Bloomberg Law: Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Requires Listening

Darin Snyder, O’Melveny’s Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, authored this article outlining the importance for US corporations and law firms to achieve real progress on diversity. “Across corporate America, including the legal profession where I work, leaders have engaged in one conversation after another about diversity. This should give us hope,” Snyder wrote. “Except most of those conversations have either been bouquets thrown at some new program or lamentations about the tortoise-like progress of an industry or organization. Few touch directly on the hard issues—the assumptions and biases that continue to stand in our way.” Snyder argues that the most important thing that companies need to do is listen to diverse voices. “Listen to the experiences, perspectives, thoughts, and feelings of those diverse people who are willing (and should be encouraged) to share them, especially your colleagues. And as you listen, remember that your experiences as part of the majority group are irrelevant ... Don’t make the mistake of claiming that you understand just because you may have colleagues, friends, or even family members who are part of an underrepresented group. No connection is so close that you will experience something in life the same as someone in that other group. So don’t act like you do. Just listen,” Snyder writes.

Read the full article here.