Managing Security Risks in DEI Programs

Google just agreed to pay $50M to settle a racial bias lawsuit. But the real story? The warning signs were there years ago—and they were ignored. 🚨 Back in 2018, over 20,000 Google employees staged a global walkout, protesting how the company handled sexual harassment claims, and the $90M exit package they gave to an executive, Andy Rubin , the creator of the Android software, even after the company concluded that a harassment claim against him was credible! Then came April Christina Curley, a diversity recruiter at Google who raised concerns about how Black candidates from HBCUs were treated. Her reward? She was dismissed. And now, years later, the company is paying the price—economically and in their reputation. Having spent decades in tech and corporate leadership, I’ve seen this movie before! These situations unfold slowly—not all at once, but in small missteps that are ignored. But I’ve also seen how powerful it can be when a leader listens early, acts with intention, and builds a fair system of accountability with checks and balances before a crisis forces their hand. But this isn’t just about Google. It’s about every company out there that thinks DEI is optional—especially now in face of all the anti-DEI actions and rhetoric. To these leaders I say, "proceed at your own risk, because data and history show just the opposite to be true." ✅ It's a fact that when done right, DEI is a safeguard that helps you attract the right talent, retain your best people, improve decision-making, and yes, it protects you from the kinds of legal and reputational risks that make headlines. So what can organizations do today to build a stronger, safer culture? Here are 4 things I'd recommend: 🔎 Make inclusion measurable – DEI isn’t fluff. Use real-time data to find out where the gaps are, what’s working and what’s not. 🤩 Create safe spaces for feedback – Anonymity isn’t dangerous. It’s how you achieve transparency as an organization and get honesty from your employees. 📊 Audit your people processes – From hiring to promotions and pay equity – unconscious bias will creep in over time unless you actively manage and remove it. 🛠️ Equip your managers – Inclusive leadership isn’t innate. It’s a skill—one that can be modeled and developed. If you’re re-thinking your DEI strategy in this new environment, I encourage you to read the full story (link to be posted in the comments) and feel free to add a comment or DM me. Let's get the conversation going. The stakes are too high to get it wrong. 🧭 It’s time we stop treating DEI as a “nice to have” that can change with the way the wind is blowing—and start seeing it for what it really is; a core business function that protects and propels organizations. Because when inclusion is real, everyone wins. 👏 #Leadership #Culture #HBCU #Inclusion #DEI #HR #BusinessStrategy #EmployeeExperience #Retention #Accountability #Android #settlement #lawsuit Image credit: The Source Los Angeles. 🙏

Hot Take: We’re thinking about DEI risk the wrong way. For the last two months, I’ve been working on a solution to a challenge my clients—and many leaders—are facing: how to effectively evaluate risk and make decisions about DEI in today’s political climate. Whether the question is “Should we keep the name DEI?” or “Should we scale back DEI programs?”, the uncertainty can feel overwhelming. The current administration has cultivated an environment of apprehension around DEI, leading to distorted risk perception and reactive decision-making. Many leaders are over-indexing on legal risk while overlooking equally critical risks—like reputational damage, workforce impact, and long-term business consequences. And with so many unknowns—like how aggressively penalties will be enforced—it’s getting harder to separate real risks from hypothetical ones. While the Executive Orders and legal risks are real, most existing risk frameworks only focus on the risks of doing DEI—but to make smart, sustainable decisions, leaders need a holistic risk analysis that factors in reputation, operations, workforce engagement, and the equally important risks of changing existing DEI strategy. So, along with my amazing team at ReadySet, I developed a new DEI risk framework—one that encourages leaders to assess risk across multiple dimensions. And, because I’m a decision scientist (and a bit of a nerd), I built a DEI Risk Calculator (link in comments) to provide a structured, quantitative way to evaluate those risks. (I also break down the framework and why structured risk assessment is essential in a longer article here.) This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s not a perfect tool - it's a start. I hope it will help leaders cut through the noise, weigh both sides of risk, and create a clearer starting point for decision-making and mitigation. Many brilliant scholars, like Lily Zheng (FAIR) and David Glasgow, are offering critical insights on how to navigate DEI in this moment (check out their HBR pieces linked in the article). But before you change your approach, you need to understand where your risks actually are. This tool is designed to help you assess, refine, and build a more strategic, informed response. It’s completely free, and we aren’t collecting any personal or organizationally identifying data. If you use it, your (fully anonymous) responses will contribute to a future benchmarking report on how organizations are navigating DEI risk across sectors, company size, and more. I’ll be happy to share those insights once we have enough data. If you’d like a personalized walkthrough, I’m offering free advisory sessions this week in exchange for feedback on the tool so I can make it better. DM me or sign up on my Calendly (link in comments), and we can talk through your results. If this would help someone you know—please share. I would love to help people take DEI risk out of the abstract.

After the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking against affirmative action in higher education, leaders might be concerned that their DEI initiatives and programs will face additional scrutiny and legal challenge. While reducing liability is a responsible move, the author cautions against letting these efforts lead to a fear-driven abandonment of effective DEI practices. To sustain DEI progress in this time, companies should focus on curtailing the usage of racial data that is the most legally risky, while taking decisive action to continue using racial data to eliminate discrimination, remove bias, and create fairer workplaces. The author illustrates how to curtail this risk, identifies five goals for this data use (to identify disparities, to remove universal barriers, to correct discrimination, to design fair processes, and to demonstrate DEI progress), and offers dos and don’ts for companies hoping to sustain DEI progress. #diversity #equity #inclusion #belonging