Why a ‘Campaign Mindset’ Is Worth Little When It Comes to DE&I Efforts
Lea Taylor leads diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for Razorfish, stewarding DE&I focus and objectives across talent experience and client engagement. She joined Razorfish in 2015 as a digital strategist, leading social media efforts for a variety of clients, but saw an opportunity to pivot while at somewhat of a crossroads in her career. Lea has over 15 years of experience in digital marketing strategy, helping brands cultivate growth through the power of storytelling, and channelled her passion for justice into creating DE&I councils and accountability structures across Publicis Groupe’s Digital Experience brands.
She is committed to championing DE&I for talent and for clients – shaping the philosophy, strategy, and actions to build more inclusive environments, where everyone can bring their full selves to work.
We caught up with Lea to find out more about why she believes a ‘campaign mindset’ serves no good when it comes to DE&I, and how this belief shapes her initiatives at Razorfish.
LBB> What drew you to the field of DE&I?
Lea> I was at a crossroads in my career as a digital marketing strategist. I saw an opportunity in our organisation with regards to our representation and enacting sustainable change and disrupting any systems that could negatively impact our talent. Our organisation was going through a rebirth, and it was a moment to build a practice that provided both talent and financial resources to have a positive impact on our people and our work product.
LBB> There’s a lot of frustration around the industry’s glacial pace when it comes to improving DE&I across all sorts of axes. What’s getting in the way?
Lea> I believe how we view this work is what’s getting in the way. We are an industry driven by campaigns, data, performance, and results. However, this work is not solved by programming or training. It takes a commitment to dig underneath the hood of organisations to understand the years and decades of systemic harm that our talent has faced. To successfully undo this harm, we must have an unwavering commitment to behavioural change, systemic change, and organisational change. We must understand that this work is not solved by a campaign or programme. We are getting in the way. When they don’t see significant changes in our representation data, too many companies throw in the towel and say it’s not working. The campaign mindset does not serve DE&I work.
LBB> I’m curious, where you’re based, what are the big issues or most urgent elements of DE&I that you need to address?
Lea> With talent spread across the US, there are nuances to and challenges in every region. We must understand that the very nature and complexity of one’s identity can impact their own experience. We also must understand that gender, race, and ethnicity, while very important components, provide a very narrow lens of identity. The roles that we play on any given day must be recognised (parent, caregiver, ability, etc.).
From a cultural standpoint, we have embarked on a goal of redefining our company culture to be inclusive first and represent the diversity of talent, experiences, and perspectives. This includes giving space, understanding and support to our talent across all in-office, hybrid, and remote working modes.
LBB> In your role, what have been some of the most meaningful projects or policies you’ve been involved in regarding DE&I?
Lea> My most meaningful project has been our Cultural Intelligence Bootcamp with Dr. Leonard Moore of the University of Texas at Austin. We have partnered with him in a variety of ways as he provides guidance and support within safe spaces for our leadership community to discuss a wide range of topics.
LBB> What role are clients playing in holding agencies accountable and driving better DE&I (e.g. via RFPs)? Is this something you are seeing or would like to see more of?
Lea> We have seen an increase in RFP’s requesting detailed information about our commitment to DE&I. We also have clients that request yearly progress reports on our DE&I initiatives and representation.
LBB> We often see DE&I siloed or pigeonholed as an HR issue - what’s the key to ensure that it’s embraced as an agency-wide or industry-wide responsibility?
Lea> DE&I must have a seat at executive leadership tables where decisions are being made. HR is an invaluable partner to our DE&I leads and requires partnership to implement any change that impacts talent.
LBB> What are your thoughts about where accessibility fits in the DE&I agenda?
Lea> Accessibility must be a part of any DE&I agenda. We must continue to examine our business and talent practices to ensure that we are providing equitable experiences such that accessibility is a prominent factor in all agendas and priorities. We also must continue to engage with organisations that champion disability inclusion, such as Disability:IN.
LBB> What resources/platforms/programmes have you found useful on your DE&I journey and would recommend to our readers?
Lea> Over the past two years, we have proactively engaged with partners to further build on our progress. In 2022, we worked with Jeffrey Bowman and Reframe on how to best understand the challenges and opportunities our talent faces. Our partnership with Dr. Leonard Moore has also been transformative both for our executives and our broader leadership community, as he has helped us infuse further cultural competency into our ranks. And lastly, we continue our work with Rita Williams, who we began our DE&I journey with using Appreciative Inquiry.
LBB> The scale of the change needed is so massive that individuals can often feel powerless without the levers to move huge structures. What's a more personal act of positivity that you've seen recently that others could look to as inspiration for change on a human scale?
Lea> Our talent has been very vocal about their desire to give back to the community, especially to our underrepresented and marginalised communities. Our Austin talent recently organised an amazing food drive with the Central Texas Food Bank where we were able to provide 3,750 meals to people in need. This effort demonstrates how we can have a positive impact in our communities.
Our talent has a strong desire to do pro bono work for organisations that need our digital marketing expertise. Early this year, we completed an engagement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Alaska and Washington. We delivered a social media strategy and playbook to drive donations, volunteer opportunities, and greater brand awareness.
LBB> If you’d like our readers to take one thing away from this interview, what would it be?
Lea> We are beyond stating and justifying the business case for DE&I. We are now in a change management phase that requires the right partners, leaders, and champions to steer us through the headwinds that are prevalent in our industry. We must move beyond a campaign mindset into a change management mindset where we are changing the systems that could negatively impact our talent.
