Simplifying DEI With Dr. Nika White
Dr. Nika White
“Leaving no one behind. That should be our mantra; it should be a goal.”
My guest today, Dr. Nika White, says, “Diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just a checkmark for good business, it’s a way to transform the world.” As an award-winning management and leadership consultant, keynote speaker, published author, and executive practitioner for DEI efforts across the business, government, nonprofit, and education, Nika helps organizations break barriers and integrate diversity into their businesses.
The heart of Nika’s work, which you’ll hear all about in this episode, addresses the ability to create transformative environments with intentionality around inclusion. During our conversation, Nika breaks down what it means to be an inclusionist and shares how you can become a true ally, no matter where you are on your DEI journey.
Talks topics included:
Nika shares her 20+ year journey as a DEI consultant and the catalyst for choosing this work
What it means to have “inclusion-mindedness”
How Nika White Consulting supports clients across different industries
Why Nika felt called to write her latest book, Inclusion Uncomplicated: A Transformative Guide to Simplify DEI
The power of story and learning about other people's lived experiences
The difference between activity and impact
Choosing a “Leave no one behind” mantra
Nika White’s official bio:
Dr. Nika White has been featured in FORBES, Greenville Business Magazine, Upstate Business Journal, DiversityWorks, Entrepreneur Magazine, Diversity Professional, The Network Journal, Diversity MBA, and more. Nika earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising and PR from the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism, a Masters of Education with a focus on Adult Learning and Corporate Training, and her Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership. She has also served as adjunct faculty for University of South Carolina Upstate and Webster University.
Dr. White lives in Greenville, SC with her husband of 24 years, Carlo, who is a serial entrepreneur, business partner, and co-founder of the Carlo and Nika White Foundation (CNWF). Outside of work, Nika loves to travel the world, spend time with her husband and children, and participate in community volunteerism.
Show transcript:
Nikki Groom 00:00
You're listening to the movement makers podcast. Just to clarify things here. My goal with this podcast is always to connect the dots between your purpose and your work, but also to bring you thought provoking conversations about topics that disrupt the usual ways. You think about business or you think about work or you think about leadership, and provides you with the inspiration you need to make a difference. And trust me, I get inspired, too, which is why I'm so excited to welcome my guest today, Dr. Niccole White, who says diversity, equity and inclusion is not just a checkmark for good business, it's a way to transform the world, which probably goes some way to illustrate why she has become known as a national authority and fearless advocate for Dei. As an award winning management and leadership consultant, keynote speaker, published author, and executive practitioner for DEI efforts across business, government, nonprofit and education. Nikka helps organizations break barriers and integrate diversity into their businesses. The heart of her work addresses the ability to create transformative environments with intentionality around inclusion. In this episode, we talk about her latest book inclusion uncomplicated, a transformative guide to simplify Dei. And Nika breaks down not only what it means to be an inclusion list, but also how you can become a true ally no matter where you are, on your D ID journey. listening for more, you will not regret it. Hi, Nika. How are you?
Nika White 01:41
Hi, Nikki. I'm doing very well. How are you?
Nikki Groom 01:44
I am good. Thank you very much. Looking forward to this conversation today to kick us off. I would love to learn some more about your journey thus far. You've been leading the way for 20 plus years, when did you decide that you wanted to become a speaker, consultant and coach around the topic of Dei? When did that happen? And what was the catalyst for you?
