Since the 1980s, American organizations have developed diversity as a strategy to attract and develop employees, win and serve diverse customers, grow globally, and avoid litigation. Many doors have opened to white women and people of color in the process, an achievement that makes all Americans proud. Meanwhile, corporate diversity investments have frequently failed to pay a powerful return, partly because they have not effectively included white men.
Six million white men in America lead for a living, and we have grown quiet about diversity. We often enjoy strong relationships with diverse colleagues, but we tend to:
- shy away from providing corrective feedback to a low-performing employee if we fear they might play the race or gender "card"
- not speak up with our concerns about preferences and qualifications during hiring and promotion decisions
- wonder how diversity really adds measurable value to business results
- go along with the diversity program, but keep our heads down and our mouths shut, so we're not the nail sticking up that gets pounded.
White men who lead are only 5% of all American employees, but we
wield decision-making influence far beyond our proportion in the population. Our reticence and quietude on diversity limits our careers, hurts our organizations, and reinforces closed doors and glass ceilings for everyone else. It's time for white American men to stand up and lead confidently on diversity.
A book, a website, and a company exist to equip them for such opportunity:
