There’s a growing trend of hunting down “problematic” words while systematically silencing thoughts. While someone decides “brown bag lunch” is offensive, the person who questions a stupid roadmap gets labeled “not a culture fit.”
We focus on the inclusion we can see – race, ethnicity, disabilities, religion – and say that’s progress. But we ignore the inclusion we can’t measure: whether people feel safe to disagree. We create safe spaces for vocabulary but hostile environments for independent thought.
You can’t say ‘sanity check,’ but you can absolutely ignore the person who points out flaws in your process. Challenge something fundamental and watch how quickly you’re buried in committees; anything to exhaust your dissent without addressing it.
The real exclusion happens in meetings and chats, where the best idea dies because it came from the wrong mouth. Sharp minds learn that survival means silence and pick their battles carefully.
But something interesting happens when you keep pushing. You come across others who see it too. The people who rolled their eyes in that meeting will find you later. The quiet one starts speaking up when you’re in the room. Slowly, good things start to happen in pockets.
Some companies eventually figure out that their best people aren’t necessarily the agreeable ones. Others will end up with diversity in everything except thought.