5 Terms To Define Before You Begin Having DEIB Conversations
- Aug 31, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 10, 2025
Written by: Stacie Carroll, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Not that long ago, I was spending time with a friend of mine and my work around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) came up in conversation. To my surprise, the conversation quickly escalated. My friend became extremely distraught to the point where I began to feel attacked. As she spoke, I realized that her views were shaped by her definitions of terms that I was using which were triggers for her. Her definitions were seemingly drawn from several sources, namely media and personal experiences.
When I was able to explain the definition of the terms I was using, which were derived from my Certified Diversity Professional training course, my friend calmed down almost as quickly as she got upset. Understanding the definitions used by diversity practitioners dispelled for my friend a lot of the misinformation she had been exposed to and allowed for a much more productive and open conversation.
So, why do conversations around DEIB to go awry?
According to the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC), barriers to these conversations can include; moralizing, preaching, being judgmental, group-think, giving unsolicited advice, focusing on differences, defensiveness or analyzing/interpreting the other person.
These can invoke emotional triggers which often lead to important DEIB conversations being unproductive.
The foundation of a conversation around DEIB and a way to mitigate these barriers, is having a common language.
Imagine you are a native English speaker talking with someone who is not a native English speaker. The non-native English speaker may understand the meaning of certain words only as they were taught and therefore have a very narrow understanding of these words. Where the native English speaker may understand certain words to have multiple meanings and apply those different meanings according to the situation.
This scenario does not have to occur between people who speak different languages. As seen in my personal example, people who speak the same language can have different understandings of the same words.
Whether you are an individual, leader or organization, before you begin to engage in conversation around DEIB you should openly define the following 5 terms and ensure everyone involved has a fully agreed upon understanding of these definitions.
1. Diversity – “The mosaic of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values, and beliefs as assets to the groups and organizations with which they interact.” (IDC)
You will notice that this definition is not one-dimensional. It is not simply race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc. It is instead multi-dimensional and includes all the different aspects of a person that makes them unique.
2. Equity – “Fairness of access, opportunity and advancement for all within an organization, which requires eliminating barriers and root causes that have prevented underrepresented groups from full participation.” (CFA)
3. Equality – “Requires that each individual be treated without discrimination, including being given equal opportunities for advancement.” (CFA)
Note the difference between equity and equality. These two terms are often used interchangeably but they are in fact different. Think of equity as the systems, policies, and practices in which we operate, allowing for equal access to opportunities versus equality is treating people without discrimination.
4. Diversity Recruitment – “The process of broadening the candidate pool for purposes of hiring the best qualified candidate for the job.” (IDC)
Diversity recruiting has gotten a bad reputation largely due to a misunderstanding of what it truly is and is not. Diversity recruiting is not hiring less qualified individuals so an organization can increase a certain demographic (this is illegal), nor is it setting goals on the number of individuals an organization wants to hire from a demographic to “meet a quota”. According to the IDC, “diversity recruiting does not mean that an underrepresented individual will be hired for the job; it simply indicates what a wide pool of candidates has been seriously considered.”
5. Inclusion – “What makes each individual feel as if they are part of the group” (IDC)
Having one individual from an underrepresented demographic on your team is great, but do they feel like that are part of the team or do they feel like an outsider?
As Steven Covey says, begin with the end in mind. What is the end you desire from this conversation? A mutual understanding? If so, then begin with a mutual understanding of these definitions. This will save you time and alleviate the frustration of speaking different languages. It will also greatly increase your chances of the conversation resulting in a positive outcome.
Are you looking for help on how to derive meaningful DEIB objectives that support your strategic goals? Are you looking to grow the DEIB skills of individuals and leaders within your organization? Contact Instinct Leadership Solutions, LLC here.
The definitions above are taken from the curriculum created by the IDC and the CFA Institute.
Stacie Carroll, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Stacie is an executive leadership coach with 17 years of experience leading in high pressure, male-dominated environments. Stacie takes her leadership experience coupled with her education in engineering and applies this expertise to her coaching. She helps leaders and organizations become more successful and competitive through proven leadership development and thriving organizational cultures. Stacie is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) advocate who helps leaders to start cultural conversations around DEIB and to forge pathways toward an organization’s DEIB goals. Lastly, she is a certified strengths coach helping individuals and teams understand the genius of who they truly are. Her mission: To create leaders and organizations who are self-aware, strong yet empathetic and have positive, productive and inclusive cultures.
