5 Things DEI Practitioners Need You To Know

Dr. Nika White • September 14, 2020

Right now, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ( DEI ) practitioners are working non-stop. The demand for their work has never been higher, and requests continue to pile up. With the hecticness of the business, fellow practitioners and I have noticed some things that have made our work a bit more complicated.

Here are the 5 things DEI practitioners need for you to know:

1. Stop Overcomplicating the RFP Process

If you’ve submitted an RFP for DEI work to a consultant or firm recently, chances are, you may not hear back any time soon or at all. The current climate has created a surge of interest to bring DEI into the workplace. As a result, practitioners are inundated with a high-volume of work. Existing clients are requesting additional services, and new clients are steadily being onboarded. The expertise is in high demand, and the need to reply to RFPs is decreasing for many consultancies.

So, why is your RFP getting overlooked? Plain and simple: it is probably a complicated process with several deliverables that DEI practitioners do not have time for during this heavy service season. Sure, the RFP process is critically important, but given that fact that many DEI consulting firms are responding to prospective clients that are not requiring a lengthy and complicated RFP process and routinely getting new business, why should they consider investing the time and energy to engage in a daunting exercise that is likely more competitive?

For a practitioner, sometimes an RFP process can mean an organization has not fully invested in assessing organizational readiness and needs to be persuaded of DEI’s importance. In this instance, organizations are merely vetting the possibilities, and if they are convinced they are strong enough, they might proceed. These RFPs are often very comprehensive and ask for a breadth of data to sell the need, including methodology and approach. From a business perspective, it does not make sense to use time and resources investing in something that may never come to fruition. Especially considering at this juncture, there are more than enough organizations that have already bought in, and in that case, an RFP is spam in a sea of thoughtful outreach.

Let me be clear, there is a value to an RFP process in that it helps to ensure better equity of opportunity and a way to evaluate different vendors. However, how the RFP is structured must be considered, given the current climate. If your RFP asks suppliers to do the work before being hired, chances are, you may not get a look from partners that are more in demand. And, typically those who are more in demand are worth the consideration.

2. Assess Your Level of Readiness Before Reaching Out

As practitioners, we have noticed a lack of alignment among organizational leaders regarding what they are ready to commit to. Too often, organizations reach out to quickly realize everyone, especially senior leadership, is not on the same page. Some leaders look to scratch the surface level of DEI, while others look for more in-depth conversations – the nitty-gritty of systemic racism and racial inequities. As a result, the lack of alignment causes severe growing pains.

Organizations looking to hire DEI practitioners need to put in the pr eliminary work, as pointed out in an earlier blog . Sit down, assess the overall readiness, and discern where there is progress to be made. What goals are you working towards? What issues have you been experiencing? With the baseline outlined, the process of implementation will be far more effective.

Assessing leader and organizational readiness may not be something in-house talent can confidently do. In this regard, it is appropriate to consider hiring an external DEI consultant partner to help assess organizational readiness. There are tools and strategies for such that, if enacted, can save organizations a lot of time and energy in the long run.

3. Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Be prepared to be uncomfortable. Tackling the issues systemic racism has embedded into our society is not a quick fix. Addressing the history, educating the effects of the problem, and equipping employees with the tools to fight racism is hard work; there is no easy button. Committing to this work is committing to the process, no matter how uncomfortable. When participants recognize this ahead of time, it helps set realistic expectations for the journey ahead.

Because DEI work is a journey, organizations need to realize the problems cannot be solved with a training or singular program. While training is essential, recognizing the difference between activity and impact is equally essential. Activities have a start and end date; impact is peeling back the layers and identifying the root cause of issues that compromise equity, inclusion, and belonging. Acknowledging that DEI can be complex to solve for at the onset is necessary. Strap in, commit, and the changes will enhance the entire culture.

One approach that can assist with the process’s discomfort is to identify and call out all the potential barriers and hurdles. Doing so puts you in the driver seat to solve those obstacles because you know to expect them.

4, DEI Fatigue is Real

Doing the work of a DEI consultant or practitioner is vital, but it can be emotionally taxing. As I mentioned back in May , this work can lead to loneliness and isolation. Practitioners are regularly asked to put on others’ masks first and it wears on those doing the work. The work’s weight needs to be evenly distributed throughout the organization, particularly in the C-suite, to prevent this fatigue. The influence of senior leaders echoes throughout an organization, making it critical for them to own the responsibility and carry the DEI banner.

In many cases, DEI work is in the hands of POC who are dealing with plenty of their own emotional triggers. Almost every day, something new pops up, whether it be the shooting of Jacob Blake or the passing of Chadwick Boseman. (If you don’t know these two names and their relevance, a quick Google search is all it takes). It is never-ending. For DEI leaders (often POC) to manage up and continue to show up at their best, they need help. Join in and alleviate the pressures of your DEI staff, including your ERG leaders.

