“Is leadership doing this?” We get this question all the time. Leadership can approve a D&I effort and individuals will comply. Leadership commitment manifests in three ways: Define success. Declare success. Demonstrate success. When leaders lead, organizations follow.

When each person plays their role in the success of an engagement, they become more likely to play their role in success beyond that engagement. It may seem obvious, but be sure your inclusion initiatives are inclusive.

Management must understand and be expected to demonstrate that leadership in business means leadership of people.

There are concrete benefits to focusing on diversity & inclusion. Make sure stakeholders see the business value from where they sit. Then, articulate clearly what success looks like individually and organizationally.

Cultural competence is the ability to interact effectively across lines of difference. Whether the goal is expand into new markets, recruit best talent, or foster innovation, cultural competence is a positive differentiator. Culturally competent organizations have a competitive advantage because they have culturally competent people doing their work in a culturally competent way.

Wide involvement is critical, but requires role clarification. Individuals need to understand for what and to whom they are responsible.

Understanded that directly affected or relevant groups will have potentially valuable insight. If you’re talking about millennials, for example, it’s important that there are some millennials “at the table”.

Across business units and over time, varied approaches may be appropriate. There is no one way to achieve success. Engagements and strategies must be tailored to specific circumstances.

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By making sustainable infrastructure a part of an initiative, organizations ensure that they maintain the ground they gain and march forward from there.

Healthy debate fosters innovation, reaching answers together that would never have been reached alone.