3 Reasons Why Conventional Benchmarks Don’t Work For DEI

Dr. Nika White • May 17, 2022

Benchmarking is one of the biggest questions (and issues) we hear when it comes to tracking DEI progress. After completing assessments, clients will often ask me what ranking or score I would give them for their DEI efforts. This question misses the point.

The truth is, there is no grade or ranking that can prove if your organization is doing enough towards DEI. I’m not a big fan of using traditional benchmarking for measuring DEI success. There are much better ways to measure progress and growth without getting caught up in arbitrary numbers. Here are three reasons why we don’t use conventional benchmarks at NWC and our approach to making progress instead.

Benchmarking Creates False Validation

From my experience, organizations will use benchmarking (i.e. comparing their DEI progress to other organizations), as a way to feel validated on their DEI journey. They might say, “we’re doing okay, compared to this competitor.” Tracking how many people of color, LGBTQIA+, or people with disabilities are working in your business may not truly show how well your organization is doing with DEI. Frankly, it’s a missed opportunity. Comparing your business to others doesn’t prove you are more or less committed to DEI or doing better or worse. It only makes DEI look numerical and limited. Comparison can make you feel better but still leave much to be desired on your journey towards real equity and inclusion.

Benchmarking Can Make Us Feel Like We’ve “Made It”

Some businesses treat DEI as a destination that they can “arrive” at. They might think, “if I hire this many people of color” or “if we can get this many women at the executive level” we will have made it. Always know, DEI is a journey, not a destination. Benchmarking can create the illusion that once we’ve achieved a certain quota or goal, we don’t have to make any more progress towards DEI. Remember, there’s always room to grow, and benchmarking should help us measure how far we’ve come; not when we will “reach” the imaginary destination of being diverse and inclusive.

Benchmarking Can Come Off As Performative

While we want to appear as equitable as possible, creating shallow benchmarks can come off as insincere or tokenizing. True DEI doesn’t manifest as a number you can show to your shareholders or a brochure with smiling diverse faces. Rather, it’s the ambiance you create and how comfortable and accepted people feel in the workplace. True DEI shows up as employees being able to be authentic without fear of judgment or shame. It shows up as allyship and compassion when issues of difference or difficult conversations arise. It also shows up as institutional pay equity without a certain group needing to fight for it. It’s about creating an environment that feels safe and empowering for everyone. DEI will come off as performative if numeric benchmarks are the end goal. If we want to be successful on our DEI journey, we should look beyond the numbers and toward building psychological safety in the workplace.

At NWC, We Benchmark Differently

At my consultancy, we approach benchmarking in an unconventional way. Instead of saying if you achieve this amount of diversity, equity and inclusion, you’ll “arrive” at your destination, we choose to think of benchmarking as a continuum with progress and change as the main measurements for success.

We start by researching your organization’s mission, goals, history, and vision to put together a comprehensive plan tailored to your organizational needs. We focus on tracking your progress from the past and using that to inform your future. Collecting data on how far you’ve come and using that to course correct for your future goals. We don’t expect your organization to perform 100% on every goal across all areas of operation and culture. But, there’s much we can do to move the needle towards progress and change.

We also think it’s helpful to learn from others in your industry that are further along on their journey. Studying how other organizations in your vertical have progressed with their DEI initiatives can help us make programmatic and operational changes that improve your organization for the better. This is different than comparing your business to others. We know it’s apples to oranges and choosing the right strategy for your DEI goals is different for you than for another business. Yet, we know learning from others can help us avoid the same mistakes or help us see new strategies we hadn’t before.

In our view, using a strength-based approach to finding the right DEI solutions for your business is crucial. We reinforce what we know is going well and use that to create momentum and traction around loftier goals. In sum, benchmarking isn’t about numbers or achievement, it’s about getting closer to our goals with incremental change.

Final Thoughts

The takeaway is this: if you are going to benchmark, do so in a way where you aren’t seeking a grade, but rather, seeking to implement best practices and strategies. Try out different DEI strategies and modify them to fit the nuances of your business. These should be customized to your organization’s needs and desired outcomes. Remember, no one size fits all.

When measuring your success with DEI, reducing comparison and increasing your commitment to progress is key. It’s not about how diverse your competition is, rather, it’s about how far you’ve come to fold DEI into all aspects of your business. There is no “score” or “ranking” we can give you to show that you’ve achieved DEI. But, we can take what we know is working and pivot our strategy to get you closer to your goals. Growing DEI in your business is about progress, not perfection. Incremental gains are how we choose to measure success and ensure your organization is in a better place than it was yesterday.

Read more from The Human Shift on Substack, where I share long-form essays on leadership, culture, and how we work and live.