5. This Role is Specialized

You wouldn’t ask a person who spent a day in law school to be your lawyer or someone who can use a calculator to be your CFO. The parallel of this in the DEI field is saying, hey, you’re a part of a marginalized community, can you lead our DEI work? The work we do, as practitioners, is a specialized skill. When companies assume their Black, Asian, Latinx, LGBTQ+, disabled, and/or female employees can do the work because they have experienced oppression, it hurts the discipline.

Another familiar hit to the profession is that organizations often expect an employee or consultant to solve their DEI issues for free or at price points that do not come near commensurate to the value of the work . Even Chief Diversity Officers who recei ve income for their work still end up being wildly underpaid “because it’s looked at as overhead and it’s not looked at as a strategic position, ” says Tiffany Warren, CDO at Omnicom Group (CNBC, July 2020) . There are certificate courses, master’s programs, and higher education for a reason, for grow th and professional development for those in the space. Be prepared to pay the stakeholders and individuals doing the work. The same rigor and vigilance that goes into every other business aspect needs to be upheld relevant to the DEI discipline . Respect the craft, respect the work.

Now that you have been p rovided with the practitioner mindset, think about how you can adapt or alter your DEI approach as we advance. We are all in this together so, let’s make the most of our journey!

Sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/29/diversity-officers-are-in-demand-at-us-companies-but-often-underpaid.html

https://www.nikawhite.com/2019/05/16/how-to-battle-isolation-as-a-diversity-and-inclusion-leader/

https://www.nikawhite.com/2020/02/13/how-to-engage-a-dei-consultant-for-effective-outcomes/

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Read more from The Human Shift on Substack, where I share long-form essays on leadership, culture, and how we work and live.

Share this Content:

Decisions Made Too Quickly - Speed Often Relieves Discomfort More Than It Improves Direction

By Nika White • March 30, 2026

Not all fast decisions are strategic. Some are relief. Ambiguity produces tension. A quick decision restores certainty — even if it doesn’t improve outcomes. Leaders often experience resolution as progress. But clarity and certainty are not the same. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Stories We Tell Under Pressure , grounding was described as remaining present under pressure. Many leadership decisions improve when leaders stay with uncertainty slightly longer than feels comfortable. Reframe A quick decision reduces discomfort. A clear decision reduces rework. One Grounded Practice When faced with a non-urgent decision, ask: “What additional information might emerge if I waited 24 hours?” Then actually wait. Not to avoid responsibility. To allow discernment to complete. Closing Reflection Where in your work might patience increase effectiveness? Contextual Depth Signal In advisory settings, leaders often discover that many operational “fires” were created by premature decisions rather than delayed ones. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Which decision right now feels pressing — and what would happen if you gave it one more day?

The Hidden Work of Leaders - Emotional regulation is effort, not personality

By Nika White • March 23, 2026

Many leadership expectations are never written in a role description. Holding tension in meetings. Staying steady when others escalate. Containing uncertainty without amplifying it. We often call these “soft skills.” They are not soft. They are regulatory labor. When leaders manage emotional intensity, they stabilize the environment for others. Yet because this effort is invisible, leaders often interpret their fatigue as inadequacy rather than expenditure. Earlier, in The Human Shift, Culture Is What People Carry Home , we discussed that regulation is one of the primary ways leaders influence what others carry. Reframe Composure is not effortless. It is energy being used on behalf of the group. One Grounded Practice At the end of the workday, ask yourself: “Where did I hold the emotional center for others today?” Then intentionally do one small action that returns attention to yourself — a walk, silence, or stepping outside for two minutes. Regulation requires recovery. Closing Reflection Where have you been calling leadership strain a personal weakness instead of a leadership function? Contextual Depth Signal In executive work, many leaders don’t need more resilience training. They need permission to recognize that stabilizing others uses real capacity — and to pace themselves accordingly. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What part of your leadership today required the most emotional steadiness? Read more from The Human Shift on Substack , where I share long-form essays on leadership, culture, and how we work and live. [NW

Feedback and the Nervous System - Why Some Conversations Lead To Growth And Others Lead To Silence

By Nika White • March 16, 2026

Two leaders can say the same words and produce entirely different outcomes. One conversation invites reflection. Another produces compliance. A third produces quiet withdrawal. The difference is rarely the phrasing. It is the state of the person delivering it. Before a listener processes meaning, their body processes safety. If tension, urgency, or frustration is present, the nervous system prioritizes protection over learning. The person may nod, agree, or apologize—but understanding has not actually occurred. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Body Knows Before the Mind Does , we explored how the body registers experience before the mind interprets it. Feedback follows that same sequence. Presence communicates before language does. Reframe Feedback is received through regulation before it is received through reasoning. One Grounded Practice Before offering feedback, take 30 seconds to orient yourself to the environment: Look around the room. Name three neutral objects you can see. Slow your exhale once. Then begin the conversation. Grounded delivery increases learning far more than refined wording. Closing Reflection What state are others experiencing when they receive guidance from you? Contextual Depth Signal In leadership coaching, feedback rarely fails because leaders lack clarity. It fails because the emotional tone of the interaction determines whether the brain processes information or threat. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Think about your last feedback conversation — how regulated did you feel before it started?

