What to Do in Today’s Environment, Part 1: Optimize What You Have
The only constant in life is change.
This is a well-worn cliché, but in the current environment it feels more relevant and timely than ever. We are a little over three months into a new presidential term, and the Trump Administration is committed to changing how our country functions, what we value and support, and how we define success and progress. The Trump Administration is focused on all aspects of society, including significant attention paid to the workplace, with much of the current discussion centering on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as a concept and what role it should play within organizations: anti-DEI advocates want to immediately eliminate all things DEI, and pro-DEI advocates want to maintain and expand upon existing DEI initiatives.
Wherever you stand on this debate, it holds true that the current environment around DEI is marked by a pronounced level of uncertainty, which can cause a paralysis to set in - unsure of where we stand and with the future unclear, what do we even do?
We have a suggestion: in times of uncertainty, start with optimizing what you have.
Optimizing what you have brings a number of benefits:
It gets you started - it can be hard to move away from a focus on contemplation or the paralysis of what might change tomorrow, but optimization of your current approach has a low barrier to entry and can help kickstart a focus on action and provide you with a sense of purpose and motivation
It focuses on where you are right now - it is important to stay grounded in your organizational context, including your DEI strategy and the programs, initiatives, and practices you have in place
It has a positive framing focused on continued evolution - the current environment has DEI on the defensive, and starting with a focus on optimization communicates that DEI remains important and worthy of investment
And here are a few tips for how to optimize DEI at your organization:
What is our DEI strategy and what are our DEI goals and priorities? Review your organization’s DEI strategy and your DEI goals and priorities and make any adjustments you need based on the current environment (ex. regulatory landscape)
What does DEI look like at our organization? Take an inventory of your DEI policies, programs and initiatives, and practices - get a holistic picture of what DEI looks like both formally and informally at your organization
What might need to change? Why? This is about alignment between your updated DEI strategy (with goals and priorities) and the DEI activities that are taking place - identify what DEI policies, programs and initiatives, and practices might need to change (NOTE: you should be able to articulate a coherent rationale for why any change is necessary)
What does a different version of this look like? What are our options? When you have your list of items to revise or evolve, take the time needed to understand what a new or different version of that policy, program or initiative, or practice might look like - avoid allowing a sense of urgency to get in the way of finding the best path forward
The uncertainty we are all facing increases feelings of stress and decreases feelings of agency and control over things that impact us. It is critical to acknowledge the uncertainty and the impact it has, but it is equally important to develop an action plan and keep moving forward - and optimizing what you have is a perfect place to start.
If you need help determining how to optimize what you have, we are here to support you. Contact us here.
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