Hello! It’s safe to say by now our new blog series is well in swing. Just in case it’s your first time here - over the next eight weeks, we’re drawing your attention to the minds behind Get-Optimal. The folks who make the things tick. The advisors, our epic investors, and the greatest minds in DE&I. We’ve already had insights on The Great Return by Joe Slavin and How Optimal’s AI frees up time for the best bits of the job, by Gary Elden. If you missed them, hop back and give them a read!
Next up, Torin Ellis; diversity strategist, published author - and half of the podcast series Crazy and The King.
We’ll let Torin take it from here…
An acronym for some, a work function for others but a way of life for billions - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are the talk of the town. So when Get-Optimal asked me (for full transparency I am an advisor to these disruptors) to riff on the state of DEIB, I wanted to consider the totality of DEIB, over the mere application. Totality to me is larger than just something we focus on in recruiting. Are you offering the DEIB journey employees strive for? Depends on who you’re asking, but probably not. I’ve heard all the comments - ‘disappointed yet optimistic’, ‘never again’ - to the side-eye-from-me receiving - ‘we just want the best talent’.
My position on this is there is great work to be done.
Diversity and Inclusion (for short) require the building of trust. This requires us to develop an internal ability to give trust. It’s this I want to explore. We could go the Edelman Trust Barometer route via a credibility survey, but I prefer to speak candidly. Attracting great talent and building a diverse and inclusive organisation is not much of a balancing act as often extolled. Creating a work environment in which marginalized and underrepresented employees thrive requires deliberate, sustained efforts focused in (primarily) three areas: data and numbers, company culture and day-to-day people management.
For me, the latter is the most critical.
Within community and corporate corridors this trust remains in question, and in some scenarios has been completely eroded. It's hard to ignore the many companies that have deprioritized DEIB, just take a look at seminal reporting from Citibank or the landmark read from the Fawcett Society and Runnymede Trust - not to mention anecdotal stories seen as an assault on humanity.
I’ve been deep in this space for over a decade and, to be honest, I’m mostly afraid of becoming naïve in my unwavering pursuit of better. As subject leaders, we have a moral obligation to think about DEIB differently.
It’s time to embrace the change and shift your relationship with power.
A shift that is ambitious, bold and trusting.
Moving from theory to practice can be challenging, so show up anyway.
Tough topics like societal divisions. Our ever-growing ravine of inequality. The climate crisis. The concerning economy. In the office or remote first, we are facing some of the most pressing challenges in the history of building teams and communing with others. We need to unleash the power and potential of all people, not just those who fit or relate to our lived experiences. Tapping the creative contribution of *others* is the cheat code. The window of opportunity to envision and build an inclusive and sustainable world is accessible to each of us. Right now. It simply requires that we be more intentional.
Trusting that you will seek to be more intentional.
Are you offering the optimum DEIB journey that your potential employees deserve? Look over your zoom meetings, succession plans, product road maps, learning and development, corporate giving, compensation, hiring practices and every other value point before you answer the question. Have you kept DEIB as the focus for your team or are you taking actions to suggest an inclusive mindset, rather than adopting one? If you’re languishing in adoption, then keep going. If not, then your trust might be questionable.
And trust is the underpinning of progress.
Torin Ellis
Diversity Strategist
Work with us at Optimal, and your response rate for open positions will soar by a minimum of 24%. Let our AI choose the most readable parts of your job ads to display and you’ll save you the precious time you would have spent combing through old or plagiarised job ads to ensure you’re conveying the correct image in the new world of attracting suitable and diverse candidates. No longer will applicants be put off by the vacancy or how it’s been advertised. Optimise once and post in multiple places - your new ad is provided in a downloadable, editable form to drop in to whichever job board or multi-poster you like!
We are also integrated with Bullhorn and Salesforce. We ensure your ad is Diversity & Inclusion compliant, meaning you’ll be the top choice commercially and win business over other, less enlightened competitors.
Ready to join forces? Why not book your demo today and get started with Get-Optimal?
