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How A Straight CIS-Gendered White Male Got Into DEI
NOTE: Greg Jenkins provides today’s guest Blog, ‘How a straight CIS-gendered white male got into DEI.’
Greg Jenkins is a dedicated and passionate leader, facilitator, coach, and mentor dedicated to helping people and teams achieve higher performance levels. Greg Jenkins Consulting LLC
Greg completed a successful 28+ year U.S. Army career that ranged from overseas duties in Germany, South Korea, and combat duty in Iraq to include several stateside assignments culminating in Washington D.C. While serving at the Pentagon, Greg teamed up with the Army’s Diversity Task Force. He worked directly with the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff to help establish the Army’s Diversity program, policies, and marketing.
With over three decades of military service in professional corporate consulting, Greg has trained, facilitated, mentored, and coached countless military service members, corporate employees, and executive leaders of various industries. The list includes the Federal Government, U.S. military, finance, insurance, communications, logistics, and retail services. Greg is a passionate veteran volunteer who enjoys actively mentoring and coaching business professionals, U.S. military service members, and veterans.
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How A Straight CIS-Gendered White Male Got Into DEI
1. Introduction
So, there I was, a few months earlier, having returned from the invasion of Iraq. It was the summer of 2004, and I was preparing to ready myself for retirement from United States Army. I felt pretty good about my career and all I had accomplished in my 20 years and some odd months. I began to imagine my new post-military life:’
- Finishing up college to attain my bachelor’s degree.
- Building a home in the local area.
- Preparing for an eventual job search.
All in all, I felt pretty good about my life and where I was heading at the time. Then in a matter of weeks, I received an official message from U.S. Army that I had been selected to attend the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI).
I had no idea what a “DEOMI” was, but I assumed that it would not be something in line with my future life plans. The Army’s official notification informed me that I was to attend a 16-week in-resident course. Upon my successful completion, I would serve as an Equal Opportunity Advisor (EOA) in the U.S. Army for 24 months more. I was not happy.
2. I Don’t Really Want To Do This!
Are you kidding me!? Aren’t these the kinds of programs designed exclusively for women and minorities?
My initial reaction was I didn’t want to do this. I wondered if I had disappointed some senior leader in my chain of command or was punishing me for something I did or failed to do.
I was a successful senior enlisted leader in the U.S. Army. Up until that point, I knew of no other senior leader who looked like me nor had ever attended DEOMI as part of their successful career. I became suspicious that this was an attempt to “show me the door” by making me suffer a bit on the way out. Or perhaps it was an inglorious gesture to put me in my place as I would eventually make my exit from the military. I felt disheartened, disappointed, and disrespected after working so hard for the Army for so long.
3. I Had No Idea
After the first week, my attitude toward DEOMI started to change. I was shocked to my core as to how much I needed the DEOMI experience professionally and perhaps even more personally. We began our work in diverse, intimate small groups of about 15 people. We would attempt to have courageous conversations about racism, sexism, biases, discrimination, power, and privilege, among other topics.
At first, I didn’t want to talk about those subjects or my feelings. In no way did I feel that those realities impacted me or vice versa. I had never owned slaves, I hadn’t mistreated women, nor disrespected anyone from a minority group. Or is it possible I did? After all, I was a “good guy.” I was a responsible senior leader with integrity who had never contributed to any of the ills of our society.
It started to dawn on me that this work had to begin with “me” first, and it had to begin internally. Although, what I soon discovered was that the job at hand allowed me to stop, pause, and start thinking about my upbringing. The reflection included experiences as a young adult and how I behaved as a leader in the U.S. Army. The meditation made me think of how I made meaning of my life and how I viewed the world and those in it.
I had to acknowledge that although I never owned slaves, I had other preconceived notions about other people. Not only concepts, but I also had words and visions of definitions of what I thought a vast array of people were in my perceptions. These conceptions resulted from my upbringing in a culture that labeled everybody by a well-defined hierarchy of values. In that hierarchy, white males are on the very top, and a descending scale of skin color and gender ends at the bottom with women of color.
It became difficult to justify my position as a U.S. military service member. I was sworn to support and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and then not live up to the ideals of that same document. The dilemma presented a level of cognitive dissonance that forced me to step back and question how I lived my life and led my teams.
4. I Want To Make This My Life’s Work
I needed to live up to the oath that I had taken. It bothered me that although I swore to support and defend the U.S. Constitution, I wondered how effectively I was doing that. I wanted to do better. I wanted to learn more about this to help other leaders and their teams understand the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
During my DEOMI experience, it became apparent that a significant component of DEI work was just good leadership development and that many leaders could benefit from this knowledge. So, I knew this was the starting point where I wanted to begin building my new military life. I wanted to help other soldiers, leaders, and teams build more inclusive environments.
For the remaining 8+ years of my Army career, I had the fantastic opportunity to advise senior military officers on DEI. I took on that role with a sense of responsibility and accountability, learning lessons along the way and discovering best practices. My time in the uniform culminated at the Pentagon, where our small team at the Army Diversity Office worked directly for the top leadership of the U.S. Army. It was the most significant military honor and a role I had ever served at that point. Onward and upward
So here I am today with my successful military career behind me and a Whole New World in front of me. I am currently in my 10th year of business as a DEI consultant. Yes, the journey has been challenging and frustrating at times. At the same time, it has been vastly more rewarding and fulfilling than I could’ve ever imagined. My passion for DEI has not waned but continues to strengthen, grow, and deepen. I continue my journey as a lifelong learner engaging with existing and new clients and partners and working towards a co-created vision of better teams and communities.
