Bias Was a Genius: A DE&I practitioner's handbook

In celebration of WorkPride this year, DE&I expert and author Tim Hardy-Lenk introduces his latest book 'Bias Was A Genius', which aims to empower DE&I practioners to create lasting change through purposeful and sustainable action.

Hi Tim, can you tell us what prompted you to write this book?


I wrote this book for several reasons, legacy, pride and love. I wanted to leave a legacy for my son, in sharing my perspective in how we as diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) practitioners can act in a more purposeful, sustainable way to affect lasting change.

Pride because I am deeply proud of the industry I work in. It is a difficult space which is fast evolving, and I wanted to offer my authentic reflections to fellow practitioners who can continue to elevate our industry with their own authentic experiences, voices and expertise.

Love for the DE&I industry was a driving reason to write this. There are many newer practitioners in the space who contact me and ask for advice and support, and this book outlines my own perception on a sustainable DE&I approach, which is so needed in this industry. The last part of why I wrote this was because I had been asked to write down my approach for some time by peers in the industry, and I found myself with the gift of time which allowed me to stop, reflect and assess what I wanted to say.

How did you find the process of writing this book?


When I started writing down the strategy and the theory it started to flow out, I felt that the strategy and the theory was fairly clear to me; naming the issues facing the DE&I space, the competencies which we as practitioners need to address these challenges as well as our broader opportunities to structure sustainability in our approach… it all just came tumbling out like it had been in there for some time. The hard part was in sharing my own story. I spent far longer on the first few pages than on anything else, sharing my story as a way to unlock my own understanding was an incredibly healing process to go through, and barriers and blockers I hadn’t realized existed needed to be resolved before I could share this story. This book feels like a part of my soul, unburdened and free and in wonderful alignment between my personality, my position and my purpose.

What is the 60:20:20 model?

The concept of the 60:20:20 model is that we need to have the right balance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the structure of the DE&I strategy and its communication. Outlining tensions in what activity is delivered and what is not delivered, what is overcommunicated and what is under-communicated can help address perceptions of tokenism, challenges in integration and truly leverage a sustainable approach to DE&I depending on where the business is on its journey within DE&I. The model is a roadmap to outline how you can structure DE&I activity and communication of that activity for the greatest impact.

What is the one thing you want readers to take away from this book ?


That DE&I is far simpler than it has been made to seem. Yes, there are some complex theories and approaches required to integrate it effectively into complex organizations, but, at its core the approach of DE&I is the same as the approach to wisdom itself. Knowledge of self, nothing to excess and certainty brings trouble are ancient tenets of reflective practice, which if we take the time to pause, reflect and think before we react, then we can create a lasting legacy which aligns with our own stories and experiences. By building connection, compassion and grace with reflective intent we can go so much further and deeper in purposeful DE&I change.

GET A COPY OF THE BOOK

Thanks to Tim, myGwork is offering 10 copies of the book Bias Was a Genius, as well as many other prizes throughout the week, to this year's WorkPride participants. To find out more, simply sign up for WorkPride for free and register here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim Hardy-Lenk, also a myGwork member, has over a decade of experience in DE&I change. He is a Leadership Fellow at The Society of Leadership Fellows, St George’s House at Windsor Castle. Tim is also a Fellow of the Institute of Equality and Diversity Professionals and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce. In addition to their substantive role, Tim offers their perspective through committee and board roles. Tim has worked within multiple sectors to advance human rights, inclusion and engagement, ranging from the sports industry, medicine and charities and a wide range of private sector organizations. Tim uses their own experiences as a gay, disabled, genderqueer, proud father and survivor to tell their own story and attempt to simplify the complex world of DE&I by fostering human connection, celebrating kindness and nurturing respect, which are some of the key tenets of humanity and inclusion.