Dei Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right

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I think what I've tried to do in the last few years is to take a different approach than what I've seen in the industry. Lily Zheng's DEI Deconstructed is a compelling must-read for leaders who want to stay accountable, make change, and create better workplaces for us all. I’ve been meaning to get a better idea of DEI as a construct and what it actually means to educate and facilitate DEI initiatives within a workplace.

Our job isn’t to educate DEI naysayers, it’s to push them out (IF a firm is truly sincere in its DEI efforts). It's less and less for people to say people of these genders just have to be, or by nature are better or deserve better outcomes or more successful than other genders. But there's a particular concept I talk about in, now I'm forgetting which chapter I talk about it in, but there's a particular concept in my book that I bring from the sort of social science, cultural psychology work. A really solid look at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs—effective strategies, the well-intentioned-but-lacking, and the stuff that simply falls flat.Then it delves into the DEI initiatives at organizational level, which were more nuanced and detailed. Or if you don't know where the power really lies, there's the official and unofficial power as well, and you certainly don't have the access and maybe in that old hierarchical model, which still exists, the seniority to and the influence. The book emphasizes the importance of going beyond superficial diversity efforts and offers a step-by-step approach to creating lasting change within an organization. But power comes in many forms, and Zheng lists several forms of non-formal power, such as expertise, information, charisma and influence, that can be deployed to achieve DEI outcomes. You can learn more about my coaching at Too Many Trees, or by checking out what I share on LinkedIn around leadership and personal development.

who really do want to engage with DEI but perhaps don't know where to start or want to take it beyond 101, etc. They don't pretend that it is easy, but they do show what is possible while acknowledging that this work is constantly evolving; and we must evolve along with it.Inclusion focuses on creating an environment where diverse employees feel valued and can fulfill their potential, requiring the dismantling of barriers. So that's honestly one of the reasons why moving the topic a little way from my work to the book, that's one of the reasons why I'm really excited about the book because I found that in the last few years I've been saying the same things on repeat over and over and over and over again.