A note about the author: On May 4th, 1990, I arrived in New York City as a Jewish refugee with 2 pieces of luggage and $90. Learning English by working odd jobs, I graduated from an MBA program. After two decades in a leading investment bank, I shifted my career to assist others in pursuing their dreams and aspirations, including, but not limited to, working with new startups. Passion and purpose guide my transformative journey. Following Melanne Verveer's blueprint, I disrupt the status quo, champion innovation, and transform cultures. Since October 7th, I've evolved into the 2.0 version of myself, challenging the current DEI ideology guided by quotas, as I believe it contributes to our world's problems.
I wasn’t familiar with the concept of Diversity until I heard the instructor reading Martin Luther King Jr.’ speech in one of the Berlitz ESL lessons. He introduced us to Dr. King's vision of a diverse society where every individual is treated with equality and respect. This is why, at first, I believed DEI Offices were created to provide opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of each other's backgrounds, listen, and share stories.
Every time when I encounter the DEI box-checking routine or say the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) goals outlining the percentage of certain groups of people companies aim to have by the 2030s, I'm frozen. I face a déjà vu moment from my childhood - the wisdom of the USSR era: If your story doesn't fit into predefined boxes, it will be ignored.
Since October 7th and the days that followed, we've witnessed numerous instances confirming that the existing DEI doesn’t extend to all stories - it has been framing us into the boxes and reducing opportunities by mapping everything to metrics / KPI driven targets. This essentially trades the American dream for the pseudo 'pathforward' defined by the box-checking routine when submitting college applications or applying for a new job.
For the last 100 days, we all have so many 'Why' and 'How' questions that haven’t been answered yet:
· How come in America – the country of immigrants – Ilana Kattan ended up outside of the DEI scope once she defined herself as an Iraqi Jew?
· Why did Eli Steele decide not to check a box when applying to colleges? Eli’ story is a testament to the fact that the box checking ideology is limiting, not guiding.
· Why is there so much silence? The muted reactions from Wall Street & major institutions, and the horrifying responses from Ivy League colleges have left us stunned.
· Why won't the silent majority break its silence? Many have already confessed that they feel powerless to choose this particular battle and would rather mitigate the potential risk by remaining silent.
Some of us, who experienced living under a “double standards” culture in our pre-America lives, unfortunately know firsthand: if we don't break our silence, the two types of truth – one spoken at home and another in the office (or school) - will become the new normal and our stories will be solely defined by the false narrative.
What is the solution? I firmly believe that there is a need for Renaissance in DEI that will lead to a rebirth into real diversity. And where do we start? Several years ago I read the “The Medici Effect” book by Frans Johansson, which embraces and inspires diversity across its full spectrum, including but not limited to the different disciplines, skills, cultures, ages and more.
Here is the #MediciEffect GPT chat definition - “The Medici Effect refers to the concept of innovation and creativity that arises when diverse disciplines, industries, or cultures intersect”. Its magic unleashes the potential of diverse talents, it is not just a concept - it has the power to shape a future where everyone’ skills and perspectives are valued. The #MediciEffect has recently celebrated a huge milestone – its 20’s birthday: “I am still amazed at how much this book has meant and continues to mean for people around the world and feel blessed to be part of such an experience” - Frans Johansson.
As we stand at the crossroads of change, embracing the Medici Effect will allow us to break free from the constraints of boxes and quotas. Are we ready to upgrade to a society that celebrates diversity and allows everyone to live their American dream?
“Take the First Step in Faith. You Don’t Have To See the Whole Staircase, Just Take the First Step” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Might be worth noting that the Medici in Medici Effect is indeed the patron family of Galileo - so yeah, those Medici.
Aptly summarized! Of course, the Diversity in the current DEI acronym assumes none of the attributes described in the book, e.g., Darwin’s geological perspectives on deep time that helped his biological discoveries would not come into play. He would not be selected to board the “Beagle” as a privileged, white, cisgender male (no checked boxes there)… Of course, DEI will be cloaked in other acronyms in the future to justify high-level positions for otherwise irrelevant academics. Let us hope merit, through natural selection, triumphs in the end!