132. How to build a high-performing diverse team in today's political climate

In the summer of 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court said that it was no longer lawful to use affirmative action as a way to diversify the number of students colleges and universities accepted each year. As a result, a decades-old policy meant to help universities do a better job of building a diverse and representative student body is no longer valid. As a result, many companies have been reevaluating their own recruitment and hiring policies to address how they could go about building a diverse team – in a way that is, of course, legal. From a marketing perspective, data shows that many marketing teams are quite homogenous. And that homogeneity – that isn’t representative of the actual consumers brands serve, often results in brands not doing the best job of being inclusive in their marketing. So, what’s a brand to do? Well, for this episode, I sat down with an expert, Leanne Elliott, a business psychologist who’s had years of experience with his. Leanne brings some guidance for you on how to build a diverse team in this environment. And I have a feeling if you follow Leanne’s advice, which is rooted in lots of hard-core data – you’ll do a better job of building a diverse and representative team that outperforms those that aren’t representative. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter Background on political climate impacting hiring --> Why brands have broken DEI promises Leanne's Company - Oblong HQ Leanne's podcast - Truth, Lies, and Work Episode 48: How to create an inclusive workplace culture with Al and Leanne Elliott