetings and encourage others to do the same? Inventory your biases, both conscious and unconscious. Ask colleagues and your manager to help you understand the biases and blind spots you might have trouble recognizing. Ask them whether they think you show courage in supporting inclusion in meetings or elsewhere.

Next, look around you, starting with your team, then your division, and finally throughout your organization to determine whether the culture supports DEI. Who speaks the most? Do all workers’ opinions count, and do people feel a sense of belonging? Do DEI training programs exist, and if so, who attends them? Look at your organization’s website to see whether DEI appears in the values statement and in job postings. Does the organization’s leadership merely talk about DEI, or does it follow through?

“In today’s world…all of us have to be an ally in order for us to make true progress in creating an inclusive culture.”

Finally, take action. This should include closing gaps in your DEI skills and capabilities as well as adopting behaviors that support and promote DEI. Practice advocacy and allyship – supporting groups other than your own – by speaking up when you see bad behavior, celebrating positive behavior and DEI-related successes, and making sure other people have a voice.

Chief DEI officers must bring deep personal, organizational and strategic awareness to their work.

CDOs will need to conduct a self-assessment, too, to discover their strengths, gaps and biases. After all, no one can know everything about DEI, and no one’s free from biases. CDOs, in particular, need to become aware of their blind spots. Look at your resources, too. Do you have an external network of CDOs and DEI experts to tap for learning? Do you have the business and financial acumen to make the case for DEI initiatives? Create a personal learning plan to close any gaps.

Next, extend your investigation to DEI barriers that may exist throughout the organization. Compared to people in other roles, you’ll perform a deeper and broader assessment of the organization’s DEI readiness. Look at processes, practices and culture. Learn about the social, political and environmental issues the organization faces.

“Diversity and inclusion cannot be viewed as an entity that sits outside of the business, without creating value to the business and helping to drive shareholder returns.”

Now construct a DEI strategy in alignment with the organization’s overall strategy and goals, and build your team. You’ll need to collaborate with HR about compensation, benefits and recruitment; you’ll also benefit from engaging the learning and development teams. Create a DEI statement of purpose and goals. Articulate what you’ll do to achieve these goals, and identify the measures and metrics you’ll use to gauge progress.

Executives must create the conditions for DEI efforts to succeed.

If you hold a senior executive position, your role in DEI includes setting clear and measurable goals, enforcing them and visibly involving yourself in supporting the organization’s initiatives. You should be leading by example, speaking out and allocating resources for DEI coaching, mentorship and training. Like anyone else who aims to advocate for DEI, you must first conduct a self-assessment to identify your skills, capabilities, biases, blind spots and behaviors – especially your willingness to champion DEI authentically and vocally.

Senior executives should identify and remove barriers throughout the organization. This includes assessing the attitudes of other senior and frontline managers toward DEI. You must ensure frontline leaders have the training, support, resources and tools they need, and that managers advocate for DEI.

Frontline leaders have a critical role to play in promoting DEI within their teams.

When middle managers and supervisors fail to operationalize visions and plans from higher up, the frustrated executives often refer to those managers and supervisors as the “frozen middle.” Managers either help turn executives’ strategy into reality or they form a barrier. If you’re a manager or supervisor, evaluate your DEI skills, capabilities and biases, and then assess the environment by listening to employees and learning about individual team members. Scan your teams and department to determine whether processes and practices – including hiring and onboarding – support or hinder DEI. Notice your team members’ level of candor and openness to get a sense of whether they feel psychologically safe enough to speak up about DEI.

“How we act towards others is as important as the messages we are delivering, the plans and initiatives we are implementing and the changes we are putting in place.”

Devise an action plan that includes your personal goals as well as DEI initiatives within your teams and department. Offer coaching and advice to your reports, grant workers the autonomy they need to embrace DEI, and advocate for it among your peers.

HR practitioners should embed DEI in all people systems and practices.

Like all others, HR professionals interested in DEI advocacy should start with a self-assessment to find their skills gaps and biases. Their assessment of the environment, however, should include a deep investigation of all elements that HR touches, particularly hiring processes, selection of employees for learning and development opportunities, succession planning, compensation practices and performance management systems.

