Diversity & Inclusion: The chicken or the egg? And Equity, the omelette...

Plenty of companies celebrate diversity. Few understand how it works. They want difference, but they’re not prepared to work with it.

AI-generated image using OpenAI’s Sora

The Numbers Are Clear

You’ve probably seen the numbers:

• Companies with diverse executive teams are 36% more profitable.

• Diverse teams are 70% more likely to capture new markets.

• Inclusive cultures are 1.7 times more innovative.

These aren’t abstract gains. They show up in performance, creativity and growth.

Still, the effects can be hard to observe in real time. We rarely see a side-by-side comparison of homogeneity and true diversity in action. Without that contrast, it’s easy to assume things are fine as they are, especially when we’re surrounded by people who think and behave the way we do.

Bias Doesn’t Ask Permission

It runs quietly in the background.

Everyone brings bias into hiring and leadership decisions. It’s how the brain manages risk and ambiguity. We gravitate to the familiar. We trust what looks like us.

That might feel efficient. But it shapes who gets considered, who gets listened to and who gets overlooked.

You interrupt that by doing the uncomfortable work.

Looking inward. Naming what’s been normalised. Choosing to override your own defaults.

You don’t need to feel guilty. You need to pay attention.

Diversity Means More Than You Think

It includes race, age and gender. But also neurodiversity, socioeconomic background, communication style and lived experience.

Each layer adds complexity. Each demands adaptability.

Working across difference requires leaders to let go of “how we’ve always done it.” That’s where meaningful change starts.

Where Inclusion Breaks Down

Too often, companies focus on appearances. Hiring goals. Demographic charts. Public-facing statements.

That’s the facade. The real culture happens underneath.

If you’re not ready to shift how you work, how you communicate and how you make decisions, then diversity becomes decoration.

Real inclusion shows up in the mechanics.

• How meetings are run. Are agendas shared ahead of time? Is there space for people who process differently? Silent input rounds, reflection time and written contributions can support more than just the loudest voice in the room.

• Whose input is consistently acted on. It’s not just about airtime. It’s about influence. Are ideas taken seriously regardless of title, background or accent? Does input from underrepresented voices go anywhere?

• How feedback is given. Not everyone thrives on in-the-moment verbal feedback. Some need time, structure or privacy. One approach won’t fit everyone, and doesn’t have to.

• Whether challenge is welcomed or quietly punished. Is disagreement treated as disloyalty? Does raising a concern come with risk? Leaders who model openness to discomfort set the tone for real dialogue.

Inviting someone in means little if the space isn’t built for them to contribute.

Equity Is the Heat That Changes Everything

This is the hard part.

If diversity and inclusion are the chicken and the egg, equity is the omelette. It’s what happens when you apply pressure. Real heat. It’s where systems get tested and reshaped.

Equity isn’t about treating everyone the same. It means recognising different starting points and designing support accordingly.

That might mean:

• Offering more flexibility to caregivers, while still recognising that everyone needs boundaries, time and autonomy. 

• Adjusting communication styles to support neurodivergent employees, without sacrificing clarity. 

• Letting go of narrow definitions of professionalism, while holding shared standards across the board.

Equity asks for design. Not exceptions.

Not everyone needs the same thing to do their best work. That isn’t a flaw in the system. That is the system. People without dependents shouldn’t feel their time matters less. Neurotypical staff shouldn’t feel sidelined. Inclusion means handling complexity. Not creating a new hierarchy of needs.

It’s a balance. And it’s difficult. But ignoring that difficulty doesn’t make it go away. Facing it directly is how trust builds. For everyone.

These shifts won’t always feel comfortable. That discomfort is the signal. It means something real is moving.

So Where Do You Start?

There’s no perfect first move. But there is a useful one: reflection.

Ask yourself:

• Who thrives on my team? 

• Who adapts more than they should? 

• Which norms serve only the majority? 

• Am I willing to change how we work, not just how we look?

Hiring for diversity without shifting the culture underneath is like painting over a cracked wall. You haven’t fixed anything. You’ve just made it harder to see.

The Work Starts With You

Top-down leadership matters. So does personal accountability.

You don’t need a task force and a plan. You need honesty, consistency, and a willingness to sit with what’s uncomfortable.

Equity doesn’t wrap up the work. It keeps it alive.

So, turn up the heat. Break the eggs. That’s how the omelette happens. If this made you pause, reflect, or frown a little - good. That’s the heat ;)