In-House Counsel

The Road Not Taken: This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Diversity

Even worker-ants can create an environment where the benefits of diversity can take root.

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Diversity season is here. This month, February, is Black History Month. Next month, March, is Women’s History Month. Organizations like to roll out new initiatives early in the year and these months which promote the accomplishments and contributions of our fellow citizens present a timely background to focus attention on these important issues.

I have only ever been on the receiving end of such initiatives. What usually happens is that I, along with thousands of my colleagues, will receive a company-wide memorandum or statement from an executive of some sort.  The missive will obliquely extol the virtues of a diverse workforce, call on us to appreciate our differences, and encourage us to work towards becoming a more diverse and inclusive work environment.

And then we don’t hear anything on the subject for another year.

Diversity is important. I know this because I have received many corporate communications telling me so. I have probably personally benefited from diversity programs and training. But what does diversity mean to me as a worker-ant in my daily activities? How do I “encourage a diverse and inclusive” environment? If I didn’t want to think about it too much, I’d settle on “I treat everyone the same way: badly,” and move on. But if it were that easy, we wouldn’t need that annual memo, wherever we work.

Furthermore, how do I, a worker-ant in a legal department, further the objectives of a diverse workforce? I know that the country’s demographics are changing and globalization is forcing change on nearly all industries, but those factors generally don’t directly present themselves on a daily basis in a legal department. I don’t need to develop sales strategies to capture the diversifying population. I don’t assign weight to hiring criteria for potential candidates. The obvious actions don’t apply to me, so what do I talk about when I talk about diversity?

I talk about compassion.

My compassion is reluctant, I confess. I really want my obligation to diversity to be that I need only treat everyone the same way. I want to think I can interrupt, bully, dismiss, and condescend with abandon because I am treating everyone “equally.” Unfortunately, that kind of behavior does not foster an atmosphere of inclusion. I have to be kind. I have to take the time to listen to others and solicit their input. This is a pain in the rear. This takes time and energy. If someone has a contribution to make, he can speak for himself. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I should have to hold my colleague’s hand so he feels comfortable participating in the daily tedium of business.

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But what happens if I don’t make that extra effort? Those colleagues who feel a little out of place by being new, older, younger, a different gender, race, or sexual persuasion may try once or twice to break through the wall of interruption and alpha behavior, only to be shot down for any number of reasons, none of which may be due to their outward “difference.” No matter how confident someone is, when he is ignored or dismissed enough, that person will stop contributing.

I know I don’t know everything. My colleagues know things I don’t. My colleagues have skills, experiences, and accomplishments so vast that I can only hope to be privileged to access a small portion of that wealth. But if only some of the people on a team feel comfortable sharing their wealth, that team is not as strong as it it has the potential to be. As a team member, the extra effort I should expend to make all of my colleagues feel comfortable and valuable contributing and participating in the group effort only expands the wealth of the team.

Worker-ants can make a difference. We don’t make policy. We don’t send out company-wide memos about diversity. But even worker-ants can create an environment where the benefits of diversity can take root. The daily interactions we have together are where we learn from each other and where we learn the value of our colleagues’ knowledge and experiences. This, to me, is the crux of diversity’s true value. If mining that value requires a little extra effort, a little extra kindness, a little extra compassion, then it is a minimal amount of effort on my part for a return of immeasurable value.

Celeste Harrison Forst has practiced in small and mid-sized firms and is now in-house at a large manufacturing and technology company where she receives daily hugs from her colleagues. You can reach Celeste directly at C.harrisonforst@gmail.com.

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