path forward, no matter how complicated or unclear. Without your research, this book would not exist. Without your insights, our readers would not have a usable framework for talking about race at work. Your time, dedication, and focus ensured we met every deadline, took care of every client and every project, and created a book we both believe in. I'll never be able to fully express my gratitude.
To Joy Pierce, for your vast and important contributions to this book. Your examples, suggested approaches, candor, insights, and complete willingness to help me when you didn't even know me speaks to your generous heart and desire to create change. Our first phone call lasted three hours and we both know it could have gone on forever. You took every call from me, regardless of whether it was day or night, and responded to every text and query to keep me moving and on track to meet my deadlines. You started off as a valued resource, but you became my friend. You're stuck with me now.
To David Phillips, for your insights, anecdotes, experience, proven techniques, and recommendations on how to talk about difficult topics in productive and constructive ways. You made this book a priority and your contributions are matched only by your passion and commitment to a better world for everyone.
Liliana Ramírez
President, LunaNova Marketing—Diversity and Communications Strategy for the World
Joy Pierce, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, University of Utah
David deBardelaben- Phillips
Founder and President
Energetic Awakenings
CHAPTER 1 This Book Is for Everyone, but Especially White Readers
The topic of race and diversity at work is a BIG DEAL—every aspect of it: building a more diverse team, making your business more inclusive, recruiting diverse new talent, rethinking business practices to make them more equitable, and more. And yet it's hard to talk about. Much of the language of diversity and the very concepts that create problems around diversity, such as systemic racism and White privilege, seem to have been adopted by the progressive left and that's a turn-off to people on the right.
As you read this book, you may disagree with many phrases and concepts. You may have “diversity fatigue.” You may roll your eyes at the concept of inequity. Even if you disagree with the language or concepts, I know you'll be on board with how diversity can help grow your business: better employee talent, greater levels of retention and engagement, more innovation, better customer experiences, higher satisfaction levels, and greater sales and profits—that's language that everyone likes.
But here's some real talk: Most White people would rather not go there. They'd rather not talk about race and diversity because it's scary, exhausting, overwhelming, and “a pain to deal with.” It's easy to say the wrong thing and face criticism. And at some organizations, diversity training feels more like “shame and blame” than skills building. Of course, the situation for many people of color is worse—they are missing out on opportunities for networking, jobs, promotions, and income because Whites are reluctant to talk about and address race and diversity issues.
On top of that, diversity has now become a major political hot potato. Much of the world is deeply divided on the issue of race, and it is extremely difficult to say anything without alienating half the population. We've lost our way when it comes to having sensible, constructive conversations about race. That's exactly what I am trying to do in this book: provide realistic, doable, productive tools and insights that will help you have the conversations you may not really want to have—or that you have no idea how to have. It's about skills, not holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.”
If you're on the left, you might criticize this book for not taking more of an activist view and for speaking and writing as bluntly as I do. If you're on the right, you might criticize this book because you believe that systemic racism is overblown, that it is just a new trendy buzzword phrase and one more example of political correctness run amok. Whichever way you lean, whatever you believe, this book will show you how to talk about race and diversity at work.
I'm White. I started writing this book primarily with White readers in mind, because White businesspeople tend to assume a White perspective on things. We don't know what it's like to be “the only” in the room: the only Black person, the only Asian person, the only Hispanic person, or the only Middle Eastern person, for example. We don't know what it's like to worry about being considered for a promotion, and then if we get it, worrying about whether we are the token of diversity and that our company can now “check that off the list.” We don't know what it's like to have someone at work tell us we should go by another name so that we blend in better. (Yes, this happens. My friend Leroy is a tall, dark-skinned Black man. He sells high-end luxury cars and has a strong track record of sales. His coworker suggested he would “do better and seem less threatening” if he changed his name to Doug at work.)
White people in leadership can be oblivious. It's not intentional. It's simply the lens through which we view the world. We can't consider different perspectives if we don't hear different perspectives. And we can't hear them if we surround ourselves with people who are just like us.
My perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion comes from more than two decades of work on this subject. I'm a professional speaker and have written three bestselling books on diversity, all from the standpoint of business. I work with all kinds of companies and all kinds of people: large Fortune 500 companies and small business owners, diversity champions and diversity skeptics. The response to my books and presentations is always positive, especially among White people, because Whites simply do not know how to talk about race and diversity. When we don't know what to do, we do nothing, and that's not good for business growth and success. Another reason that the response to my perspective on diversity has always been positive is that I don't try to change how people feel about diversity. People have very complex emotions surrounding this topic, from fear to guilt to resentment to helplessness and more. I start with one basic truth that everyone agrees with: Business is not about dealing with the world the way you want the world to be. It's about dealing with the world the way the world is. Framed in this way, the topic of diversity is more palatable to most people. I'm not trying to change hearts and minds. I'm trying to change business.
Make no mistake: I believe that only good things come from a more diverse workplace, and I cover all of those in Chapter 4. And I believe that we benefit as a society and as people if we make progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But this book is focused on the skills you need to talk about a key issue that affects business.
You're focused on this issue, too. You're on the first chapter of a book that will show you how you can help—actually, truly, measurably, and meaningfully help. You're a businessperson. The way that you can help is through your company, team, and customers. You can help create a fair, equitable, and inclusive workplace for everyone, and by doing that, you can literally help change the world.
Right now, you could be doing any number of fun things: playing with your kids,
