Diverse, High-Performance Teams are Not Charity
Gender inequality has led to a $160 trillion loss in global wealth, and racial inequality has cost America $16 trillion in GDP over the past 20 years. However, many diversity initiatives in the workplace often fall short of their intended goals.
I come from a long line of trailblazers: the Stroud family of Colorado. Their resilience and determination in the face of adversity are awe-inspiring. My ancestors fled persecution in Europe, braved the Trail of Tears and the scourge of European diseases, and escaped a Texas plantation to become a diverse group of scholar-athletes, political strategists, business innovators, public service activists, publishers, and scientists involved in groundbreaking endeavors such as the Apollo moon missions, 1928 Olympic trials, Atlantic Monthly articles, the Colorado College Stroud Scholars, and the Sachs Foundation.
As a person with African, Indigenous, and European heritage, I grew up learning how to bridge cultural divides. My 23andMe DNA profile shows that I am 70 percent African (Ghana, Nigeria), 20 percent European (mostly British and Irish), and Indigenous (Creek/Muscogee and Wichita Nations). I have had the privilege of experiencing a diverse range of opportunities, from training with Olympic athletes and learning to fly Air Force jets, to consulting for tech startups, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies as an IBM and EY consultant.
I have earned a reputation for leading organizational change and implementing a "coach-and-do" approach to rapid problem-solving, drawing upon my background in athletics, aviation, and more than 25 years of global business experience. This approach has helped many organizations achieve transformational success.
In their 2022 book, Getting to Diversity: What Works and What Doesn't, authors Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev draw on over two decades of research to analyze the effectiveness of various diversity programs and to identify the factors that determine which initiatives have proven to be successful. The authors found that, at current rates of progress, it will take more than 100 years for White women and people of color to reach parity with White men in corporate management positions.
However, immigrants in America are members of minority groups and have shown remarkable success in the business world. According to a study, 51%, or 44 out of 87, of the country's $1 billion startup companies had at least one immigrant founder. Billion-dollar startups with an immigrant founder excel at job creation, with an average of approximately 760 jobs per company in the US. Furthermore, 71% of these companies had at least one immigrant helping the company grow and innovate by filling a key management or product development position.
DEI initiatives have the potential to bring a range of benefits to individuals, organizations, and communities. By fostering a culture of inclusion, companies can tap into a wider pool of talent, perspectives, and experiences that can drive innovation, creativity, and problem-solving. Research shows that companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to achieve financial returns above their national industry medians.
The key is to move beyond performative gestures and focus on systemic change. This means creating psychological safety, measuring outcomes, and holding leadership accountable for results — not just activity.
At Stroud Leadership Academy, we use a practical "coach and do" approach to train underserved communities in Lean Six Sigma, digital literacy, and critical thinking. We believe that when you develop the whole person — giving them tools, confidence, and community — organizations benefit, economies grow, and the world becomes more just.
Diverse, high-performance teams are not charity. They are the future of competitive business.
Frank Shines is the founder of Stroud Leadership Academy, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Air Force veteran, and IBM/EY management consultant. Learn more at Stroud Leadership Academy or support our DEI programs at /dei-charity-giving.