Why Professional Development Is the Achilles’ Heel of Many DEI Efforts — and 6 Ways to Fix That

Talent acquisition can’t bring diversity to the workforce on its own. Even when a company is successfully recruiting and hiring employees who look like the broader community or their customer base, much still needs to be done to ensure the success of the workforce. That is the Achilles’ heel of many companies, says Cynthia Owyoung in her new book All Are Welcome: How to Build a Real Workplace Culture of Inclusion That Delivers Results. 

While the DEI focus is often on hiring, Cynthia writes that “if you don’t spend just as much time and energy on keeping people, you’re wasting your effort.”  

In many industries, members of underrepresented groups are not advancing in their organizations at the same pace as their colleagues. A stalled career and a perception of too few opportunities for advancement will prompt many to look for greener pastures. On the other hand, professional development opportunities can lead to a more engaged workforce where employees are more inclined to stay with an organization. 

Cynthia is the vice president of inclusion, equity, and belonging for financial services company Robinhood and the founder of Breaking Glass Forums, an organization that works with companies to diversify their leadership ranks. She has seen firsthand how professional development offerings can help companies prepare employees from underrepresented groups for roles at all levels of an organization. 

Here are six tactics she recommends:

1. Build targeted leadership development programs 

While general leadership development programs can give all employees training in skills needed for new professional responsibilities, members of underrepresented groups often have challenges unique to them. Targeted leadership development programs allow you to explore those challenges from the group’s specific lens. 

Say you create a program around the topic of being more assertive in meetings. While employees of many backgrounds could find value in discussing the subject matter, Cynthia points out that someone from certain cultures within the Asian community might have particular challenges with generalized advice if their cultural norms don’t promote speaking up in such a setting. Having a safe space with other employees who can relate to those challenges can help those employees find leadership techniques that align with their cultural norms. 

Targeted leadership programs, Cynthia says, give employees the “strategies they need to employ to be their authentic selves as leaders.”

2. Give employees tools to address limiting beliefs

Members of underrepresented groups often don’t have the benefit of seeing many colleagues they identify with in positions of leadership. That can lead one to believe a promotion is unlikely or impossible.

Such beliefs can hinder career growth, Cynthia says. She credits Stacy Parson, a partner at skills training organization The Dignitas Agency, with coming up with a model for changing limiting beliefs into breakthrough beliefs that career advancement is more than possible when you are true to yourself and your own experiences.  

For example, an introverted employee might have the limiting belief that to get promoted they must act like an extrovert. To turn that limiting belief into a breakthrough belief, one might find examples of corporate leaders — like Marissa Mayer, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates — who are more on the introverted side of the scale, which in turn can inspire an introvert to say, “I can be promoted” and ask for specific support in achieving that goal.

Using the breakthrough belief model as  a tool, Cynthia, says, can “move people into that much more powerful development and growth mindset space of being able to step into whatever that next career aspiration is.”

3. Give managers insight into the needs of employees from underrepresented groups

It’s not enough to simply give employees from underrepresented groups targeted training and advice. Their managers — those whose job it is to evaluate their performance — must also learn how to enable the conditions necessary for all employees to thrive. 

When you focus only on the underrepresented group, Cynthia says, that implies that you’re trying to fix the members of that group or put the burden on them to do something differently that will increase the likelihood of their success. 

However, when you let managers know about the specific concerns of, say, Latina women or LGBTQ+ employees, it encourages those who lead a team to take steps to create a more inclusive environment. It’s imperative, Cynthia says, to train managers both on unconscious bias and allyship behaviors to encourage manager actions to mitigate those biases and create a more level playing field for all. 

4. Use ERGs for professional development

Cynthia always positions employee resource groups (ERGs) as opportunities for development. When people step into leadership roles in ERGs, they’re essentially running a project team and  driving specific outcomes that they will be held accountable for. Organizations benefit too, Cynthia adds, as ERGs can serve as next-generation leadership incubators for the company. 

Let employees know that by participating in an ERG, they can develop new skill sets that might put them in the running for leadership roles throughout the company. Acknowledge their work with ERGs during the review process so they know it is valued.

Consider, too, more formal rewards for participation. Some companies such as LinkedIn, Uber, and Twitter are paying ERG leaders for their efforts. Or you might choose a different form of tangible acknowledgment. For example, Cynthia has run programs or held trainings that only ERG leaders can participate in. Likewise, if you are rolling out a new training initiative for the entire company, you might do it first with your ERG leaders to give them a development opportunity.

5. Get the right sponsors involved

Another way to make sure ERGs support your organization’s professional development efforts is to have buy-in from leaders throughout the company. “If you’ve set up your ERGs to have executive sponsorship and leadership visibility,” Cynthia says, “you are creating opportunities for people to expand their networks.” The more visible an employee is to executives, the more likely those higher-ups will think of that employee for the next leadership opportunity that comes around. 

Sponsors who are members of an ERG’s affinity group will likely have a better understanding of some of the challenges members of that group run into. But having an executive sponsor who is not a member of the group can also  be effective, particularly when the sponsor is an ally  who feels a sense of connection to the group. 

“I’ve worked with an executive sponsor,” Cynthia shares, “who doesn't identify personally as part of the LGBTQ+ community, but has family members who identify as LGBTQ+.” As a result, that sponsor had a strong passion for and commitment to the LGBTQ ERG. “That person,” Cynthia notes, “is a great executive sponsor.”

When  considering whether someone would make a good sponsor, ask yourself:

• Is this person a great leader? 
• Do they have passion for this space? 
• Can they relate and have empathy for this community? 
• Will they do the advocacy that is necessary?  

Don’t choose sponsors based on their title. Just because a person is a VP, Cynthia adds, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily right for the job. 

6. Convey the importance of allyship

Members of underrepresented groups can’t be the only ones with a stake in creating an equitable workplace. In All Are Welcome, Cynthia argues that the majority group must be motivated to get involved.  

Getting leadership sponsorship of ERGs can set the tone for the organization. When people throughout the organization see leaders advocating for communities and taking part in their activities and events, that sends a strong message about the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Senior leaders can also encourage allyship, Cynthia says, by regularly questioning talent management activities such as hiring, promotion, and performance review calibrations. For example, when a position opens up, a leader may ask whether the organization looked at every eligible employee regardless of background. “When you’re having those conversations as a leader,” Cynthia says, “you’re role-modeling that commitment and that allyship.”

Final thoughts: Professional development is an often-overlooked DEI strategy

Creating a diverse workforce isn’t just about recruiting from outside the company; it’s also about recruiting from within. 

By ensuring that employees from underrepresented groups have ample professional development opportunities, organizations cultivate an engaged and highly skilled workforce that can be tapped for future leadership opportunities. 

It really comes down to answering a simple question that Cynthia poses in All Are Welcome: “You’ve hired people from underrepresented backgrounds and they’re performing. What are you doing with this talent now that they’re in the door?”

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