Share this Content:

When Trust Starts to Erode - The Small Moments Leaders Often Overlook

By Nika White • July 20, 2026
Trust rarely disappears overnight. Most of the time, it fades gradually. A missed follow-up. A rushed response. A concern that never gets revisited. A promise that seemed small at the time. People often think trust is built through big moments. In reality, it is shaped through consistency. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Weight of Unspoken Expectations, we explored leadership aftermath and what people carry after interactions. Trust is often built or weakened in those moments long after the conversation ends. A Reframe Trust is less about grand gestures and more about repeated experiences. One Simple Practice Think about one commitment you've made recently. Follow up on it today. Even if the update is simply: "I haven't forgotten." What This Looks Like In Practice A leader tells a team member she'll revisit a concern. Weeks pass. The concern itself becomes less important than the silence. When she circles back, even without a complete answer, trust begins to repair. Question to Consider What commitment have you made that someone may still be waiting on? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. When someone earns your trust, what do they consistently do?

The Need to Be Understood - Why Some Leaders Spend Too Much Energy Explaining Themselves

By Nika White • July 13, 2026
Most leaders want to be understood. That's normal. The challenge comes when the need to be understood starts driving the conversation. You explain again. You provide more context. You clarify your intentions. You revisit the decision. And yet somehow, you still leave feeling misunderstood. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Stories We Tell Under Pressure, we explored how pressure shapes the stories we tell ourselves. One of the most common stories leaders carry is: "If people understood me better, this would be easier." Sometimes that's true. Sometimes the real issue is that understanding and agreement are not the same thing. A Reframe Being understood is valuable. Needing everyone to understand you can become exhausting. One Simple Practice The next time you feel the urge to explain yourself again, pause and ask: "Am I seeking clarity, or am I seeking validation?" Answer honestly. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader shares a decision with her team. A few people disagree. Her first instinct is to keep explaining the reasoning. Instead, she allows the disagreement to exist without trying to resolve everyone's discomfort. The conversation becomes more productive because she is no longer trying to manage every reaction. Question to Consider Where are you spending energy trying to be understood by people who have already heard you? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What's something you've been explaining repeatedly that may not need another explanation?

When Everything Feels Important - The Hidden Cost of Carrying Too Much

By Nika White • July 6, 2026
One of the first signs that capacity is stretched isn't exhaustion. It's compression. Everything starts feeling equally important. Every email. Every request. Every conversation. Every decision. There is no hierarchy. Just urgency. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Cost of Constant Readiness , we explored how constant readiness changes perception. When the nervous system stays activated for too long, discernment becomes harder to access. The result is that everything begins competing for the same attention. A Reframe When everything feels urgent, the problem is often not workload. It's a lack of space. One Simple Practice At the beginning of your day, identify one thing that truly matters. Not three. Not five. One. Let that become your anchor. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader begins every morning reviewing a long list of tasks. By lunchtime, she feels behind. When she shifts her focus to identifying the most important outcome for the day, her decision-making improves and her stress decreases. The work doesn't disappear. The relationship to the work changes. Question to Consider What would happen if not everything deserved equal access to your attention? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What is taking up attention right now that may not actually deserve it?

The Difference Between Listening and Waiting - Why Conversations Break Down Even When Everyone is Talking

By Nika White • June 29, 2026
Many people think they're listening... What they're actually doing is waiting. Waiting to respond. Waiting to explain. Waiting to clarify. Waiting to prove they understand. We've all done it. The challenge is that people can feel the difference. When someone feels truly heard, their nervous system settles. When they feel managed, redirected, or rushed, something else happens. Earlier in The Human Shift, When Teams Stop Telling You Things, we explored how silence often becomes a cultural signal. Many people stop sharing because they've learned they are being heard only enough to move the conversation forward. A Reframe Listening is not gathering information. Listening is creating enough space for understanding to emerge. One Simple Practice In your next conversation, wait three seconds after someone finishes speaking before responding. Just three seconds. Notice what happens. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader receives feedback from a team member. Instead of immediately explaining her perspective, she pauses. The employee continues talking. What emerged in those few extra seconds was the actual concern. Not the polished version. The real one. Question to Consider How often are you listening to understand versus listening to respond? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. When was the last time someone made you feel completely heard?

When Your Presence Changes the Room - Why Leadership Starts Before You Say a Word

By Nika White • June 22, 2026
Most leaders pay attention to what they're going to say. The agenda. The feedback. The decision. The update. What often gets overlooked is what people experience before any of those things happen. They notice your pace. Your energy. Your level of tension. Whether you seem rushed or grounded. Whether you're fully there or already thinking about the next meeting. Earlier in The Human Shift, Culture is What People Carry Home, we explored how culture is shaped by what people carry after interactions. Before people carry anything away, they're already responding to what they experience in your presence. A Reframe Presence isn't something you add to leadership. It is leadership. One Simple Practice Before your next meeting, pause for ten seconds before speaking. Take one slow breath. Notice your feet on the floor. Then begin. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader enters a meeting feeling rushed after back-to-back conversations. Instead of immediately jumping into the agenda, she takes a moment to settle herself. The meeting itself doesn't change dramatically. The experience does. People become less reactive. The conversation slows just enough to become more thoughtful. Question to Consider What do people experience when they enter a room with you? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Think about your last meeting. What do you think people felt from you before you even started speaking?

