Language Is The Start to Operationalize Inclusion
Language and behavior make up the fabric of a work culture. These are the words and actions that leadership allows, encourages, propagates, and mandates for its people and practices. As I’ve said before, a work culture is defined by the “worst behavior” a leader allows to go unchecked. And it starts with language.
Bottomline: the more inclusive your language, the more equitable your behaviors and procedures can be, and the more diverse your organization can and will be. And we know that having a diverse group of employees improves both the quality and efficiency of your work, boosts creativity, boosts problem solving, and boosts results. McKinsey and others have done extensive research on the business benefits of inclusive and diverse workforces. Inclusive organizations see a 30% +/- increase in productivity and a 35% increase in retention. You don’t need to be a math genius to understand the benefits of an inclusive workplace.
(Of course, there’s been visible backlash from different groups on the effort companies, academia, organizations and people are taking to become more inclusive by adopting “better” language that doesn’t unintentionally exclude or denigrate. I believe we will transcend this. As a society we are becoming more diverse, not less. What I know is that more companies and organizations are embracing this hard work than are rejecting it, despite what’s happening in politics.)
I didn’t need this evidence to want to be an inclusive leader. In my career, I’ve often been the only woman executive in a room, as any woman executive of a certain age will tell you the same thing. The language code of traditional business is exclusionary to women. Many of us learned to play golf so we could at least be on the same playing ground as the men who were making decisions. (Not me; field hockey was my game.) Many bad decisions have been made in the men’s room after the meeting. Google it.
Since 2020, Double Forte, like so many other companies, has been rededicating ourselves to being the most inclusive, accepting, and welcoming company possible, where everyone, regardless of background, ethnicity, age, sexual identity, heritage, education, income, religious belief or affiliation, or political affiliation, feels and knows they belong at the company. And ironically, it’s the language—the words—that have been the hardest thing for me personally.
Words matter. Language matters.
So many words and phrases steeped in colonialism, racism, prejudice, and bias have become basic language in business and culture. I’m not talking about the blatantly egregious ones that 99% of the population recoil from today. I’m talking about words and terms that have come to mean one thing but originate from a different intent. Our professional lexicon is full of exclusionary phrases, words and terms.
The process of adopting an inclusive language policy and providing guidance to our team and clients has been challenging for me. When I reviewed the first draft of the guidelines our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion team sent to me, I sat in silence for a long time, stunned and embarrassed that my lexicon needed to change so dramatically to talk the walk I’ve been so passionate about. I held the belief that everyone, of course, understood they belonged and were wholly welcomed at Double Forte. Yet, I was using terms that were exclusionary at best because they required specific prior knowledge to understand and offensive at worst given their origins.
The most benign, I suppose, is my regular use of sports analogies. I used to say I was best “at the pregame, the kick-off, and the 4th and 1.” If you don’t know American football, you have no idea what I’m talking about. (And you just need to see the explosion of women watching football since Taylor Swift started dating Travis Kelce, to know that millions and millions of women may not have understood my reference.) Another term, “inside baseball,” conveys that the situation is incredibly insular and nuanced. One colleague used to say, “Go Sports!” every time I made this reference. I thought it was funny. He was telling me I was being exclusionary.
At the other end of the spectrum, we use so many words and terms in business, technology, legal work, and teamwork that originate from bias, exclusion, and oppression of different races, genders, and peoples. You can listen to my first podcast episode on the topic where I talk about specific terms.
The language we choose doesn’t just offend or exclude. The language we use turns into procedure, and behavior defines a culture. If you want a high-performing organization, diverse voices are important. People with different backgrounds from people in leadership or legacy structures won’t come to or stay in your organization unless they feel included. Language is the first place to start to create an inclusive workplace.
I don’t know any successful business leader who doesn’t want their employees to know they belong.
Where to start?
Learn more.
WGBH shares its Inclusive Language Guideline Here
Follow Better Allies and subscribe to Karen Catlin’s weekly 5 Ally Actions Newsletter . Use Karen’s latest book The Better Allies Way, a workbook on for being more inclusive
McKinsey shares great research, case studies and guides
Harvard Business Review regularly publishes on the topic. Start here, here, and here
Read Beyond Bias by Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris
2. Rewrite your job postings and job descriptions to remove gendered references.
3. Create a “living” guide to inclusive language that will evolve and change over time.
4. Be willing to be wrong. Know that you won’t get it right all the time. Don’t pretend to know everything. Be transparent about your own understanding and evolution.
As Paola Gaudiano writes:
Inclusion is what you do, Equity is what you want, and Diversity is what you get.
Language is the first place to start to operationalize inclusion; your behaviors, procedures, and results will follow.