Don't just talk "Diversity" - Do Something

If you happen to live in the GTA then you already know and see how visible minorities represent more and more of the population (you can almost call them visible majorities now) If you happen to sell a consumer product then I am certain your marketing department is already figuring out how to sell to diverse groups. That's good but what about hiring them?

You may be thinking it's time to look at hiring more of the diverse people that you see around every day. But how do you get started?

The secret in this process is going to be that you need to actually do something.

Okay, I know, that's not exactly Zen but you are going to need to take action. Many of the companies I see and speak to every day tell me they think diversity is a great idea but are either not ready or unsure of how to take the necessary steps to move forward. It's time to stop talking about what a great idea diversity is and actually experience it.

In the very near future your workforce is going to get more diverse, like it or not. Prepared or not. If you continue to source talent for your organization like you always have – you are putting yourself in a competitive disadvantage. You need to source talent in new and different ways using sourcing tools that are tapping into the growing pool of talent that is coming into the country at the rate of about 250,000 people every year. It's Canada's Hidden Talent Pool.

So keeping that in mind, when it comes to diversity you should already be connecting with this talent pool, and if you're not you need to get started now. An overall diversity strategy for your business will of course pay the most benefits and be the most successful but don't let the enormity sink you before you start. Set a small, reachable, goal for increasing the diversity of your workforce this year and get actioning on it. I know that every company with diversity strategies, even (or perhaps especially those) with successful ones have had learning experiences along the way. You should expect to encounter issues you hadn't thought of and you can expect to find opportunities that you hadn't previously discovered either.

Diversity in an organization isn't a switch that anyone can simply turn on (or off) but if you don't get the ball moving on your diversity strategy when exactly will you? So stop just talking about diversity and thinking that it's a "good idea", it's time to start actioning on it.