The Energy Behind Your Leadership - Why how you show up matters more than how much you do

By Nika White • June 15, 2026
Leaders often focus on effort. Working harder. Doing more. Giving more. But effort is not the only variable. Energy matters. The tone you bring into a meeting. The pace of your communication. The steadiness of your presence. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Body Knows Before The Mind Does, we explored how the body communicates before words. Energy is often what people remember most. A Reframe Leadership is not only what you do. It is what people experience in your presence. One Simple Practice Before your next interaction, ask: “What energy am I bringing into this?” Then adjust—slightly. Question to Consider What do people consistently feel after interacting with you? What This Looks Like In Practice In leadership and culture work, energy is one of the most overlooked drivers of performance and trust. It shapes how work feels—and how people engage. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. If your team described your leadership in one word based on how it feels, what would they say?

The Leadership Habit of Anticipation- When thinking ahead becomes living ahead

By Nika White • June 8, 2026
A Strong leaders anticipate. They think ahead. They plan. They prepare. But anticipation can quietly become overextension. Living in the next moment instead of the current one. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Cost of Constant Readiness, we discussed readiness. Anticipation, when constant, keeps leaders slightly ahead of the present—which can disconnect them from what’s actually happening. A Reframe Preparation supports leadership. Over-anticipation distances it. One Simple Practice Bring your attention back to one present interaction today. Ask: "What is actually happening right now?” Not what could happen. Not what might happen. Just what is. Question To Consider How often are you leading from the present versus the future? What This Looks Like In Practice Leaders who reduce over-anticipation often report clearer communication and stronger relationships because they are responding to reality, not projection. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Where are you currently living ahead of the moment instead of in it?

The Subtle Drift into Disconnection - How it happens without anyone noticing

By Nika White • June 1, 2026
Disconnection rarely happens all at once. It builds slowly. A conversation you rush through. A moment you don’t fully listen. A tension you move past instead of addressing. Over time, these moments accumulate. Earlier in The Human Shift, Inclusion Isn’t Exhausting – Disconnection Is , we explored inclusion as lived experience. Disconnection is often not intentional—it is the result of repeated missed moments of connection. A Reframe Disconnection is not a single event. It is a pattern of small moments. One Simple Practice Today, in one conversation, slow down enough to fully listen—without preparing your response. Just notice. Question To Consider Where have small moments of disconnection quietly added up? What This Looks Like In Practice In culture work, repairing disconnection rarely requires large interventions. It requires consistent attention to everyday interactions. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. When was the last time you felt fully present in a conversation?

When Presence Replaces Performance - Why leadership effectiveness isn’t always about doing more

By Nika White • May 27, 2026
In high-performing environments, leaders often feel the need to demonstrate value constantly. Speaking. Solving. Contributing. But not all leadership is visible. Sometimes the most impactful presence is quiet. Earlier in The Human Shift, The Shift From Bracing to Grounding , we explored grounding as staying connected to yourself in the moment. Presence allows leaders to influence without constant action. A Reframe Leadership is not always what you do. Sometimes it is how you are. One Simple Practice In your next meeting, contribute one fewer time than you normally would. Instead, observe: What changes when you create more space? Question To Consider What would shift if you trusted your presence as much as your output? What This Looks Like In Practice Leaders who learn to use presence intentionally often find their influence increases—not decreases—while their effort becomes more sustainable. In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Where might doing less actually strengthen your leadership today?

The Weight of Unspoken Expectations - What leaders carry that no one names

By Nika White • May 19, 2026
Not all expectations are stated. Some are felt. You feel them in how quickly you respond. In how prepared you need to be. In how little room there seems to be for uncertainty. These expectations shape behavior—even when no one has said them out loud. Earlier in The Human Shift, Culture is What People Carry Home, we explored how culture is what people absorb. Unspoken expectations are one of the most powerful ways culture is transmitted. A Reframe What is unspoken is often what is most influential. One Simple Practice Ask yourself: “What expectations am I operating under that no one has actually confirmed?” Then question one of them. Question to Consider What might change if you clarified one assumption you’ve been carrying? What This Looks Like In Practice In organizational work, many performance patterns are driven less by formal expectations and more by perceived ones. Naming them creates immediate relief and clarity . In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What expectation are you currently meeting that may not actually exist?