The paradox of the seed and soil: Cultivating inclusive leadership for a “new normal”

Persistent evidence shows that African Americans, women, and other people of color are consistently overlooked in promotions, growth assignments, and other significant opportunities to scale the corporate ladder. Further, organizations tend to fault these diverse employees for their slower progress in achieving aspirational goals and ignore addressing the insufficiency of existing organizational systems and processes as the primary barrier to furthering inclusivity—especially in senior leadership roles. Using the metaphor of “the seed and the soil,” which was first articulated by David Thomas, PhD, the article examines corporate America through the lens of the “seed”; the employees of difference who most often must navigate corporate cultures without significant support; and the “soil,” the organizational leadership, mindset, and infrastructure that continue to overlook people of difference while suggesting the organization is working on their behalf. The article links national unrest to the mindset and actions that dismiss notions of societal justice. Further, the article clarifies the connection and support of the corporate–social perspective that helps to maintain the status quo. The article concludes by clarifying the steps required to create an inclusive ecosystem in which the soil is effectively cultivated so that all seeds have the potential to thrive as organizations prepare for a more diverse, inclusive, and profitable future.