Hello! It’s safe to say by now our new blog series is well in swing. Just in case it’s your first time here - over the next eight weeks, we’re drawing your attention to the minds behind Get-Optimal. The folks who make the things tick. The advisors, our epic investors, and the greatest minds in DE&I. We’ve already had insights on The Great Return by Joe Slavin and How Optimal’s AI frees up time for the best bits of the job, by Gary Elden. If you missed them, hop back and give them a read!
Next up, Torin Ellis; diversity strategist, published author - and half of the podcast series Crazy and The King.
We’ll let Torin take it from here…
An acronym for some, a work function for others but a way of life for billions - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are the talk of the town. So when Get-Optimal asked me (for full transparency I am an advisor to these disruptors) to riff on the state of DEIB, I wanted to consider the totality of DEIB, over the mere application. Totality to me is larger than just something we focus on in recruiting. Are you offering the DEIB journey employees strive for? Depends on who you’re asking, but probably not. I’ve heard all the comments - ‘disappointed yet optimistic’, ‘never again’ - to the side-eye-from-me receiving - ‘we just want the best talent’.
My position on this is there is great work to be done.
Diversity and Inclusion (for short) require the building of trust. This requires us to develop an internal ability to give trust. It’s this I want to explore. We could go the Edelman Trust Barometer route via a credibility survey, but I prefer to speak candidly. Attracting great talent and building a diverse and inclusive organisation is not much of a balancing act as often extolled. Creating a work environment in which marginalized and underrepresented employees thrive requires deliberate, sustained efforts focused in (primarily) three areas: data and numbers, company culture and day-to-day people management.
For me, the latter is the most critical.
Within community and corporate corridors this trust remains in question, and in some scenarios has been completely eroded. It's hard to ignore the many companies that have deprioritized DEIB, just take a look at seminal reporting from Citibank or the landmark read from the Fawcett Society and Runnymede Trust - not to mention anecdotal stories seen as an assault on humanity.
I’ve been deep in this space for over a decade and, to be honest, I’m mostly afraid of becoming naïve in my unwavering pursuit of better. As subject leaders, we have a moral obligation to think about DEIB differently.
It’s time to embrace the change and shift your relationship with power.
A shift that is ambitious, bold and trusting.
Moving from theory to practice can be challenging, so show up anyway.
Tough topics like societal divisions. Our ever-growing ravine of inequality. The climate crisis. The concerning economy. In the office or remote first, we are facing some of the most pressing challenges in the history of building teams and communing with others. We need to unleash the power and potential of all people, not just those who fit or relate to our lived experiences. Tapping the creative contribution of *others* is the cheat code. The window of opportunity to envision and build an inclusive and sustainable world is accessible to each of us. Right now. It simply requires that we be more intentional.
Trusting that you will seek to be more intentional.
Are you offering the optimum DEIB journey that your potential employees deserve? Look over your zoom meetings, succession plans, product road maps, learning and development, corporate giving, compensation, hiring practices and every other value point before you answer the question. Have you kept DEIB as the focus for your team or are you taking actions to suggest an inclusive mindset, rather than adopting one? If you’re languishing in adoption, then keep going. If not, then your trust might be questionable.
And trust is the underpinning of progress.
Torin Ellis
Diversity Strategist
Work with us at Optimal, and your response rate for open positions will soar by a minimum of 24%. Let our AI choose the most readable parts of your job ads to display and you’ll save you the precious time you would have spent combing through old or plagiarised job ads to ensure you’re conveying the correct image in the new world of attracting suitable and diverse candidates. No longer will applicants be put off by the vacancy or how it’s been advertised. Optimise once and post in multiple places - your new ad is provided in a downloadable, editable form to drop in to whichever job board or multi-poster you like!
We are also integrated with Bullhorn and Salesforce. We ensure your ad is Diversity & Inclusion compliant, meaning you’ll be the top choice commercially and win business over other, less enlightened competitors.
Ready to join forces? Why not book your demo today and get started with Get-Optimal?