Nika White 02:07
Oh, that's a great question. Nikki. My background is marketing communications. I remember the pivot point very explicitly. I was sitting in my office at the time I was working for a large advertising agency that was headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Buttle also had a presence in New York. And I remember just thinking how much I love the field of marketing, communications and advertising. And I started thinking about how it was always so dynamic in terms of being on time, on budget on strategy, and very fast paced, but I thrived in that type of environment. I was really having a good time working in that space, so much so that I remember thinking, Why aren't there others look like me, as a black woman that's taking advantage of this very fruitful career path. And I couldn't let that bog girl, you know, at the time, I was in between both the Greenville and the New York office. And I was really envious of how the greater level of diversity that the workforce was in the New York office. But I also was keenly aware that the advertising capital of the world New York was also challenged in terms of diversifying the workforce, so much so that the Attorney General was kind of knocking on people's, you know, offices agency's doors and saying, You have to diversify the industry depends upon it. And this is not a suggestion, it is a mandate. We'll be back in six months to see how you're doing. But no one was paying attention at all to Greenville, South Carolina, that market was not heavily known for being really deeply rooted in terms of opportunities around marketing communication professionals. But what I didn't know is that at the time, the be hag the big, hairy, audacious goal of the agency that I worked for, was to become the most admired agency in the southeast. And so I thought to myself, why would we wait for someone to knock on the door to put forth a mandate around something that just made really good business sense, you know, we need it to be taking the lead and committing to the work of diversity, equity and inclusion, because it just makes us smarter marketing partners, to our clients whose consumer constituencies represent diverse America, and even global diversity as well. And so I had a really straightforward conversation with the President CEO who was very hands on how to get rapport with him. And I kind of shared a similar narrative I outlined that I saw there was a business case for it, and that we really needed to be much more intentional about our approach to to Dei, he listened intently, asked some very thought provoking questions. But at the end of that conversation, just proceeded to say mica, I hear you, I believe your rights, and we're going to do it and you're going to lead it now. Tell us how. And so maybe I was prepared for everything in that conversation with the exception of tell me how, but I certainly knew I needed to get really smart really quick by calling upon all of the really smart dei practitioners that I had in my network who would join us I'm amazing work for the organizations that they were connected to. And so I just quickly, slowly but surely got myself immersed in this space. And that was really the catalyst for realizing that I wanted to work full time in this space. Fast forward several years later, it led to opportunities where I was able to branch out as an entrepreneur and to do this work for myself. So I always say that this work found me I didn't really find it. But if I were to be really honest, there was so much that I was connected to, that had a lot to do with leaving no one behind, that I'm not surprised that this was the path that my career took. And I'm grateful for it.
Nikki Groom 05:39
You talk about how it kind of found you. But at the same time, you were the one that decided to take action, you were the one that was looking around you and saying, Hey, why aren't there more of me? I'm going to be the one to do something about this. And I bet that in the work that you do in the consulting and coaching you do, that's something that you help other people realize for themselves, like we all have an active role to play in this.
Nika White 06:01
Oh, absolutely. Nikki, you know, I think this work belongs to all of us. So one of the things that I know often finds its way into some of my talking points when I'm privileged to connect with so many different leaders around this topic is that inclusion mindedness is not something that solely belongs to those who are in the C suite, or even those who are the chief diversity officers, managers, directors, or leaders or even the HR professionals. It really is about leveraging whatever sphere of influence that we have to be able to help foster strong sense of inclusivity and belonging and acceptance. And so this work belongs to all of us
Nikki Groom 06:39
and talk us through some of the ways in which new Kuwait consulting is supporting clients across different industries today, what does that typically look like?
Nika White 06:46
So we are a full service, boutique dei consultancy and I say boutique, because we really believe there's not a one size fits all approach. And so part of our superpowers are really getting fully entrenched into our clients climates and business organization, the environments and learning all about them so that we can really be smart partners, as it relates to helping to drive solutions to the opportunities or the challenges that they may be facing relevant to Di. So we serve all types of clients in different industries, different sectors and sizes. And primarily, our role is to help them integrate into their business framework, strategic diversity, intentional inclusion and a lens of equity. And as you can imagine, what that looks like from clients, a client can vary based upon where those clients are within the continuum of dei work. But I often like to say that our services fit into two primary categories, one of which is dei strategy work. And so that could be a myriad of things relevant to developing very comprehensive multi year dei strategic plans. Or it could be very targeted towards strategic frameworks for specific dei initiatives like forming BRGs, or BRGs, business resource groups, employee resource groups, or being able to develop a formal mentorship or sponsorship program that helps to create greater diversity and the upward mobility opportunities that may exist within organizations. But then the second category of services really is around learning architecture, you know, instructional design, and creating all these learning and development experiences to help people deepen their understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion, both in theory, but most importantly, in practice. And so the facilitation piece is something that we do a lot of as well,
Nikki Groom 08:34
really cool. Really, really cool. And I know that we have some small business owners in the audience. So I'm curious if you could kind of break down for us the I know what a big and big is, but if someone's like, wait, I'm just hearing that for the first time, could you kind of break down what it looks like and when you should maybe think about creating groups like that
Nika White 08:53
employee resource groups, which are also known as business resource groups, they're kind of referred to in different ways, depending upon the organization, or for the most part affinity groups where individuals who are part of a specific identity will connect to help create a great level of sense of community and support. But then also, there's a lot of business centric goals that these affinity groups or employee resource groups or business resource groups will also take on, that helps to further the level of engagement, particularly among those who are part of that underrepresented population or community. But it's really just to help show fourth away providing the support, like mindedness and being a strategic thought partner to the leaders of the organization who are also trying to drive towards change, changing the culture, changing the environment, changing these systems to create greater parity, greater equity within the work environment and opportunities. And so while it's very much centered around the marginalized group that has been created for a sense of community, it's not just solely for those individual Moses often also in Taos, a lot of folks who are just allies, or they are leaders, or maybe managers of individuals that fall within that community or population. And they really want to make sure that they are being as supportive as they can to the needs of those individuals that fall into that community.
