DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing it Right
If you are someone looking to navigate the often complex world of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with clarity and purpose, “DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing it Right” is an essential read. Whether you’re a leader, HR professional, or simply someone passionate about creating inclusive environments, this book offers valuable insights that can transform your approach to DEI work.
In the book, Zheng offers a fresh perspective, actionable insights, and practical advice for individuals and organizations looking to create more inclusive environments and dismantle systemic biases. Zheng does this through their pragmatic approach with actionable strategies, critical analysis of common pitfalls in DEI, focus on accountability with emphasis on measurable outcomes and intersectional perspective which adds depth and relevance to diverse audiences.
“Women of colour deserve truly equitable workplaces where our success and well-being is centred. Lily Zheng’s DEI Deconstructed is a compelling must-read for leaders who want to stay accountable, make change, and create better workplaces for us all.”
—Minda Harts, bestselling author of The Memo and Right Within“Action-oriented, results-driven, and outcomes-based, Lily Zheng’s no-nonsense approach transforms DEI into a tangible and accessible process to galvanize your entire workforce as DEI stakeholders.”
—David G. Smith, PhD, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and co-author of Athena Rising and Good Guys“Using their signature decisive and direct voice, Lily Zheng delivers an accountability-centred and immediately actionable road map to building a more equitable and inclusive modern workplace.”
—Michelle MiJung Kim, award-winning author of The Wake Up and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Racial Equity“One of the brightest minds in DEI work today brings us a ‘how-to’ for inclusive leaders. You’ll be amazed at how Zheng’s straight talk and clear thinking are so deeply grounded in research. You should ‘book club’ this one in your business; it offers the path for avoiding ‘performative allyship.’”
—Chuck Shelton, CEO, Greatheart Consulting
“A must-read guide for how to advocate for change at work and in the broader world. Lily Zheng’s insights on the various roles that changemakers take on, combined with their deep analysis of the history of the field, will make DEI Deconstructed a critical desk reference for all of us seeking to build the better world we imagine.”
—Aubrey Blanche, The Mathpath and Senior Director of Equitable Design, Culture Amp
About the author
Lily Zheng is a queer, Chinese American, neurodivergent, nonbinary trans DEI practitioner, who helps companies get it right. Lily Zheng takes a laser-focused approach on outcomes and sees tactics and interventions as items in an ever-growing toolbox leveraged to turn homogenous, exclusive, and inequitable organizations into the opposite. Zheng is a Forbes D&I Trailblazer, 2021 DEI Influencer, and LinkedIn Top Voice on Racial Equity. Their work has also been featured in the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and NPR.