This too shall pass
I’ve worked in Diversity and Inclusion for almost thirty years now. I have the privilege to Chair Included, one of the most established and recognised consultancies in this space.
Where we are
Many colleagues are feeling pretty flat right now. For professionals who have dedicated their lives to combatting injustice and improving people’s well-being, many are understandably scared and weary in equal measure about the events now unfolding in the States. What’s being cooked up in Washington, DC is spilling out around the globe.
The list is depressing – from regression on LGBT rights to tangible reductions in welfare provision, from environmental rollbacks to simply incendiary policy statements that threaten global peace and prosperity. Undermining (or even seeking to undermine) the very foundations upon which peace and prosperity are built is disturbing.
Make no mistake, this is bad. For many, it’s the worst possible scenario.
Yet, at this undeniably challenging time, we need to find sustenance for the journey ahead and there are two things which I believe can help us:
- It’s important that we don’t give in or give up
- We need to learn to separate the noise from the signal
Where we are headed
No injustice can last forever. Echoing Theodore Parker, Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us;
the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Trump’s actions in relation to people from minority groups are tainted by extremism and prejudice – and we are still in the early days of this new administration. Yet, we can and must work towards the long-term goal of a more just society. It is important that we don’t give in to the rhetoric or give up on our belief that justice is our inevitable destination.
Amidst the avalanche of executive orders, tweets, corporate rollbacks and posturing we must get better at distinguishing the signal from the noise. The rhetoric is calculated to be overwhelming – it is an effective tactic which can drain us of the energy to engage. Facing an avalanche is a bad move, we will get swept away. But we can come together to identify the truly dangerous signals and collectively stand against those, letting everything else wash over us.
We should also, in humility, learn from the mistakes of our past. For millions of people, Trump speaks a truth that they have waited many years to hear. There is a deep fear and distrust of difference in many people’s hearts born out of anxiety for their jobs, their relationships, and their place in the world. This is a signal that the economic and cultural winners of recent decades have ignored. Trump and co. use these genuine anxieties – born out of an unjust society ironically – and turn them into new fronts in the culture war. As we see through this tactic and engage with the stories of hurting, insecure people we have the opportunity to create a coalition of solidarity based on the common causes that unite everyone who feels left behind by the speed at which society is changing.
This too shall pass: a call to action for inclusive leaders
The Persian adage of this too shall pass reminds us that all things, good and bad, are temporary. It’s a reminder that life’s ups and downs are fleeting. The phrase was made famous in 1852 by Edward Fitzgerald, in his work Solomon’s Seal. It’s based on a story about a king who mourned the death of his wife, a seminal life event. Even in the darkest moments, it’s a reminder that neither good, nor bad, times last forever. So, the challenge wrapped up in this phrase is to take heart, reach out for support, and be more creative and resourceful than you’ve ever been in your career to date.
The clear call to action for all leaders wanting to lead with inclusion in the current climate is to create an unbreakable link between your inclusive values and your company’s mission. EDI has never been a ‘nice to have, rather, it is an imperative for organisations that want to thrive. We have, perhaps, been guilty of framing EDI as an entirely new discipline, rather than sharp set of tools to help us achieve the goals we have always held as important: successful colleagues, enjoying their work, with equal opportunities to thrive and create value for themselves, their clients, customers and colleagues.
When it comes to diversity and inclusion, I smile at the companies rolling back their “equity programmes”. How do you roll back recruitment if you want to grow? How do you stop considering reward if you want to motivate people? How do you roll back any people programme if you want to rely on people to power your business into the future?
Quality companies, led by talented people, from BCG to McKinsey, from hospitals to football clubs, are standing by their people right now because they know that people perform better when they can be themselves. History will look back favourably at those who prevailed in adversity.
The noise will pass. The work will go on.
~ Stephen Frost
