I have seen it play out too many times. Diverse candidates are hired and then they leave. The excuses are varied. “Not a good fit, the employee did not live up to their potential, they were very sensitive always bringing up race, or gender or access, or they seemed guarded” Alternatively, “they were so gifted, talented, so articulate or charismatic.” But they are gone. The talent has left the building.

Organizations don’t understand that hiring women, and BIPOC or AAPI or those with a disability comes with a responsibility to ensure they thrive in an environment where their otherness can feel profound and heavy. When you hire people with diverse backgrounds, they also bring their diverse perspectives – they may challenge historical norms. The goal even when it is unintentional should not be to fit them into a box that makes others more comfortable.

The inevitable conclusion is that without intentional allyship they will leave or survive rather than thrive in your organization. Your organization will be diminished by their absence or silence. While many organizations have progressed to the “D” for diversity – the journey does not end there. It must embrace a broader definition of the collective, it is a business imperative.

For example hiring a Chief Diversity Officer is a great addition to a senior leadership team – but only if the organization can move past performative gestures to a reinvention of company culture. The company should not just look different it should feel different, it must create space where none existed before.

We need all of our talent working together to achieve individual and organizational success. This is a truth.