In the Forbes Insights report, 96% of respondents agreed that “…a diverse and inclusive workforce brings the different perspectives that a company needs to power its innovation strategy.” The opportunity remains to be determined about what additional benefits can be gained by continuing to innovate in our DE&I practices. The greatest qualitative benefit of seeing ourselves and our colleagues through a more holistic, intersectional lens is that it promotes a sense of belonging, or at the very least, it makes people feel acknowledged (or seen). When we create work environments in which people feel valued, they are more inclined and motivated to add value to the organization. “At the end of the day, when you’re creating an environment where people can come together and bring their own views and feel respected, competitively, your company will do much better,” said Debbie Storey, senior vice president of talent development and chief diversity officer at AT&T.

One of the fundamentals of being in any business is to know your customers. The practice of intentionally looking for the nuances and, oftentimes, below the surface attributes that speak to the values, challenges, and motivations of customers provides the information that leads us to ask the right questions, to consider the pertinent opportunities, and to communicate the benefits of our products and services in a way that connects with people in a meaningful way. I believe this level of insight and understanding allows our companies to identify new market segments and target niches with solutions that make the customers feel as if “They get me!”

Oftentimes, the verb "drive" is used to describe the action associated with creating change and disruption in an industry (“Let’s drive more innovation!”). When we consider that ideas are the seeds of innovation, we can begin to see that real shifts start with how we perceive challenges, opportunities, and the possibility of creating outcomes with both measurable and intangible benefits (i.e., improved brand reputation, customer satisfaction, client retention, employee engagement, and every CFOs favorite metric: the bottom line). While a company’s commitment to drive innovation is important, it must be combined with their willingness to explore ideas and perceptions through the lens of diversity. This goes beyond checking the traditional boxes of race, ethnicity, and gender. It’s also recognizing the nuances of intersectional diversity and understanding the value of these perspectives. Diversity matters!

While I could provide a lengthy response, the truth is that our world changes rapidly and there are any number of factors that could make a specific aspect of inclusion a high priority. Instead, I offer this advice: Keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening in the world and be curious and compassionate enough to learn how the state of our socio-cultural environment is affecting your employees and your customers. Then, ask yourself what you can do to be part of the solution, so that employees and customers can feel like: “We’re in this together.” Change is the only constant, and companies must continue to ideate and iterate on how to best leverage their inclusive workforces to make better products and experiences for their customers.

Every successful company understands their audiences deeply, and beyond the basic “tip of the iceberg” demographics like race, ethnicity, gender, and age. They also, over time, deepen their knowledge of their customers’ interests, values, attitudes, and perceptions about topics that affect how they may interact with their products and services. The same way that attributes like race, ethnicity, and gender alone do not inform the behaviors of customers and help companies understand how their products and services should evolve to serve them, defining “diversity” based on these high-level characteristics does not represent the lens through which employees view challenges, opportunities, progress, and successful transformation of solutions, products, and processes.