Competence and Control - When Capability Quietly Becomes Over-Management

By Nika White • March 9, 2026

High-capacity leaders often step in before others struggle. They refine the message. They fix the slide. They solve the problem before it fully forms. The intention is almost always supportive. But the impact accumulates differently. When leaders consistently intervene early, teams stop developing judgment. Initiative declines. And the leader’s workload increases—not because the team lacks ability, but because the team lacks ownership. Control rarely announces itself as control. It appears helpful. Earlier in The Human Shift, Capacity Is Not Infinite , we discussed capacity as information. Control is often a response to leaders sensing the system might falter and unconsciously compensating. The leader becomes the stabilizer. And stabilizers eventually become exhausted. Reframe Support strengthens capability. Preemption weakens it. One Grounded Practice The next time a team member brings you a solvable problem, pause before offering a solution and ask: “What options are you considering?” Then wait. Do not refine immediately. Do not redirect quickly. Allow their thinking to complete before yours begins. Leadership capacity grows when others experience themselves as capable. Closing Reflection Where might your helpfulness be preventing someone else’s development? Contextual Depth Signal In organizational advisory work, many leadership bottlenecks are not skill issues but ownership issues. When leaders shift from solving to supporting thinking, both performance and energy improve. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Where do you feel most necessary right now—and is it because of structure or habit?

The Cost of Constant Readiness - Why Urgency Quietly Reshapes Leadership Judgment

By Nika White • March 2, 2026

Many leaders live in a state of readiness they no longer notice. They check messages before standing up in the morning. They anticipate disagreement before a conversation begins. They prepare responses before anyone finishes speaking. At first, this feels like responsibility. Over time, it becomes physiology. The body learns to expect interruption, so it stops settling. Attention shortens. Everything begins to feel slightly time-sensitive—even when it isn’t. This isn’t only about workload. It’s about nervous system posture. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Shift from Bracing to Grounding , we explored bracing—the body preparing to endure pressure. Constant readiness is a quieter version of the same pattern. Leaders aren’t reacting to the present demand. They’re reacting to a predicted one. And prediction changes perception. When leaders remain perpetually ready, they begin interpreting more situations as urgent than they actually are. Conversations compress. Listening becomes strategic instead of receptive. Discernment narrows. Reframe Urgency is not always information. Sometimes it is anticipation that the body hasn’t updated yet. One Grounded Practice Today, before responding to a non-emergency message or request, pause for one full breath cycle. Not to delay action. To confirm necessity. Notice: • Did the situation actually require speed? • Or did your body simply expect it? Grounding begins by distinguishing immediacy from importance. Closing Reflection Where in your leadership are you responding to expectation rather than reality? Contextual Depth Signal In my coaching work, leaders often discover their decision fatigue is less about volume and more about constant readiness. When urgency is recalibrated, clarity returns quickly—without reducing responsibility. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What in your work currently feels urgent—and what might simply be asking for your presence?

Inclusion Isn’t Exhausting — Disconnection Is

By Nika White • February 24, 2026

Inclusion Isn’t Exhausting—Disconnection Is: Why fatigue around inclusion often signals something deeper than disagreement When people say they’re tired of inclusion work, they are rarely describing values. They are describing an experience. Often it sounds like resistance on the surface. But beneath it, something more specific is happening: Disconnection from meaning. From impact. From each other. Sometimes from themselves. Inclusion becomes exhausting when it is treated as an initiative rather than an environment. When language expands but daily experience doesn’t change. When expectations increase faster than people’s capacity to understand or embody them. The effort then feels performative instead of relational. Earlier in The Human Shift, Culture Is What People Carry Home We explored how inclusion fatigue often emerges when people cannot locate inclusion in lived interactions—only in messaging. Without experience, even well-intended work begins to feel like compliance. The fatigue isn’t coming from caring too much. It’s coming from not knowing where caring actually lands. Reframe Fatigue is not a failure of values. It is a signal of misalignment. And misalignment does not ask for abandonment. It asks for reconnection. One Grounded Practice Instead of asking, “How do we do inclusion better?” ask: “Where are people most disconnected right now?” Listen specifically for: moments people feel unseen moments people feel cautious speaking moments effort does not match impact This shifts the conversation from strategy to experience—and experience is where inclusion either exists or does not. Closing Reflection If inclusion were measured by everyday interactions instead of organizational intention, what would you notice first? Contextual Depth Signal In my equity and leadership advisory work, organizations often regain momentum not by adding new initiatives but by reconnecting daily behavior with stated purpose. When inclusion becomes experiential rather than instructional, energy returns quickly. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Where in your environment right now does inclusion feel most like a requirement—and where does it feel like belonging?