Nikki Groom 10:17
So cool. And you had also mentioned the mentorship and sponsorship piece. I'm curious if you have some recommendations for people around that I read this great blog post that you wrote about how we can become success partners and allies to black women in particular. As you think about mentorship and sponsorship in the workplace, and how we can be better success partners, allies to black women, and then underrepresented populations and communities as well. What are some of the things that you oftentimes recommend for folks?
Nika White 10:50
I love this question to Nikki because sometimes I think that people perceive the work of dei to be really complicated from hate, and they don't see themselves as being a part of the solution. But I feel like when it comes to ally ship, that is something that any of us can lean into, and and be effective at if we truly understand what does what does LS ship look like in practice. And so Ella ship at the bare minimum is about action, and not just any action, but useful action. So the best way to make sure you are providing useful support to those that are part of historically marginalized communities is to get proximate to the problem, you know, to get really proximate to that community to understand their pain points, their challenges, and even very explicitly to ask the question, like, what does support look like for you in this moment, rather than assuming, you know, I think oftentimes, the reason that many who really want to be effective allies get criticized is because instead of trying to learn what those challenges are, in order to be most useful and supportive, they will just assume that they know what that group needs, and oftentimes, what their assumptions will miss the mark. And so it's first and foremost, just being willing to learn and to collaborate with those individuals that you're aligned for. I think the other thing too, just to make it practical is, you know, Ally ship is about sacrifice. And so we have to think about what are sources of power and privilege? And how can we leverage those sources of power and privilege to honorably help those marginalized communities to be able to thrive and to have full opportunity for success? And so it could mean thinking about what spaces do you have influence in? And how can you leverage that influence to be able to showcase maybe some of the inequities or some of the bias that can show for that's preventing opportunity for all, it could be simply, you know, mentoring someone sharing knowledge and information, sponsoring someone by, you know, sharing their name, in rooms, where maybe they don't have access to so that they are now in the consideration set. So there are a myriad of ways that people can, you know, really lean into this notion of being an effective Li. I also think it's important to share that being an ally is not a title that we can assign to ourselves. It is a title that we have to earn. And we earn that title from the people in which we are allying and advocating for. And also it's not about advocating for people who are like us, that's really easy to have an affinity to people who are like us, but it's very much about those who are part of historically marginalized, disenfranchised communities.
