Hello from incredibly snowy New York.
For this month's Two Minutes on Tuesday,
I'd like to talk about how we can make meaningful progress
on diversity, equity, and inclusion
and why it's so important right now.
This might feel like a difficult item
to keep at the top of the agenda
when leaders are juggling so many other complex challenges,
but in fact, in times of crisis and great uncertainty,
it's more important than ever
that our workplaces foster a range of backgrounds
and perspectives and ideas.
Diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments translate
to more resilient organizations, allowing us to find our way
through difficult times more effectively
and perform better longer term.
It's also what more and more stakeholders are demanding.
Customers, suppliers, investors, employees,
and recruits have raised their expectations,
insisting on more equitable workplaces
and for corporate accountability.
In other words, now would be the worst time to step back
from diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
So how can we make real progress?
Here are four measures from all our research
that actually work.
First, embed diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies
in the leadership agenda, and keep it there
in good times and bad.
Second, make sure that any workforce reductions,
whether voluntary or not, do not unfairly impact women
and people of color.
Third, when it comes to recruitment and advancement,
use diverse hiring panels, blind candidate screening,
and objectively quantified performance evaluations.
And fourth, in times of crisis,
it's particularly important to keep track of
and reward progress
in order to hold leadership teams accountable.
Attention to this issue is not a distraction
from today's urgent challenges.
It needs to be a central part of the solution.
I hope you'll check back every Tuesday this month
to hear from other BCG leaders on this important topic.
Thanks.