Clients often ask how to respond to their white male colleagues who are concerned about losing opportunities to women and Black and brown talent as #Equity gains momentum. There are a few ways I think about this. #THREAD:

First, it’s a human response. People are wired for both preservation and self-actualization. The idea of anything getting in the way of both is triggering for people who are accustomed to being centered. I don’t shame people for this response. I say, “I understand, but...”

When you are afraid to lose something, you are doing so under the assumption that it belongs to you in the first place. When it comes to opportunity, this is not the case. The opportunity belongs to no one, until it does. #Equity merely calls for equal access to it.

Consult your data. In 2020, white men entered the U.S. workforce at about 35% but held 66% of top jobs. In this chart from @McKinsey, you can clearly see that white men remain significantly advantaged. The odds are in their favor, counter to the fear-based narrative.

If you look at your specific data, you are likely to uncover similar patterns, if not more pronounced. It’s an understandable concern, but a baseless one. Use data to help white men understand your current state and share that the only path to balance is through intervention.

This is where people come at me with “I just want the best person for the job.” Of course you do. But we must recognize that “best people for the job” are not born, they’re made. We are not making “the best people” equitably, by granting insight, access and opportunity to all.

#Equity requires honesty, accountability, AND cross-difference relationships. Honesty reveals what’s broken. Accountability helps you fix it. Relationships open doors of opportunity. If you do it right, next time you say you hired “the best person,” it might actually be true.