DEI Commitment

A Letter from Our MDA Chair and Founder

Every business is part of an ecosystem. At MDA we exist in and contribute to the context of our world and our communities. This holds special meaning as all of us consider our response to systemic racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Our stake in the ground about DEI starts at our core—leadership matters. I have always believed that the more power we share, the larger our collective power becomes.

Yet there is much work to do. The latest Women in the Workplace study shares important data and insights. The “broken rung” remains broken. For the eighth consecutive year, a “broken rung” at the first step up to manager is holding women back. For every 100 men who are promoted from entry level to manager, only 82 women of color are promoted. Also Latinas and Black women are less likely than women of other races and ethnicities to say their manager shows interest in their career development. As a result, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, and women can never catch up. There are simply too few women to promote into senior leadership positions.

In addition, more women leaders are leaving their companies. Now companies have a new pipeline problem. Women leaders are leaving their companies at the highest rate in years, and the gap between women and men leaders leaving is the largest we’ve ever seen. To put the scale of the problem in perspective: for every woman at the director level who gets promoted to the next level, two women directors are choosing to leave their company.

We are committed to addressing these challenges at MDA Leadership. For instance, our assessment-informed succession planning can significantly aid efforts to identify and develop diverse, high-potential employees, particularly early in their careers, and help your organization achieve greater bench diversity long-term. Specifically, assessment can more accurately reveal “hidden gems” in your organization, particularly among diverse talent. With mentoring and support, these individuals can become your bench for senior-level leadership roles in the future.

Hopefully you will see evidence of our commitments in the way we work with you and your team members going forward. In addition, we hope you’ll read the first article in our diversity series to learn more about our work. We welcome your feedback.