The Includers

The 7 Traits of Culturally Savvy, Anti-racist Leaders

Colette A.M. Phillips, Benbella Books (JAN 16) Hardcover $26.95 (160pp) 978-1-63774-138-2

Public relations specialist Colette A.M. Phillips’s insightful business book The Includers is about making workplaces more inclusive and equitable.

An immigrant from Antigua, Phillips began a PR firm in Boston. At the time, white men still held all the power in the city—and they didn’t want to share it. She faced unenlightened racist attitudes and was often the only person of color in the room. Still, she helped her clients embrace diversity within corporate America. That same guidance is present here in Phillips’s handbook for allies.

Showing how racism impacts the world—and what can be done about it—phillips argues that multicultural approaches boost bottom lines. Qualities like character, cultural intelligence, courage, and commitment are focused on in turn, showing how each can create more inclusivity. The book also covers ways to have an immediate impact, like hiring more diverse suppliers, ensuring that the recruitment process is unbiased, and avoiding sham check-the-box interviews with diverse candidates. Digestible, mnemonic presentations make the content more memorable, as with the book’s five tips for inclusive language or list of seven leaders who became champions for antiracism.

Appealing to white men allies who can wield power to break down barriers, the book both makes a moral case for its approach and argues for financial self-interest (diversity pays off amid demographic shifts, Phillips says, including by appealing to a greater customer base). Its assertions are backed with credible statistics and stories from companies like Xerox and about role models like Richard Branson, who have done work toward diversity that can be emulated.

The enlightening business guide The Includers emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, illustrating how to make progress happen.