To be truly impactful in creating an inclusive culture of belonging, senior leaders must do more than agree with or "support" DEIB initiatives and programs.
Approval is not the same as buy-in.
Approval is easy ––>
"I support initiatives that promote more women in leadership."
"I agree we should increase the number of Black people on our engineering team."
"It's important that everyone feels comfortable bringing their full selves to work."
These may sound great, but their usually just trite, cover-your-ass platitudes with no action to make them happen.
If you're actually bought in, you will be more committed than this.
You will actively pursue, discover, embody, articulate, and develop a unique point of view.
You will self-reflect. You will get coaching. You will ask for support. You will be publicly vulnerable. You will share stories that illustrate your evolution of consciousness.
You will hone an authentic and consistent message that is compelling, relatable, believable, and grounded in personal experiences.
Then people may actually connect with you. They will trust you and be inspired by you. And they won't dismiss you.
Then, and only then, will you truly contribute to the creation of an inclusive culture of belonging.
So what's your point of view?