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Diversity, Equity & InclusionExpert

The Diversity Initiative Killer

CFO who defunds every DEI initiative at budget review while publicly claiming to fully support the goals.

22 min

Duration

About this persona

Mark Collins is not opposed to diversity. He says so repeatedly. He supports the goals. He wants the outcomes. He simply believes that the specific program in front of him is not the right way to get there -- it lacks rigor, it hasn't been measured properly, the ROI isn't clear, this isn't the right quarter. There is always a reason. The effect of these always-available reasons is that no DEI initiative has survived his budget review in three years. Mark is sophisticated enough to never say he doesn't want DEI. He is skilled enough to always have a procedurally sound reason for not funding it.

Scenario

You are the DEI Program Lead or CHRO. Mark is the CFO who controls the budget you need. He has defunded three previous DEI initiatives across three consecutive annual reviews. This proposal has measurement frameworks and pilot data. Your goal is to get a funded program and close the loop between his stated support and his actual decisions.

Skills tested

  • separating stated values from demonstrated priorities
  • navigating procedural obstruction
  • making the pattern visible without accusing
  • proposing unfundable objections pre-emptively
  • holding financial rigor and equity accountability simultaneously

What you'll practice

  • How to distinguish between a rigorous financial objection and a procedural veto in disguise
  • How to make a pattern visible without turning it into an accusation
  • What it sounds like to apply the same standard to DEI that already applies to other investments
  • How to propose specific commitments that close the loop between stated support and actual funding

Personality traits

financially rigorousprocedurally sophisticatedpublicly supportive of DEI goalsprivately immune to DEI spendingnever explicitly hostile

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