Rather than getting hung up on what to call DEI in the workplace, leaders should take three specific actions to help their employees embrace and engage with it. Companies and the patients they serve will benefit.
As a gay biotech CEO who came of age in 1980s South Africa, I have lived my fair share of shifts in social conscience firsthand. I celebrate our progress and, frankly, want more. Yet, even I find myself suppressing the occasional eyeroll at leadership events where someone in a beige cardigan explains why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is now diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA)—or is it justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and more (JEDI+) this week?
For the uninitiated, “surviving” DEI in the biotech sector can feel remarkably like navigating a Phase 2 clinical trial. It is expensive, the data is often frustratingly messy and the landscape is littered with placebo pitfalls. Both DEI and clinical trials, however, are the lifeblood of a thriving therapeutics biotech. The secret to success lies in moving past the performance and into pragmatic practice.
To my fellow leaders who want to be better allies but feel a creeping sense of exhaustion, it is perfectly acceptable to feel overwhelmed. In fact, many “rainbow family” leaders have felt and still feel exactly the same way. I belong to a generation that remembers when the pride flag had only six colors, and employment protections were a dream. Even now, those protections are a luxury only 1 in 3 countries offer, according to Equaldex.
I also occasionally worry that the hyperfixation on issues such as pronoun policies and the backlash against DEI itself risks turning a vital movement into a divisive burden. My hope is that the current backlash signals a move toward a mature, constructive, no sacred cows debate about team culture. Teams that are genuinely diverse in background and perspective generate more creative solutions, challenge each other’s assumptions more effectively and ultimately produce better outcomes for the patients who depend on us.
For those like me seeking to not only survive but thrive with DEI in a resource-constrained biotech without losing your principles (or your mind), I offer three recommendations.
1. Prune the policy, plant the principles that you believe in
You cannot authentically lead using a value system you haven’t personally stress-tested and believe in. That skepticism is healthy. Personally, I believe diverse teams need to be nurtured and supported by principles that allow them to use their diversity for good.
I lead with a core set of nonnegotiables. Having grown up in Africa and now operating across the U.K., U.S. and Asia, I am a devotee of pluralism, which governs everything from my social circle to my voting record. I also believe in meritocracy, which means acknowledging that such an ideal can never be fully realized without a level playing field. At my company, Ochre Bio, our DEI culture isn’t a bolt-on, it’s an extension of my values, and we have worked hard to put them into action.
This month, skip the standard corporate platitudes and ask yourself: What are the specific principles that actually drive your sense of fairness? Grow from those.
2. Beware the ‘over-HR-ification’ of belonging
Do you really require more acronyms, or do you need more empowerment? While I may be a white male, I can attest to how suffocating a boardroom and senior leadership can feel when you’ve spent your formative years believing you weren’t “enough” for society.
The most effective tool in a CEO’s kit isn’t a new handbook—it’s advocating for your juniors who you believe in. It certainly empowered me throughout my career. While you’re at it, identify the rainbow members of your team and offer them your unpolished authentic self. You don’t need to look, sound or love like them to humanize yourself. Until your team members feel they can stop editing their identities, they are running a background app that consumes a massive chunk of their cognitive CPU.
3. Listen
I’m embarrassed to admit that the need to listen was a more recent realization as part of a broader discussion at Ochre on how to better democratize great ideas. Sure, you as the leader set the culture, and your decisions are not made through democracy. Absolutely, many team members lack a broad enough overview to sense which culture levers to pull. Nevertheless, asking for their input before making decisions is the first step toward building a culture of greater DEI engagement.
You may discover brilliant ideas hiding in your leadership blind spots. This, ultimately, is why diversity of thought is a competitive advantage. When people feel free to bring their whole selves to work, they think more boldly, challenge more honestly and innovate more effectively. As Malcolm Forbes beautifully noted: “Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.”
Have a wonderful, productive and authentically unpolished Pride Month.
