Dean Maryam Alavi hosted Kali Beyah, global chief talent officer of Huge, Inc., in a discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion and actions to take in becoming an advocate for change in the corporate community and beyond.
Beyah relayed three factors required to do the work of building an accepting and supportive environment for all: breaking traditions, leaving the sidelines, and forming a squad.
Break Traditions
According to Beyah, it takes a level of confidence, leadership, and awareness to break with tradition to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in an organization. She cited the women’s right to vote, URMs being accepted into colleges and universities, and other major breaks with tradition that have led to real change. She encouraged the audience to have the courage to move away from traditions to bring about progress.
Leave the Sidelines
“When we come off the sidelines, we come from a spirit of curiosity and generosity,” said Beyah. She noted that to be part of the action, you must have a strategy for what you’ll do once you’re on the field. Those who choose to actively support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives need to remain consistent in their activities. “Silence sometimes means being complicit,” she noted. Beyah encouraged attendees to value the impact they’re making even in small steps.
Form a Squad
A squad can be a group of friends, co-workers, mentors, or a mix of several groups who remain dedicated to building relationships. Beyah discussed relationship currency and the importance of building a squad to support individual growth and efforts. She said the key elements to forming a squad include choosing those who don’t look like you, growing your network inside and outside the organization, having a sense of where you want to go, and identifying those who can help you get there.
Beyah concluded her discussion by reminding the audience that diversity, equity, and inclusion is a story and asked the audience to consider what character they’ll play: an author, co-author, or character.
Dean Alavi’s conversation with Beyah is available in its entirety in the video below.