The Stories We Tell Under Pressure

By Nika White • February 16, 2026

Under pressure, leaders tell stories quickly. About intent. About risk. About who can be trusted. About what’s possible. These stories shape behavior long before policies or plans do. Often, they go unexamined solidifying into assumptions that guide decisions and culture quietly. Reframe Stories don’t just explain reality. They create it. Especially in moments of uncertainty. One Grounded Practice The next time tension rises, ask: “What story am I telling myself right now—and what story might someone else be telling?” This question opens space for curiosity instead of certainty. Closing Reflection What story is guiding your leadership right now—and does it still serve? Contextual Depth Signal Working with leadership narratives (especially under pressure) is a core part of my coaching and facilitation work. When stories shift, behavior often follows. In the shift, Dr. Nika White

Accountability Without Shame

By Nika White • February 9, 2026

Many leaders associate accountability with discomfort—and assume that discomfort is necessary for change. But there’s a difference between discomfort that leads to growth and shame that leads to withdrawal. Shame narrows attention. It triggers defensiveness. It interrupts learning. And yet, many accountability practices rely on it—often unintentionally. True accountability doesn’t require humiliation or fear. It requires clarity, dignity, and repair. Reframe Accountability is not about control. It’s about alignment. And alignment happens best when people feel safe enough to stay present. One Grounded Practice Before offering feedback, pause and ask: “Is my goal correction, or connection that allows correction to land?” This shift often changes: Tone Timing Impact Accountability rooted in dignity sustains trust rather than eroding it. Closing Reflection Where might accountability become more effective if shame were removed from the equation? Contextual Depth Signal This distinction is foundational in how I support leaders navigating performance and culture. Accountability without shame strengthens trust and resilience—especially in moments that matter most. In the shift, Dr. Nika White

Culture Is What People Carry Home

By Nika White • February 2, 2026

Culture doesn’t end when the meeting does. It lingers in the body long after the workday is over showing up in dinner conversations, sleep patterns, patience levels, and the quiet exhaustion people struggle to name. We often talk about culture in abstract terms: values, engagement, and belonging. But culture is experienced somatically. It’s how it feels to speak up. How it feels to make a mistake. How it feels to be seen—or overlooked. When work consistently requires people to brace, perform, or self-monitor, the cost doesn’t stay at work. It travels home with them. Reframe Culture is not what organizations intend. It’s what people absorb. And what people absorb shapes how they show up everywhere else. One Grounded Practice Ask yourself: “How do people likely feel at the end of a typical workday with me?” Not how you hope they feel. Not what the values statement says. What their nervous system might carry. This question alone can shift how leaders present themselves in small but meaningful ways. Closing Reflection What might change if culture was measured by what people carry home, not what’s written on the wall? Contextual Depth Signal This lens (culture as lived experience) is central to my work with organizations. When leaders begin here, culture change becomes less performative and far more honest. In the shift, Dr. Nika White

The Body Knows Before the Mind Does

By Nika White • January 26, 2026

Before leaders articulate misalignment, the body often registers it first. Sleep disruptions. Tightness before meetings. A low-grade fatigue that doesn’t resolve with rest. These are not failures of resilience. They are signals of adaptation. The nervous system is constantly scanning for safety, threat, and load. When demands exceed capacity, the body adjusts—sometimes through tension, sometimes through withdrawal, sometimes through control. Leadership cultures that reward composure often train people to override these signals. But ignoring the body doesn’t eliminate its intelligence. It just delays the cost. Reframe The body is not an obstacle to leadership. It’s an early warning system. Leaders who learn to listen sooner tend to retain more choices later. One Grounded Practice Once a day, pause and ask: “What sensation is most present in my body right now?” No analysis. No fixing. Just notice. This simple practice builds the muscle of attunement, allowing leaders to respond to strain before it hardens into burnout or reactivity. Closing Reflection What has your body been signaling that your mind has been negotiating with? Contextual Depth Signal This work (helping leaders recognize and respond to bodily signals) is central to how I support sustainable leadership. When leaders trust this form of intelligence, decision-making becomes clearer and cultures become more humane. In the shift, Dr. Nika White