Reading “DEI” posts reminds me of the Tower of Babel story from Genesis. While I don’t understand why the Almighty found it necessary to confuse human language, what happened in ancient Shinar is not dissimilar to what we are seeing today.
Our language is confusing everything.
I was speaking to my better half this morning, who insisted that I stop saying “DEI” and instead spell it out: “diversity, equity and inclusion” when discussing the subject.
She’s right (as usual) because “DEI” the acronym means very different things to very different people, and both sides have weaponized the term against the other.
I believe organizations comprised of diverse individuals who feel included and valued will always outperform homogenous or balkanized competitors.
For me, “equity” is the challenge.
I personally prefer the term “equality” when talking about the world where I’d like to live. My belief is that we are all equal and should be treated equally.
Others would argue that “equity” creates the playing field where all can truly be equal.
The dictionary is not much help here. Is equity:
- “the quality of being fair or impartial” (definition 1); or
- “the policy or practice of accounting for the differences in each individual’s starting point when pursuing a goal or achievement, and working to remove barriers to equal opportunity, as by providing support based on the unique needs of individual students or employees” (definition 3)?
The trouble with modern discourse (such as it is) is that some see it one way and others see it the other, and both sides believe they have the monopoly on the truth.
If you are a leader, and you have more than one person working for you, the time will come when you’re asked to choose a side.
Not making a choice means that choice will be made for you, or that half your team will choose one definition and half will choose the other.
What do you believe? And how do your beliefs inform your actions?
If you don’t do this difficult work, have the uncomfortable conversations, make your decisions and firmly (and diplomatically) address your critics, you’re setting yourself up for much bigger problems.
Rest assured, you can’t tuckpoint the Tower of Babel and expect it to stand.
Revival 