Nikki Groom 13:29
Such a great breakdown. Thank you so much for that. You create a prolific amount of content whether that that is for your blog, entrepreneur and podcast, interviews or books. And speaking of which, your latest book inclusion uncomplicated is now available for preorder. Congratulations, that must be exciting. You've also written two books before this one the intention to inclusion earnest and next-level inclusion. Why did you feel called to write this latest book and why
Nika White 14:01
now I always felt that there would be a book number three, I just wasn't sure if the timing. But interestingly enough, what I started to notice, and this was particularly after George Floyd's murder in 2020, when so many people were witness to how tragic and traumatizing those events were, it really impacted all of us in many different ways. So much so to where so many different organizational leaders began to have an appetite for the conversation, whereas maybe before they were on the sidelines, or they felt that that was too big of a social complex issue that they didn't want to necessarily get involved in. They began to see that we do have a role to play and speaking against the the racial and justices that were occurring, and that occurred even in the instance of George Floyd. And so as I began to be at the center of a lot of those conversations as a practitioner in this space, what I kept hearing which was recurring across so many different organizational leaders is that the work felt too daunting. It was as though they knew that they needed to be doing something. And they needed to be much more intentional, but they didn't know what they didn't know how, almost to a point to where it felt a little paralyzing to them, you know, many of them just kind of felt like, I don't want this just to be rhetoric, I want to be able to meaningfully do something that can help colleagues to know that we really care about these social complex issues. And it's not something that we are turning a blind eye to. What that meant to me is that the work felt so complicated. And so I was already doing the short video clips weekly, called inclusion uncomplicated, and it was just bite size content to help people to think a little bit more intentional about diversity, equity and inclusion, keeping their understanding and knowledge. But then, when I started writing this book, what I really wanted to do is to help debunk the myth that diversity, equity and inclusion is so complicated, that it can't be done, I wanted to make the work practical, I wanted the book to be something that was a digestible and accessible resource tool, so that people could see incremental change, you know, over time, and not feel like they have to try to address all the things all at once, right, we can't try to boil an ocean. And I think sometimes that's how it feels to individual leaders who are already customed to understanding the value and the strength of diversity, equity and inclusion. But it's really the execution, what does that look like? How should this manifests itself and what's required to allow it to really manifest itself throughout, you know, all areas of the organization, and the book was inspired by that precise need. So I launched out to in partnership with Forbes books to actually produce book number three, and it is releasing in January of 2023. So we are accepting pre orders now, as you've mentioned, but I see this as being a good resource tool, I don't want this to be a book that people put on their bookshelf only to revisit, you know, maybe every year or so. But I want it to be something that maybe stays on a corner of their desk, want but the pages to be mocked up and kind of crinkled because they've been touched so many different times. And there's lots of highlights that are going on, you know, we have these critical reflection points at the end of each chapter, which helps the reader to just process what they've read, what they've learned, how in which they plan to apply it. And so I see this as a resource tool for those that really want to unravel the knot. That's one of the analogies that I use throughout the entire book, unraveling the knots, and the knots that can certainly keep us frayed and keep us from really being able to realize the potential of our individual and collective efforts around. Again, just leveraging our influence to help foster greater inclusivity. And so I'm super excited about book number three, and I thank you for actually bringing it up, it gives me a chance to just talk about it a little bit. So thank you, Nikki.
Nikki Groom 17:58
Yeah, of course, of course. And I absolutely love the premise of the book. And the idea behind it. You know, inclusion can be uncomplicated doesn't have to be overwhelming. It doesn't have to be hard. Thankfully, there are so many people who are wanting to make a difference and are looking around and saying like, how, how can I be part of this? How can I do things differently? And at the same time, they're so scared about getting things wrong? I know, I certainly have been there myself, And so I love that you're taking this opportunity to really break it down for people and make it very, very simple and easy to understand.
Nika White 18:34
That's the goal. That's the goal. Yes. Well, as
Nikki Groom 18:37
you cast your mind through the content of the book, and I'm not sure how much you're able to share at this stage. I'm curious, are there some lessons in there that that are kind of your favorites to teach or that come up again? And again? And again? Oh,
Nika White 18:51
that's that's a loaded question. There's some points that really I spent maybe more time on than others that that really resonated with me. And I felt it was important to see this thought, and one of which is around the power of story. I believe that in order for us to be effective allies, you know, I mentioned before, we have to get proximate to the problem, right? people's lived experiences. And so the best way to do that is just to open ourselves up by building and cultivating relationships to where we are vulnerable to share stories, and then let that also allow others to want to reciprocate and share stories about themselves. And as people are sharing those stories, I think that's where we have an opportunity to listen intently, and it draws us in it helps fuel connection and helps feel empathy and compassion. And when you are at that place of you know, really feeling empathy and compassion for someone else. It's hard for you to not want to stand in solidarity with them, or to be an ally, and to care deeply about this work. And so I feel like it moves us to action. And you know, that action can look different from person to person from day Good day. But I think that is the ultimate goal is for us to not just sit with the sentiments of this is bad, and someone needs to do something about it. But rather, this is bad, but I am hopeful and and I'm going to do what I can within my sphere of influence to help create change. And so the power of story is something that I really believe deeply. And I also believe that it's important for people to understand that dei is an opportunity and not an obligation. So there's a whole chapter that's dedicated to that topic as well. I think oftentimes, some of the reasons that we we sense that this work is so complicated is because it can feel a little burdensome. And I think the reason why is because we see it as obligatory work, right? Instead of seeing it as an opportunity, which shifts our mindset to being hopeful, being driven, being excited about the rewards that will come out of us engaging in this work in really meaningful way. That's another thing that stands out to me as really being I think, a powerful aspect of the book.
