The Buzz: What Executive Order 13950 On Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping Taught Me About Inclusion

* In September of 2020, the White House announced Executive Order 13950 on “Combatting Race and Sex Stereotyping” — effectively banning antiracism trainings being rolled out in Government Agencies. In December, a court order prevented the administration from continuing to enforce the directive. This week, after President Biden was sworn in, he revoked the Executive Order. Here, Richard Regan, an Inclusion Trainer in a government agency, reflects on what he learned navigating this challenge. *

The Urgency 

When this directive suspended my inclusion trainings, I realized how critical our work to build workplaces that work for everyone is and how we take for granted the privilege to make the world a more just place. I learned that today is the day of salvation because, in this business, tomorrow is never promised. I remembered what a coach of mine once told me: Be quick, but don’t be in a hurry. I will never again take my work as an inclusion trainer for granted. 

Our Customers are Still Our Customers 

When the order hit my agency, I was forced to cancel 40 inclusion learning conversations — even though 75% of these discussions were not related to topics directly targeted by the edict. It forced me to spend lots of time explaining to my customers why I could not help them with their concerns amid a dizzying pace of ambiguity and uncertainty as to what the order meant. 

Instead of just walking away from my customers, I tried to give them the truth of the situation, tempered with a little hope that while inclusion may be missing in action for a while, it was still not forgotten. Despite the fact that some of their inclusion concerns became more problematic during this suspension, their anxieties were my fears as well. I had to convince them that the executive order just postponed their worries — it did not eliminate them.   

Looking Inward 

The directive forced me to take a long hard look at myself. How could I get better at facilitating inclusion conversations? How could I improve my: (a) content, (b) delivery and (c) outcomes. How could I answer the question, “What will inclusion look like from this point on during this new reality?” How could I respond to this challenge for my constituents whose inclusion challenges did not take a hiatus? 

Psychological Safety is Here to Stay 

As I read and reread the executive order, it dawned on me that the real implication of this game changing message was the lack of “psychological safety” perceived in these trainings. 

Prior to the training embargo, and as a result of the pandemic, I saw firsthand the importance of people bringing their full selves to the inclusion space. This new normal propelled on us by COVID-19 steered me to lead 113 psychological safety learning conversations for 7,969 employees and 982 managers. The executive order spoke to the need for psychological safety — but for a different audience entirely. It was a broadside from our brothers and sisters who didn’t feel safe joining or participating in difficult inclusion dialogues. 

The challenge had been framed: How could I guarantee my inclusion training customers’ psychological safety regarding a topic that may make them uncomfortable? 

Taking Inventory is a Good Thing 

One of the major instructions of the executive order was to review all inclusion training material for compliance with the executive mandate. It pushed me to take stock of my role as a trainer. It allowed me to shine the light on talking points, learning resources and slides. Can I talk or write about inclusion in a way that resonates with the included and excluded? 

Finally, I was reminded of a lifelong message from my late American Indian grandmother. Sometimes you must dance with the devil to do the Lord’s work. 

* Nothing in this blog post is a reflection of the positions of the federal government, Department of Treasury or the IRS. The opinions in this piece are solely the views of the writer in his personal capacity. *