DE”I”

Afternoon and happy Friday. Doctor E. Speaking to you from dreary, wet and cold Minnesota. So I hope you are doing well. Hope your week has gone well, and I hope you have a fantastic weekend in the days to come. Wanted to chat briefly today about the I in DEI. Most folks know that DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. So the I obviously stands for inclusion. What I want you to think about as it relates to that I are two aspects to inclusion, individual and institutional. Why do I think those two are important?

Well, because they go together. Most DEI strategies and plans tend to separate the two. So you may have training programs, you may have opportunities for folks to attend seminars or symposiums, and that's individual building or individual development. And then there are some aspects that actually do institutional where they kind of talk about policies and processes and think about some of the organizational challenges related to culture and hiring and retention and all of those other kinds of things.

I want you to maintain the relationship between the two. Don't separate them. So the I for today stands for individual and institutional. Individuals come into institutions with expectations, with experiences, with backgrounds, all of those other kinds of things that impact the institution. The institution, in return has structures, has practices, policies, processes that either affirm or do not affirm individuals who come into those spaces. And so when you think about the two together, you're able to think about capacity, you're able to think about culture, you're able to think about communication, commitment, all of those things related to not just bringing folks into institutions, but also how to retain, how to keep, how to build upon the folks that you're bringing into those institutions as it relates to affecting change, as it relates to diversity and differences, as it relates to fair and equitable practices, and then obviously, as it relates to folks being able to utilize their voices in ways that impact the institution.

And so I stands for individuals and institution. But think about the compartmentalization of the two as it relates to inclusion. Don't separate them, keep them together. Focus on how you can build individuals up within your organizations while at the same time allowing individuals to change your organizations for the better. Moving agendas, practicing different ways, incorporating and integrating different methods as to what you're trying to accomplish and what you're trying to do. So think about that a lot.

And if you ever want or have a desire to separate individuals from institutions, just remember, it never, ever works. Individuals impact and affect institutions and institutions affirm and have an effect on individuals, helps retention, helps recruitment, helps development, and more importantly, helps your bottom line. Individuals, institutions, broad parts and integral parts of inclusion. That's my word for the day. Happy Friday again. Have a great afternoon and have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you next week.