By Dina Clark, Head of Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Covestro North America
There’s no playbook for how to lead an organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. But there are some things that, I believe, help make DE&I leaders successful. Passion tops the list.
As North American head of DE&I for Covestro, which makes polymers used in nearly every area of modern life, I have been extremely fortunate to have the support of leaders who encourage that passion. They, like me, recognize the importance of passion—not only for promoting an inclusive work environment, but for building a better-performing business. And a growing body of research bears it out: Organizations that make DE&I a priority tend to be more productive and more innovative, and positioned to financially outperform their peers.
Energy is essential.
Just as DE&I has become a business necessity, passion has become a necessity for leading and engaging in DE&I efforts. Here’s why: Changing an organization’s culture can be an uphill battle that takes a lot of energy over the long haul. Maintaining your passion means maintaining your ability to help your organization gradually transform.
So how do you harness and sustain that passion? Here are some things that have worked for me and that are helping to create a new environment across Covestro and its workforce of 17,200 people worldwide.
Acknowledge how difficult the challenge is. Think of it like warming a block of ice with your hands. The more hands, the more warmth for melting and changing the shape of the ice. And the more warmth, the faster the change. Be patient and recognize that DE&I is not a topic. It’s a business imperative, and it requires contributions and commitment from all levels of the organization. Starting at the top.
Bring your own story. And we all have one. What moment or moments shaped the way you think about diversity, equity, and inclusion? For me, as the child of educators and as someone who grew up as an African American in a Jewish neighborhood, I grew up as a natural “connector” or “bridge-builder.” To me, everyone should always have a voice. But I also encountered painful moments where I did not feel included. All of these moments have combined to inspire me along the DE&I path I am on today—constantly connecting me to my passion for change.
Allow yourself to be your true self. And look for organizations that allow you to be you. I consider myself unapologetically bold yet sensitive to others. My personality may not always align with the traditional engineering culture that is pervasive within my industry. But I believe that’s why I was chosen for this job—because I brought something different and authentic. That freedom to “be me” is central to the tenets of DE&I, and it has helped amplify my passion and my willingness to take risks on behalf of the company and its people.
Look through many lenses. My passion is fueled when I see people “meeting people where they are” and becoming more comfortable with being uncomfortable. That doesn’t happen without the ability to see yourself and others through multiple lenses. Constantly ask: How do I see myself? How do I see others? How might others see me?
Take time to celebrate your successes. The needle doesn’t move from “Unfair” to “Fair”—overnight. It moves slowly. And each time it moves is a reason to celebrate.
Keep a “pay it forward” attitude. You may never know how positively you have affected others’ lives or other parts of your organization. Feedback is not a given. Don’t let the lack of it diminish your passion.
Bring focus to help fuel your passion, too. In my role at Covestro, that means understanding that, although there may not be a universal DE&I playbook, we should be intentional in what we do. We should connect our efforts to real business goals while demonstrating a genuine interest in people’s lives. Seeing the connections and the results can help sustain the energy you need to drive change.
Develop a mantra to help guide you. At Covestro, we say: “Diversity is our strength. Inclusion is our commitment. Innovation inspired by sustainability is our direction.” It’s about not only the make-up of the workforce, but about making sure that voices are heard and that our efforts are all moving toward an impact for the business and the people who collectively drive it. When you can see and say clearly where you are going, maintaining your energy to affect change becomes easier.
Today I am proud to say that Covestro is on the map as an organization that is committed to DE&I. We continue to move the needle. We continue to recognize changes big and small. And although plenty of work lies ahead of us, we continue to approach it with passion—knowing that the ultimate payoff will come in the form of greater fairness in the workplace and greater performance for our organization as a whole.
