The Elephant and the Mouse: Moving Beyond the Illusion of Inclusion to Create a Truly Diverse and Equitable Workplace

In The Elephant and the Mouse, award-winning speaker and diversity and inclusion expert Laura Liswood delivers a thought-provoking and insightful new business guide that explores workplace diversity and offers new ideas for gaining the real benefits from your diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The Elephant and the Mouse refers to the dynamic in organizations that are roadblocks to consciously inclusive success. The Elephant, often dominant group leadership, knows little about the experiences of the Mouse, the non-dominant groups, while the Mouse knows so much more about the Elephant. In diverse workplaces, these two groups live in different worlds. Success will come only if everyone works in a true meritocracy. You learn what may be easy for some to do in their career is much harder for others to do.

In this book, which builds upon Liswood's groundbreaking book, The Loudest Duck, you'll explore the powerful case for diversity, equity, and inclusion and the often-overlooked risks posed by a homogeneous workforce. You will learn the hard truths about why many DE&I efforts fail, millions of dollars are wasted, and why organizations confuse efforts with outcomes. You'll consider new ways of leading others, with a strong emphasis on tactics and strategies employed by successful Elephant and Mouse leaders, including women leaders. The book also includes:

• Realistic explanations for the slow progress in diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice in society and organizations
• Examinations of the concept and myths of meritocracy and how to conduct a Meritocracy Stress Test on your firm
• How organizations often have an illusion of inclusion but find their efforts not creating the inclusive, equitable teams they say they want
• How safety efforts can provide a roadmap for diversity missions
• An exploration of both the human interventions and non-human roles of technology in DE&I initiatives, including the use of people analytics to de-bias organizations
• What tools are needed to go beyond awareness of unconscious bias to de-bias processes and what traits the new Elephant and Mouse leader has

An indispensable resource for managers, executives, and other business leaders who seek to recreate truly diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations, The Elephant and the Mouse is also a must-read for human resources professionals, individuals who want successful careers in diverse teams, and anyone involved in the hiring, retaining, and promoting processes. This book offers a way to move beyond traditional diversity efforts towards more modern practices that embrace―and profit from―the differences between people.

LAURA LISWOOD is a speaker, author, and diversity and inclusion expert with an interest in the myths of leadership and the lessons to be learned from real-world women and men leaders. Former Managing Director and Senior Advisor for Goldman Sachs and retired reserve police Sergeant, she is the Secretary of the Council of Women World Leaders in Washington, D.C. Her previous books include The Loudest Duck, Women World Leaders, and Serving Them Right.