Take action by addressing your biases and blind spots and by further developing your DEI skills and capabilities. Take the lead to ensure processes across the entire talent lifecycle contribute to DEI goals. Establish targets and metrics to monitor progress.

About the author

Celeste R. Warren is vice president of the Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence at Merck. For her leadership in global diversity and inclusion, she’s earned recognition as one of Black Enterprise’s “Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion,” Savoy’s “Most Influential Women in Corporate America” and DiversityGlobal’s “Influential Women in Global Diversity.”

Celeste Warren is vice president of the Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence at Merck. Prior to joining Merck in 1997, Warren worked for nine years in human resources at Kraft Foods and General Foods. She has been honored with many awards, including Black Enterprise’s Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion, Savoy magazine’s Most Influential Women in Corporate America, Women’s eNews’s 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, and Diversity Woman magazine’s Elite100 List. She is also a member of CNBC’s Workforce Executive Council and World 50’s Inclusion and Diversity Impact Community.

Genres

Business Culture, Workplace Culture, Human Resources and Personnel Management

Table of Contents

Foreword Kenneth C. Frazier, Executive Chairman, Merck & Co., Inc. ix
Introduction Why Diversity and Inclusion Will Continue to Grow in Importance 1
Chapter 1 What Is the Role of a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador? 13
Chapter 2 What Skills, Capabilities, and Behaviors Are Needed to Be a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador? 29
Chapter 3 The Role of Individual Contributors 45
Chapter 4 The Role of the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer 59
Chapter 5 The Role of C-Suite Leaders 73
Chapter 6 The Role of Middle and First-Line Managers 87
Chapter 7 The Role of HR Practitioners 101
Conclusion Where Do I Start? 117
Discussion Guide 129
Acknowledgments 135
Index 137
About the Author 141

Review

The book is a practical guide for anyone who wants to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their workplace. The author, Celeste R. Warren, is a thought leader and a chief diversity and inclusion officer at a global company. She draws on her extensive experience and research to provide a proven three-part framework for becoming a diversity and inclusion ambassador:

• Part 1: Become aware of your strengths, weaknesses, and conscious and unconscious biases. The author explains how to identify and overcome the barriers that prevent you from being an effective ally and advocate for DEI. She also provides tools and exercises to help you assess your current level of awareness and develop a growth mindset.
• Part 2: Take an inventory of your surroundings: what is getting in the way of there being an inclusive environment in your organization? The author shows how to analyze the culture, policies, practices, and behaviors that impact DEI in your workplace. She also offers tips and strategies to help you influence change and create a more inclusive environment for yourself and others.
• Part 3: Develop a personal action plan. The author helps you design a plan that aligns with your role, goals, and values. She also provides examples and best practices for different positions, such as individual contributors, C-suite leaders, first-line managers, human resources practitioners, and chief diversity and inclusion officers. She emphasizes the importance of taking action, measuring progress, and celebrating success.

The book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about DEI and how to make a positive difference in their workplace. The author writes in a clear, engaging, and accessible style that makes the book easy to read and understand. She also uses real-life stories, case studies, data, and research to support her points and illustrate her concepts. The book is full of practical tools, exercises, questions, and checklists that help the reader apply the framework and develop their skills. The book is also relevant and timely, as it addresses the current challenges and opportunities that DEI presents in the changing world of work.

The book is not only informative but also inspiring. The author shares her personal journey and insights as a diversity and inclusion leader and ambassador. She also showcases the stories and achievements of other diversity ambassadors from different backgrounds, industries, and roles. She encourages the reader to embrace their own identity, passion, and purpose as a diversity ambassador. She also empowers the reader to take action and make an impact in their own sphere of influence.

The book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to be a diversity and inclusion ambassador in their workplace. It is also suitable for anyone who wants to learn more about DEI and how to create a more inclusive work environment for themselves and others. The book is a must-read for leaders, managers, human resources professionals, diversity practitioners, and anyone who cares about DEI.