The Case for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

By Tabari McCoy , Scooter Media

THE GOOD NEWS, ACCORDING TO CHRISTOPHER

Johnson, the Northern Kentucky region has a reputation for being more progressive with its approaches and adoption of DEI practices than the rest of the Commonwealth. But there is still plenty of room to improve.

“I've seen what exists in and around the entirety of the state, and the Northern Kentucky Metro region should be proud of itself,” Johnson, the Chief Diversity Officer for Frost Brown Todd (FBT Law)’s offices nationwide, says. “That said, I will be direct in saying the state of Kentucky certainly could stand to be more progressive when it comes to thinking broadly about DEI, what it means for the future of the workforce and how it touches the businesses and people that we serve. Northern Kentucky is farther along, sure, but that certainly doesn't mean that the work is done; there is a lot of work to do.”

Now, he is committed to doing the work to bring about change to the workplace and hopes more companies throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky follow suit.

Setting A Standard

Recently merging with California-based firm AlvaradoSmith, FBT Law is one of the nation’s largest law firms with 17 locations across nine states, including its West Chester, Downtown Cincinnati and Florence offices. DEI is a longstanding fixture of the firm’s culture, a fact which helped Johnson – who has worked in similar roles for Fortune 50 Humana and in public service for the Commonwealth of Kentucky – join the company in his current role. With a portfolio that includes strategy advancement, community outreach as well as teaching and curriculum development/design, Johnson works across FBT to develop policies and practices to advance an inclusive culture, improve the client value proposition and of course, ensure representation within the firm is reflective of the people and communities it serves

Many of FBT Law’s DEI initiatives are directly tied to talent attraction and retention. Examples of such include its Diversity Scholarship Fund and Bernard McKay Award of Excellence for LGBT Scholars, as well as its participation in four regional job diversity fairs to solicit candidates. Additionally, participating and active members and supporters of groups such as the Greater Cincinnati Minority Counsel Program and the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, the firm also uses a structured panel interviewing system to safeguard against hiring process bias.

“FBT Law recognized there was a need to modernize and connect our DEI strategy directly to the kinds of data that are available to us; we cannot make certain initiatives and create certain efforts simply for the sake of creating them, but we must implement them based on what the data tells us,” he says. “By taking the position that we must spread the responsibility for these efforts to ensure those people in leadership roles –decision makers – are more intricately involved in these efforts, we've helped them embrace DEI and done more to help it to be sustainable and scalable across all (our) offices in all the communities that we serve.”

The Business Of Diversity

While internal reactions have been the most immediate way to know the initiatives are working (“Many of our teammates have responded favorably to what we’re trying to do,” he notes), Johnson says the current talent battle necessitates them, which is why he rejects the notion that DEI is a niche in which only Fortune 500 companies can afford to invest. With so many companies in need of talent, limiting your talent pool only limits your workforce.

He says there are three simple ways a company struggling with DEI initiatives can work to improve its efforts. Establishing clear, measurable and communicable goals is the first step. “You've got to be clear about what it is you're trying to do and what it is that you're trying to solve,” he says.

Next, an organization must be in alignment from its leadership down, harkening back to the firm-wide accountability Johnson says has been key to FBT Law’s own DEI programs. Lastly, using data to guide decisions helps to remove subjectivity from the process and prevents rumblings both internally and externally that a company is only paying lip service to its initiatives.

Simply put, a company must “Walk the talk.”

“This work cannot just be about checking a box, compliance or trying to sound as though you are living up to what it is that people want,” he says. “This work must be integrated into the very fabric of whatever it is that you do, no matter what line of business that you're in.”

Justice For All

Johnson says the Northern Kentucky business community is still behind in terms of how to integrate DEI into best practices, the way people experience work and how that translates to the community at large. That, however, is not unique to the region as he notes it remains an issue nationwide.

His experiences here are why he is confident the Northern Kentucky Metro’s commitment is trending in the right direction.

“There are several reasons for this, including COVID and the Great Resignation, but also the issues leading to social unrest and that have made plain still existing racial and structural inequities. People have begun demanding that workplaces embrace principles of inclusion, belonging and a true appreciation for diversity that are going to help lead us to a greater, broader and brighter future,” he says. “People are no longer tolerating some of the things that for years were overlooked or not prioritized; they're rightfully expecting that the workplaces they serve are going to serve their interests. That gives me hope because these expectations are in some ways a clear link to good DEI work; we're well on our way.”