9 Action Steps for Leaders and Organizations

Equity in Action is a social action initiative designed to take action and create visibility opportunities for Black-owned businesses and people of color in the workplace. With Equity In Action, there are nine core action steps that lead to an inclusive and belonging culture. These action steps draw on the strength and resilience traits that we can all access, irrespective of our natural strengths. 

These nine traits appear in the Enneagram personality types as a responsible and practical guide for leadership self-awareness and behavioral change.

Action Step #1 – Prepare for the Journey of Equity.

“Organized” leaders prepare for the Journey of Equity and begin it right with a thoughtful and purposeful mapping of the journey.  They approach race work thoughtfully and with purpose.

Action Step #2 – Face the Challenge of Growth.

“Growing” leaders pursue the knowledge of equity deeply, thoroughly, and patiently. They help the group tackle race talk and the problem of inequity with objective, honest, and comprehensive fact share.

Action Step #3 – Acknowledge Inequity.

“Strong” leaders possessing boldness and advocacy to defend others from attack will help challenge earlier inequities with a mindset focused on broadening the historical viewpoint. They acknowledge it is time for a new approach to race work.

Action Step #4 – Own Your Journey.

“Introspective” leaders examine the self attentively and learn from the introspection diving into building new behaviors of interacting in the world.  Introspective leaders do not shy away from race work.

Action Step #5 – Set Goals.

“Motivating” leaders set goals with the strong desire to reach them through an efficient approach to strategy. They strive for excellence and don’t rest until they achieve it. They push for an anti-racist work environment by first acknowledging racism exists.

Action Step #6 – Engage in Diversity of Thought.

“Curious” leaders think from another person’s perspective, which is a courageous, optimistic, and adventurous activity. Curious leaders value racially diverse teams as generating greater innovation and higher revenues. (Boston Consulting Group 2018 Study https://bcg.com/publications/2018/how-diverse-leadership-teams-boost-innovation.)

Action Step #7 – Challenge the System for Good.

“Conscientious” leaders who want to do the right thing become advocates for the moral high ground with the awareness of inequity.  They push for overcoming organizational defenses and choose to discuss the “deniable” topics like racism in the workplace.

Action Step #8 – Become an Inclusive Leader.

“People-oriented” leaders who perceive the team members’ needs find and implement unique ways to meet them. Being in sync with others’ needs, they naturally connect and foster unity in a team. 

Action Step #9 – Lead Your Team with Equity.

“Peaceful” leaders work to achieve harmony and balance without shutting down discourse. Instead, seeing others’ viewpoints, they mediate conflict and promote group understanding and effectiveness. In this last action step, leaders help team members work in unison by implementing all they have learned during the program.

The Equity in Action 9 Action Steps uplift the skills and talents of minority and white leadership, empowering them to grow and drive organizational change that impacts equity. In addition, these solutions or action steps help increase self-awareness, achieve diversity of thought, and identify the impacts of racism in the workplace.