Hiring A DEIB Consultant: What DEIB Consultants Want Every Organization to Know
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives have been enormous in the last decade. We have witnessed major civil uprisings that have impacted our current workplace. However, some organizations are still unsure how to create a diverse environment for their employees.
Since the #BlackLivesMatters protests in 2020, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of DEIB firms and consultants. While some are genuine and good at what they do, others have no idea what it takes to create an equitable workforce.
With so many consultants in the market, choosing a qualified consultant to spearhead your DEIB efforts can seem like an uphill task. So how do you cut through all this noise and mediocrity to find a consultant that is actually worth their salt?
This article will give you indispensable tips to help you find a DEIB consultant ideal for your unique needs.
Does Your Organization Require the Hiring of a DEIB Consultant?
Before diving into hiring consultants, does your company require the hiring of one in the first place? These signs are sure indicators that you need the services of a DEIB consultant.
• Your Company’s DEIB Culture Is Not Improving
Most organizations typically begin by attempting DEIB on their own before outsourcing it to third parties. Well, some work and others don’t – in fact, some of these in-house efforts cause fracturing within an organization!
For instance, let’s say you want to begin a book club within your company. Some of the employees might feel that they are being forced to do something against their will (which creates some kind of resentment). The bottom line is: if you feel that you’re not making any significant strides towards a diverse workplace, it is time to call a DEIB consultant.
• Your Employees Can’t Keep Up with DEIB Trends
Your company needs to speak an updated diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging language. Things are changing fast in the world of diversity. There are new trends and vocabularies every other day, and it can be hard to keep up.
If you feel your employees are not up to date with trends and terms accepted by society, a DEIB consultant can come in handy.
• When an Incident Occurs
Many companies don’t realize that they are headed in the wrong direction (DEIB-wise) until something happens that shakes the company’s culture to the core. Such incidents might occur within the confines of a company’s structure (where maybe an employee insults another) or outside the work vicinity (such as some high-profile hate crime or discrimination).
When these incidents occur, most organizations are forced to take a step back and look at themselves in the mirror. Don’t just criticize your DEIB efforts; come up with resolutions too. Hiring a DEIB consultant should be on top of your resolution list when an incident happens!
Hiring a DEIB Consultant
Now that you have decided to hire a DEIB consultant, here is how to go about it.
1. Prepare Yourself to Hire
Don’t just step out and hand-pick a consultant from the market to train your team – you have to make the necessary preparations. You have to understand precisely what your company needs before spending your money. It is wise…you don’t want to blow away thousands of dollars on dead-end training, right?
These tips will help you prepare better.
• Analyze Your Current DEIB Efforts
Before hiring a DEIB consultant, you need to examine your DEIB journey and where you are as a company. What have you accomplished so far, and what does DEIB mean to your company and stakeholders? How strong is your company’s culture, and how diverse is your workforce?
This step is crucial – it will set the pace and determine the kind of consultant you will hire in the long run. It is the self-realization stage…I mean, you can’t begin a journey without knowing your current location.
• Establish Clear-Cut DEIB Goals
Once you have established where you stand as a company, the next step is to set up the DEIB vision you need to accomplish in a given period. With proper goals, it will be easier to identify the right consultant in the market, ideal for your unique situation.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help shape your DEIB goals.
- Do you have a DEIB plan and vision in place in the first place?
- What are you trying to achieve as a company?
- Do you need proactive education or are you just looking for compliance?
- Will the coaching, mentoring, and training be voluntary or mandatory?
- Involve Others in The Decision-Making Process
Don’t make the hiring process a one-person show – involve others…after all, they are the ones to participate in the training. You can bring on board managers, senior leaders, board members, and human resources.
You can also encourage staff participation by welcoming a few representatives to the decision table. Let your employees share their ideas, expectations, and experiences.
• Come Up With A Budget
Once you have established your company’s requirements, it is time to develop the financial parameters. How much are you willing to invest in DEIB initiatives, and what’s your budget for hiring a consultant? The budget could be a short-term or a long-term one.
2. Vet Different DEIB Consultants
Once you have sorted out your in-house issues, you can begin your search for the perfect consultant according to your needs and budget.
• Look at Consultants’ Training, Expertise, And Approach
This is to measure how well a consultant knows their stuff. Here you can ask them questions to determine how well they understand DEIB. Are they up to date with current happenings, practices, and trends?
You can also check their educational backgrounds. Where did they attend school? Where did they receive their DEIB training and certification? Who do they look up to? Do they have mentors?
Finally, find out if they have a specific area of expertise. For instance, some are good at strategy planning, others are gifted at board leadership and workshop facilitation, and others excel at cultural audits, etc. It’s important to know their strong areas.
• Check Out Their Portfolios
This is the main selling point for most consultants – what they have accomplished professionally. Look at their references and let them explain how they helped them achieve their goals. Here they should explain the approaches they used to tackle different problems and the metrics they used to measure progress and success.
• Consider Referrals
You can also use referrals while vetting consultants. Many of us don’t like asking around, but it can sometimes be helpful. Reach out to mentors or experts in your field and ask for some of the best consultants you can use for your specific needs.
3. Hire The Perfect DEIB Consultant
And here comes the most challenging part – choosing the perfect consultant! If you do your homework well, making a decision won’t be difficult. Your decision will mainly depend on a consultant’s expertise, area of expertise, experience, approach, style, cost, and success in the DEIB game.
Outstanding DEIB consultants are:
- Solution-oriented
- Responsive to your opinions and ideas
- Experts in DEIB matters
- Engaging (teaching style)
- Offer personalized solutions
Wrapping It Up
Hiring a consultant for DEIB initiatives and training shows an organization’s commitment to creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. With these tips on hiring a consultant, we are confident that you will find your match to assist you in achieving your specific DEIB goals.
Dallas Diversity 247 is Here to Help
Diversity is a critical issue for organizations. A survey by Korn/Ferry International found that more than 2 million people leave their jobs each year because of unfairness in the workplace. In addition, hiring costs that result from high turnover are a huge stumbling block to company success, not to mention the time investment that goes into screening applicants and acclimating new hires to their roles. Still, the greatest hindrance to progression lies within the heart of the issue –devaluing and excluding employees because they are different limits their contributions and ability to grow.
This training program gives newly emerging and experienced leaders and managers the tools and techniques for developing and refining their skills. This learning resource will help your organization retain employees and clients, make better decisions, and improve performance. Learn more about Appreciating Diversity at Dallas Diversity 24/7
Dallas Diversity 24/7 is a company that designs training programs, develops stakeholder communications, and provides leadership training to support organizational transformation and performance improvement. In addition, we offer DEI consulting, Human Resource consulting, and Leadership Development Training services. So let us walk this DEIB journey together, shall we?
Patsy Parrish
MBA HRM
As complete business consultants in Dallas, we help organizations reach their highest potential and create thriving workplaces that are diverse and inclusive. From executive coaching and project management to sensitivity training and human resources management, we offer the kind of strategic knowledge and expertise that inspires change and accelerates business growth.
Whether you’re looking for complete business consulting services in Dallas or a small business coach in Dallas, our team of experienced professionals can help you chart and steer a new course. Book your free 30-minute assessment call to get started.
