T2B Tag: Clay

Whether to start a new DEI initiative at your company or with a client can sometimes feel like a game of chicken.

The leadership team might be saying, “Well, employees aren’t asking for it.” Or “No one seems unhappy.” Or the classic, “III haven’t heard anyone complain. No one’s said anything to ME.”

And then on the other end, there might be whispered frustrations in the lab or in the break room: “I know we changed our logo on social, and I read the email, but what else are we doing?”

There were lots of good nuggets coming out of this month’s Comm Convo with LGBTQ advocate Lex Clay, and here’s another one: “Inaction acts sort of as a vacuum for something worse to fill it.”

Avoid the trap.

Regardless of where you sit in your org, comms touches everything.

And we can use that–as an excuse if need be–to catalyze change, even if it means doing it covertly. We have that power.

Maybe it’s a meeting of the minds and you don’t call it an ERG yet. Maybe including optional pronouns in email signatures is part of the next brand resource refresh.

The most effective DEI programs are going to be those where leaders walk the talk, YET employees feel empowered to start–and to lead–grassroots initiatives.

It’s when those two things meet in the middle that we see progress.

We as communicators hold ourselves to high standards and because of that, often feel the weight of our orgs’ and clients’ stances on our shoulders.

Slow or lack of DEI-related progress can be frustrating.

Last week’s Comm Convo with LGBTQ+ advocate Lex Clay reminded us, however, of the power of leading by example to create safe spaces – which we are usually in a position to do as comms practitioners.

Those actions that you might perceive as little could make a world of difference to someone in an underrepresented or marginalized community, he said.

Visible examples here are wearing a small pride pin, having a sticker in your office, or adding pronouns to your Zoom name and email signature.

He also pointed out that how we typically comport ourselves and being sensitive to the issues, showing compassion, does not go unnoticed.

Lex spoke of a world in the future when maybe we no longer need awareness days and months because we as a society have built the infrastructure to truly support representation, and also integration, of diverse communities.

Until then, though, yes, while we can continue to do our part to advocate for systemic change, we can still make an impact by creating safe spaces for friends and colleagues, and not taking for granted those so-called small actions.

This week, we challenge you to think twice about those day-to-day actions that could facilitate safe spaces. Use your position as a face of the company or a speaker for leadership to model and inspire inclusive behavior.

As Lex said, “The people who need the help or the comfort will know that you’re safe.”