What's next for DEI? – Your Shot of Fearless Culture #370
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If DEI as we know it is dead, what replaces it?
We don’t need a new acronym but a new approach.
DEI is under attack – some are even using it as a derogatory term.
While many companies retreat entirely, others are doubling down on their diversity efforts.
However, the vast majority are opting for a “DEI stealth approach” – continuing efforts but under the radar.
There’s a lot of anxiety going on.
But, like with every crisis, there’s an opportunity: to challenge our thinking.
Was DEI ever working? And, if it was, how can we make it better?
Let’s have a meaningful conversation about what’s next.
That’s my invitation for this week - explore:
My latest article → DEI Is Dead. Long Live an Open-Minded Culture.
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Stay fearless, my friend.
Gustavo
In Case You Missed It
→ Why are we so afraid of women? (at work and beyond)
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Ask Your Team This
How do we keep an open dialogue alive when people are afraid of political backlash?
⚠️ Try It Today
We often think of ourselves in terms of labels - often the most obvious ones like our job, gender, or relationship status. But there so much to who we are.
Pair up team members and take turns asking each other a simple yet powerful question:
👉 Who are you?
The first answer will likely be obvious. But ask again. And again. Each new response will peel the onion, revealing a deeper layer of who we really are. Then, switch roles.
This is a powerful reminder that we are all complex and multifaceted, not just one label.
🔗 Learn more here:
Who Are You? – Fearless Culture
🍦 Feed Your Curiosity
Gender equity is not a zero-sum
The history - and future - of DEI
How corporate America is retreating from DEI
I’ve worked in DEI for a decade – it won’t survive 2025
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Gustavo Razzetti
CEO, Fearless Culture
This is a uniquely US consideration, made more ironic by the diversity of US society. It’s not a question found in any other western democracy who view diversity as a normal feature of the workforce and typically a strength. Mountains of literature endorsing the latter. What next? Well while we are using the term fearless… the article reads like people are just going to take this government instruction lieing down and oh what do. I’d say resistance and disobedience to any antisocial counter factual decrees from the federal government. Stand up, push back, lawyer up, use facts and talk in money words. All that is required for really bad and retrograde outcomes is for good people to do nothing.