Voices of Diversity: Kim Davis

Steven Hoffner

Define diversity to you; why is it important? For me, workplace diversity is defined by CULTURE — and culture begins with INCLUSION. Inclusion is the only scalable way to build diversity within an organization. Without thoughtful, deliberate and intentional discussion and action to cultivate an inclusive environment, all the energy and resources spent on “diversity activities” are for naught. This is important, because if proper thought isn’t put into how an organization’s culture and behaviors must shift in order to allow diverse collections of people to coalesce and flourish, then time, money and talent will be wasted and lost — and brand and reputation will indeed suffer. In terms of why it’s important, the data is indisputable — companies make better decisions (more informed, debated, discussed and understood) by getting input from people with a diverse set of perspectives. 

HR’s role on diversity & inclusion: Honestly speaking, this is NOT an HR problem — this is a leadership/business problem, which needs to be focused on, and solved by, business heads who have the power, authority, budgets and resources to make a change. Just like a company solves its marketing, technology or manufacturing challenges, so too must it “attack” its talent, leadership and culture changes with the same focus and intentionality. Until leadership takes a serious approach to the challenges of diversity, inclusion and culture, we will continue to have this conversation, while losing the opportunity to attract talent, grow the business and win in the marketplace.

Call to action for sports: In my view, the first action is to integrate diversity into all of the processes and aspects of the business. Diversity then becomes a “lens” for looking at, identifying, attracting, developing and retaining talent and ultimately fandom. Second is that leaders must build accountability into the systems of awards and recognition. Saying it from the top is only as good as the measures of evaluation and, ultimately, compensation. The most effective organizations are those that don’t simply use diversity as “window dressing,” but use their diversity to increase the cultural competence of all stakeholders — workplace and marketplace. Ultimately, we need to create the conditions for authentic conversation regarding what it means to be diverse and inclusive — not simply that you have people who look different, but that you have created an environment where people feel like they are who they are, uniquely, and in a way that integrates them, and that they can be authentic and contribute at their highest levels.