Board Diversity
For years, society has read and heard about unarmed Black people being killed by police. Even when past video was available, it was grainy, jumpy and often difficult to understand what we were we really seeing. The killing of George Floyd changed all that. That video was indisputable. And now, society is forced to acknowledge the issue that has been crying out for our confrontation for decades.
The protests continue throughout our land. In my town, they turned violent and resulted in the wanton destruction and looting of storefronts up and down our iconic, visitor-magnet State Street. Statues on our Capitol Square that celebrated emancipation of women and slaves were toppled and dismembered. To which, one has to say, WTF?
When asked, those who pulled the statues down clearly didn’t know that these statues honored the same values they supposedly supported. They replied that they were simply statues on State property and the State wasn’t moving fast enough to deal with issues of equality and justice. So, they needed to come down.
While we cannot condone the destruction of others’ property, I understand the frustration of those that chose violence. As a society, we haven’t done nearly enough when the pleas for equity and justice were voiced. I guess we didn’t have enough video.
As the protests raged last month, I had a serendipitous conversation with Searchwide Global’s Mike Gamble. We were discussing some of the current CEO searches they were managing and we began talking about the Boards with whom we both engage; his firm with Executive Searches and ours with Strategic Planning. As we discussed what we saw that worked (and what didn’t), we began to zero in on Board Diversity…or, indeed, the lack thereof.
Just like my encouragement to every Board with whom I work that they need to diversify their revenue streams (how prescient was that?), we also advised several DMOs over the past decade that they needed to be seriously focused on upgrading their Board make-up. As I noted in last month’s Z-News, I should have pushed harder on both counts.
Interestingly, Mike has had the same experience. His primary role is to find the right individual to lead an enterprise. When he would advise a Board that they were failing in their responsibility to be more diverse…well, that’s not why he had been hired.
So, as we discussed this pervasive need among DMOs that we both saw, but had not yet successfully addressed, we considered what we could do. And, we began to develop a check-list of actions that DMOs should evaluate as they analyze whether their Boards truly represent their community. And then, do something about it.
During last week’s Virtual Annual Conference of Destinations International, our essay on the topic was softly released as one of many downloads for attendees. Today, we hard launch the document.
The tone of this missive may feel harsh to some. But, the time for a "suggested plan of action" that could take 5-years to achieve is simply not acceptable. Given this moment in time, DMOs are blessed with an opportunity to do something meaningful and immediate. And, make no mistake, your community and your clients are watching…and waiting.
In our treatise, we suggest that Boards that have Diversity gaps must immediately move to change their bylaws (if necessary) and/or add ex-officio seats to rectify that concern NOW. By the end of this year, at the latest. And then, begin to strategically discuss the future composition of the Board and professional staff. By infusing diverse voices, the Board instantly sets into motion the real benefits of increased engagement of community representation and the opportunity to have the high-level conversations that will be needed to ensure that all voices are part of our future processes.
And, let's be clear. To all who would say that the availability of individuals with whom you can diversify the Board aren't readily available to your organization? You simply aren't looking hard enough. They are there...and our document suggests ways to find them.
As we’ve said before, it all starts with the Board and CEO. Everything about the organization flows from this. The door is open.
Walk through it. Indeed, run through it.