I understand that we shouldn’t try to further entrench DEI skeptics in their beliefs, but it’s 2022, and talent has a plethora of options outside of companies that don’t see the value of DEI. They're just like, Okay, maybe DEI is one of those kumbaya hold hands leaders that are really soft with their followers and ask people about their feelings all the time.

So a very simple theory of change for that might be you start from a state of no one thinking that there's any challenge, no one thinking that there's a problem, maybe a few employees being pissed off, but they're not loud enough. Building a foundation for DEI involves creating a vision that aligns with the organization's mission and strengths, establishing accountability structures, fostering transparency, and integrating DEI commitments into every aspect of the organization's structure. I thought maybe we had really this had been discovered to be more central to the way business works and the way leaders lead and the way that they generate colleagueship. By failing to differentiate clearly and instead effectively saying, "my way is better," Lily does a gross injustice to those who have helped pave the road for them.

The book emphasizes the importance of going beyond superficial diversity efforts and offers a step-by-step approach to creating lasting change within an organization. Identify factors that have driven past business wins – and then activate those to achieve your DEI goal.

And so when I meet leaders who have some resistance to this larger idea of DEI as an industry, I say, "Okay, that's fair. While there are so many books that make the business case for DEI, or talk about changing demographics, or acknowledge social justice or corporate social responsibility but seem to dismiss them as essential but think of it as something that is required of them by outside forces. There is very little discussion of a lot of buzzwords associated with DEI, and as such the book truly boils down a lot of topics into interpersonal dynamics. To do so successfully requires understanding the levers of power within the existing organization that can be used for change.One is the sort of meet people where they're at approach to say, "Okay, let's go to where you are and try to gently nudge you in the direction of this industry. I highly recommend it to anybody interested who wants to shift from good intentions in this area to driving measurable impact, as Zheng is an experienced practitioner sharing their wisdom from the field on what actually works.

Though meant for practitioners and facilitators, I thought it was incredibly interesting and thoughtful from a layperson perspective and gave me a lot of insight into the field, what it can accomplish, and how much further it still has to go. Reading this as someone with a significant amount of privileges I felt seen, welcomed, and appreciated by Zheng and how they approached the topic. And I think one of the big reasons is because we had a lot of outrage and a lot of, I think very right shift energy and frustration and momentum but we didn't understand any of the levers.But when half-baked and underdeveloped strategies are implemented, they often do more harm than good, leading the very constituents they aim to support to dismiss DEI entirely. The book also delves into equitable advancement, demystifying promotion processes through transparency, and addressing bias through structured decision-making. So many books and trainings focus on the role of the advocate but not everyone is in a position to be an advocate nor is it effective for everyone to try to be an advocate.