Almost every business leader now finds themselves overworked, Zoomed out and attempting a heroic balancing act -- trying to regain stability following an unprecedented year of change, bracing themselves for the potential of more change with the thought of workforce departures, all while trying to keep diversity and inclusion efforts progressing after becoming an urgent focus.

Upwards of 40% of the workforce is now expected to change jobs in the next 12 months, and many teams who were already facing capacity issues are now struggling to fill gaps with qualified and available candidates, much less ones from diverse communities. In a climate where underrepresented job seekers are in high demand, and many leaving their jobs in the next year, organizations face a major risk of going backwards on diversity.

To make real progress in this moment, we recognized three vital themes that signaled to us that leaders need to change their tune on diversity altogether if they want to see real change.

Rethink how we frame and define diversity

If we are serious about increasing representation in our organizations, we have to begin with a unified and inclusive definition of diversity.

Shift our diversity efforts from a short-term initiative to a long-term strategic imperative

Part of what will create less of a frenetic pace in this work is if we shift the framing from short term to long term

Inspire collective ownership of diversity hiring across our teams

By mobilizing everyone in your organization around diversity hiring, articulating shared goals and aligning incentives to meet those goals, you unlock the capabilities and involvement of your full team.

Read the full article about leading with diversity at SmartBrief.