MYTH 4I'm All for Diverse Talent. As Long as They Are Good.
“I'm all for diverse talent,” this leader who oversaw one of our biggest clients explained. “As long as they are good.”
Taking a deep breath and hoping to coax him into some self‐reflection, I asked, “Can you share more about what you mean by ‘as long as they are good’?”
“Listen, I am all for meeting talent,” he continued, ignoring my question. “Happy to meet the internal candidate who is interested in the role. He is colored, right?”
My heart dropped. My throat went dry. I looked past him to see one of his team members standing behind him. She heard what he said and stared at me, her mouth hanging wide open.
“We don't use that term, colored, to describe anyone, today,” I try to calmly explain, worried my voice was shaking. “We say people of color, and in this case …”
“Why not? Why can't I say that?” he interrupted me.
“Well,” I said pausing. “It's an offensive, hurtful term dating back to the Jim Crow era, and racial segregation in the United States. We don't use it because …”
“How should I refer to him?”
“We should always ask people how they identify before making assumptions and never …”
“Okay, okay, okay I won't use that term,” he said interrupting me again. “You know I'm Canadian, so I had no idea,” he laughed, shrugged his shoulders, and walked away.
Several years ago, I was coaching a white leader as roles opened up on his team, consisting of all white leaders. Those openings were an opportunity to start to ...
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