Nikki Groom 21:05
Yes, I love it. And I apologize for the loaded question. Because I know this work isn't always easy, even if it can be uncomplicated. And I love that you highlight the power of story in particular, and sharing our lived experiences, because it is such a great way to truly connect with others and see the world through their eyes. What frustrates you most about the work that you do, and conversely, what excites you about it?
Nika White 21:35
So what frustrates me the most, I think it's this sense of complacency or, or feeling like our hands are tied. And so I'm just going to sit on the sidelines and let this work kind of find its way into the society by the hands or the brain power of someone else is us not taking responsibility. And owning that the the world that we want has a lot to do with the world that we helped create, and that we helped foster. And so I think that apathy has set in for a lot of people. And again, that was one of the reasons I was very much motivated to write book number three. And then if it's not the apathy, it is the the surface type approach to solving for the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion, I think that you know, what it ends up looking like is very performative. And and that's frustrating, because I believe that we have to make sure we're holding people accountable. And you know, that doesn't mean reading shame for people, but it does mean holding them accountable, educating them, and also making sure that with that knowledge, they are doing something with that information to help create, again, the change that we want to see and that our society deserves, it was just some of the things that I feel like are can be most frustrating is to this work. What excites me, I think is just also knowing that this work is is very meaningful. I feel like for me, it's part of a calling. And I think that a lot of dei practitioners, at least those in my network, tend to share that same sentiment, you know, we do this work because we have deep convictions about the work. And that shows for what then how on which we show up to this work, because we really are about trying to drive towards impact. And that activity typically has a start and end date and practice where you really look at systems, policies, procedures, culture, and that's how you're able to sustain the change. And so when I am in a situation where I can encounter some wins that look like that sustainable change that really excites me, it allows me to know that there are some people that get it, and they are committed to this work, and committed to leaving no one behind. And that's part of the language that I use a lot of book number three, leaving no one behind, leaving no one behind. I think that should be our mantra, it should be a goal. And it certainly should be something that finds its way into our decision-making. And and how on which we're just kind of navigating the world in general and relationships and helping people to find their place in this work.
Nikki Groom 24:02
Goosebumps. Yes, I love the idea of leaving no one behind. That's that's really, really impactful. And I also love the how you differentiate between activity and impact. I think that's such a lovely way to do that. Is there anything else that you really want people to know
Nika White 24:17
what I how I like to show up to this work is also making myself available in ways that makes sense as a founder and a business owner to give people opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding. And so I would like to share that in WC my firm Nikko a consulting every Friday. We host a vodcast is called intentional conversations. And we happen to take the audio from the podcast and we make the content available in podcast capacity as well for those that like to get their content and a podcast but it's all about just intersecting conversations of diversity equity, inclusion and belonging with leadership and business and so we bring on different subject matter experts and practitioners in the space. And we just have dialogue is an hour of just conversation where we really dig deep. It's always very informative. It's always very thought provoking. And I just wanted to plug that because I've heard from many, we've been doing it for the past couple years now. And we do this weekly. So as you can imagine, there's a lot of content out there. So all the replays are available. But we hear week after week from so many people that join or either catch the replay, or the podcast to share how their minds have been opened, their behavior has changed, you know, they now are walking in this new knowledge that really helps to shape how much they like to lead and influence and, and so lots of good stuff is coming out of the content that's being shared in that broadcast community. So I just wanted to share it as well. With with your audience Nikki,
Nikki Groom 25:51
brilliant, I'm so glad that you did. And I definitely recommend to anyone listening to immerse yourself and knickers, content ecosystem because there's so much out there and it's all super helpful stuff. So thank you so much, Nick, I really appreciate you coming today and speaking with us. I know just recovering from a bit of a sticky bug, but this was really helpful and wonderful. And yeah, just thank you so much for doing the work you do.
Nika White 26:15
Oh, thank you, Nikki. I'm grateful to be able to share with your platform. So thank you for the opportunity.