Organizational Culture & Values
The Vistage Diversity and Inclusion Resource Center

The Vistage Commitment
As an organization committed to improving when it comes to inclusion, equality and respect for all individuals, we are passionate about the role that each of us as business leaders can play in the pursuit of equal treatment and creating equity for all. To be clear, we are paying close attention, and we are committed to helping leaders combat racism and inequalities whenever and however they occur.
Our very business is built on the value of diverse perspectives. It’s what helps our business leaders combat insular thinking, identify blind spots, and make better decisions for their companies, families and communities. Diversity and inclusivity makes us better as individuals and as businesses. We want to help leaders keep this conversation going by connecting them so that they can continue to share their perspectives and learn from each other.
In that spirit, we hope these tools, research and insights help power important dialogue, learning and meaningful progress.
To your leadership success,
Sam Reese
For CEOs and business owners, the business case for diversity and inclusion has been long established: Diverse management teams are 33% more likely to generate better-than-average profits and 70% more likely to capture new markets, and 67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor.
But the bridge from concept to implementation has lagged. Toward that end, we’ve created a Diversity and Inclusion Resource Center for leaders who wish to create and foster diverse and inclusive environments within their workplaces and communities.
We will continue to evolve these resources with input from our community and other experts.
In this resource center find:
- FOR MEMBERS: VISTAGE NETWORKS DISCUSSIONS
- LEADING IN CHALLENGING TIMES WEBINAR SERIES
- COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TEAM AND CUSTOMERS
- RESOURCES FOR BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY RIOTS
- IMPLEMENTING A DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRAM
- HIRING AND RECRUITING
- CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE
- PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
- FOR MEMBERS: EXPERTS IN OUR COMMUNITY
FOR MEMBERS: VISTAGE NETWORKS DISCUSSIONS
Ask questions in a safe environment. Share what you are doing. Discover new resources. Join the Vistage Diversity and Inclusion Network for candid, respectful discussions. Find robust conversations devoted to supporting female business leaders on the Women in Leadership Network as well.
LEADING IN CHALLENGING TIMES WEBINAR SERIES
Visit here to find trusted experts on Diversity & Inclusion. Find upcoming webinars and recordings on the Leading in Challenging Times webinar series page.
- Member exclusive on-demand webinar: A Great Place to Work For All: The Time is Now with Michael C. Bush, CEO, Great Place to Work
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TEAM AND CUSTOMERS
- 5 ways businesses can support BIPOC-owned companies in the COVID age (Vistage)
- How to Begin Talking About Race in the Workplace (Knowledge @Wharton)
- U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism (HBR)
- A Guide to the Discussion You Are Scared to Have Right Now (Great Places to Work)
- Here’s How Business Leaders Are Responding to the George Floyd Protests (Entrepreneur)
- The Support You Need To Give Your Black Employees Today (Great Places to Work)
- Advancing Equity in Times of Unrest (Gartner)
- Adapt Your D&I Efforts to the Reality of the Crisis (HBR)
- 5 Things Well-Meaning People Say That Actually Harm Black People
RESOURCES FOR BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY RIOTS
- Insurance relief by those impacted by riots
- USA Today: Small business owners guide on what they can do post-riots
IMPLEMENTING A DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRAM
- 6 Steps for Building an Inclusive Workplace (SHRM)
- How to Develop a Diversity and Inclusion Initiative (SHRM)
- The Diversity and Inclusion Handbook (Lever)
- G2 Diversity and Inclusion Learning Hub (G2)
- Craft the Perfect Diversity Statement for Your Organization
Board of directors
- How to Create a Diverse Board of Directors and Empower It to Thrive (Kellogg Insight)
- Driving Diversity and Inclusion – the Role for Chairs and CEOs (Harvard Law)
HIRING AND RECRUITING
Bias in hiring
- The impact of implicit biases during the hiring process (webinar on-demand)
- Part I: What is implicit bias in hiring? (Vistage)
- Part II: 4 tips to reduce bias and hire a more diverse workforce (Vistage)
- Part III: How to overcome implicit bias in your hiring process (Vistage)
- 7 Practical Ways to Reduce Bias in Your Hiring Process (SHRM)
- How business leaders can check their biases when hiring (Kellogg Insight)
- Blind hiring – stripping out bias (SHRM)
- 5 Must-Do’s for Writing Inclusive Job Descriptions by Maxwell Huppert
Remote workforce
- Remote Work Is How Tech Companies Can Increase Diversity
- How Remote Work Opens Doors for Accessibility and Equality
- Working With Remote Teams? Here’s How You Can Grow A Positive Company Culture
CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE
- Diversity Is Just the First Step. Inclusion Comes Next. [BCG]
- I thought I led a ‘woke’ furniture company. Turns out, we contribute to systemic racism (AZ Central)
- Working at the intersection: What Black women are up against (LeanIn.org)
- Inclusive Leadership Behaviors Checklist (i4cp TOOLS)
- Diversity wins: How inclusion matters (McKinsey & Company)
- Practical Tips: How CEOs And Directors Can Lead On Racial Injustice (Chief Executive)
- The Key to Inclusive Leadership (HBR)
- How to strengthen inclusive leadership in times of crisis (Ernst & Young)
- 5 Things Inclusive Leaders Do Differently
- Overhear an inappropriate or potentially harassing comment? (Equality Institute)
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Nobody can sit this out; we have to talk about race (Des Moines Register)
- Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man
- Antiracismforbeginners.com
- Discussion guides on understanding your blindspots (PwC)
- The Journey of the Ally (Chair Wally Schmader)
- “The White Journey to Racial Awareness: A Stage Theory” (Education Week)
Book & film suggestions from Vistage Members
- FILM: He/She and Me Stage Play by Sharon Mathis, Screenplay by Sharon Mathis and Jerry Sipp, Featuring Janet Boudreau
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- How to be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
- What if I Say the Wrong Thing? 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People by Verna A. Myers
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Mindful of Race – Transforming Racism From The Inside Out by Ruth King
- Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What we See, Think and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
FOR MEMBERS: EXPERTS IN OUR COMMUNITY
Find Vistage expert speakers on diversity and inclusion. See the list
Are you a Vistage speaker with a presentation that could support members’ diversity and inclusion efforts? Please email Speaker Relations to be added to the list.
Category: Organizational Culture & Values
Tags: Culture, diversity and inclusion
Gain deeper insights when you join Vistage
Take advantage of peer advisory group advice, 1-to-1 executive coaching, industry networks, exclusive events and more.
Learn more