Another unexpected benefit I discovered along the way has been working with the remarkable people of the Inclusion Allies Coalition (IAC). The IAC (Inclusion Allies Coaltiion) is a coalition of organizations and practitioners committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organizations and society. Specifically, my work with; Elinor Stutz, Nirupa Netram, Simma Lieberman, and Miriam Muléy has been some of the most rewarding DEI engagements I’ve experienced.
My parting words for you are from the Persian poet Rumi, “Let yourself be drawn by the strange pull of what you love. It will not lead you astray.”
Your journey may be challenging, but pace yourself and keep moving forward. Your rewards may be more than you imagined.
5. Onward and Upward
So here I am today with my successful military career behind me and a Whole New World in front of me. I am currently in my 10th year of business as a DEI consultant. Yes, the journey has been challenging and frustrating at times. At the same time, it has been vastly more rewarding and fulfilling than I could’ve ever imagined. My passion for DEI has not waned but continues to strengthen, grow, and deepen. I continue my journey as a lifelong learner engaging with existing and new clients and partners and working towards a co-created vision of better teams and communities.
Another unexpected benefit I discovered along the way has been working with the remarkable people of the Inclusion Allies Coalition (IAC). The IAC https://inclusioncoalition.info/ is a coalition of organizations and practitioners committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organizations and society. Specifically, my work with; Elinor Stutz, Nirupa Netram, Simma Lieberman, and Miriam Muléy has been some of the most rewarding DEI engagements I’ve experienced.
My parting words for you are from the Persian poet Rumi, “Let yourself be drawn by the strange pull of what you love. It will not lead you astray.”
Your journey may be challenging, but pace yourself and keep moving forward. Your rewards may be more than you imagined.
In conclusion, I adapted the motto to share with you, ‘Onward and upward!’
For More Insights: Visit Elinor’s Amazon Author Page
“Communicate to Attract Interest’
Be A Story-Teller
As the CEO of Smooth Sale, after her near-death experience, Stutz adapted the motto,
“Believe, Become, Empower.
”Nice Girls DO Get the Sale is an International Best-Selling and Evergreen Book – among the classics;
HIRED! Helped many to secure the job they desired.
Related Blog Stories:
Sales Tips: How A Straight CIS-Gendered White male Got Into DEI
- A seeming disaster can be a gift guiding us in a better direction.
- Instead of panicking, it’s best to put on the brakes to figure out ‘what just happened?’
- Weigh the pros and cons of the occurrence first.
- Second, determine your next best steps.
- Seek counsel from peers and research on how to improve the circumstance.
- Recognize how the new direction may assist your ultimate vision for achievements.
- As an executive in charge of employees or via community service work, consider how contributing to DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) movement may prove beneficial.
- The best company motivator is for everyone to recognize the experience of equal pay and inclusion in the team conversations.
- Building loyalty among teams includes booting morale with diversity, equity, and inclusion and will decrease the turnover rate.
- Celebrate Success
Today’s insights are provided to help you achieve the Smooth Sale!
RESOURCES FOR PERSONAL AND BUSINESS GROWTH:
Advisorpedia Publishes information to help advisors build their practice, and those having an interest in the markets choose investments and find inspiration.
BizCatalyst360 Presents a life, culture, and biz new media digest serving as a hub of creative expression and personal growth.
CatCat Build your future one skill at a time.
For Book Lovers Only For Book Lovers Only introduces you, the book lover, to new and exciting authors and works of fiction and non-fiction.
GetCiara Make remote your unfair advantage.
Greg Jenkins Consulting LLC – Helping organizations realize the value of diversity to build inclusive, evolving high-performing cultures.
Growth Hackers – Helping businesses from all over the world grow with lead generation, growth marketing, conversion rate optimization, data analytics, user acquisition, retention, and sales.
Inclusion Allies Coalition “Everyone is welcome here.” Learn more to train teams, and join the advocacy program.
Internet Advisor Find the internet service right for you among 2083 internet providers across 36,380 cities, plus Cellphonedeal compiles great deals on phones, plans, and prepaids to furnish you with the best options in your area.
Kred Connect with top-rated influencers to learn from and grow your networks.
LinktoEXPERT “It is not who you know – it is who knows you and what your expertise can do for them plus understands the value of hiring you.”
Lotus Solution LLC Helps organizations create diversity and inclusion to ensure a fair and just workplace, through customized consulting, training, and keynote speeches.
SalesPop! Purveyors of Prosperity; how to compete against yourself to excel in your career.
Simma Lieberman “The Inclusionist” helps develop inclusive leaders from the inside-out, out to champion diversity and build equitable inclusive cultures at every level.
Vengreso Provides easy-to-follow on-demand sales training for LinkedIn.
Vunela Provides a unique opportunity to view Videos and read articles by World Leaders.
WebTalk is the one-stop platform Build your marketplace and growing social connections.
Women’s Information Network (WIN) An education-and-event-based Global Community of Women Helping Women Worldwide Live Their Best Lives through Celebration, Self-Improvement, and Service.
