Leading a diverse team – and building professional relationships with diverse companies – empowers long-marginalized communities and just makes good business sense.

That was the overarching message during an industry webinar this week, hosted by ASI, entitled “Defining Diversity & Inclusion in 2022 & Beyond.” Tim Andrews, president and CEO of ASI, and Stephanie Turner-Scott, executive director of ASI Show operations and a member of ASI’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, welcomed industry experts in the areas of workplace diversity and inclusion.

The panelists, all in the promo business, discussed the current state of diversity in the industry and offered actionable takeaways.

“We’re all shaped by our communities, families and experiences,” said Monica Maglaris, co-founder of Liberty Print Co., a certified women- and LGBTQ-owned contract decorating shop in Beacon Falls, CT, when asked about the importance of having a diverse staff. “The more a cross section of life is represented, the better your business will do.”

However, even those business owners with the best intentions can be easily overwhelmed by the plethora of different terms in the diversity and inclusion world, including their meanings and how to properly use them. It’s an education process, the panelists agreed.

“We don’t know everything,” said Kathy Cheng, founder of Redwood Classics Apparel (asi/81627) in Toronto and a long-time supporter of supplier diversity in promo. “I think of ‘woke’ as social awareness. It’s a muscle that builds emotional intelligence, which can be learned and improved. Encourage people to bring the best version of themselves to the workplace, and create safe environments, both in the workplace and externally with diverse suppliers.”

The panelists also weighed in on recent campaigns from major brands, such as clothing retailer H&M and personal-care company Dove, that were racially offensive. A possible solution – and a way to avoid problematic messaging among companies of any size – is to have a diverse team along with diverse advisors to offer their advice on marketing campaigns and general business practices.

“Engage feedback from outside sources,” said Darryl T. Jenkins, managing partner and chief operating officer of distributor The CPS Store (asi/232119) in Chicago and author of The Power of Diversity: Leading The Majority Minority. “Talk with people who look like and speak the language of the community. Have diverse groups weigh in, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Carol Albright, who joined ASI in 1986 as its first HR employee and is now senior vice president of the department, said during the session that consistent values and mission at all levels of a company – which should include diversity and inclusion focuses – can help brands avoid missteps. “It’s sad that this happened,” she said about the questionable ad campaigns. “Companies have to have solid values and apply them across the board.”

Still, business leaders find it challenging to focus on diversity while running a company. A recent survey found that 44% said it’s difficult to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion among other company objectives. At the same time, diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture new markets and sales opportunities.

“With diversity, there’s better performance as a whole,” said Tej Shah, executive vice president and head of global sales and marketing at Top 40 distributor Overture Promotions (asi/288473) in Chicago. “More perspective drives growth.” He added that diversity has to be intentional, and that Overture is “diversity-minded at every level.”

Even so, companies that are looking to diversify their workforce and their supplier spend may be concerned about the appearance of pandering, or even that some employees could feel alienated because they’re not diverse enough. Maglaris suggested everyone look at the cause in a new way. “Think of it as expanding, not being pushed out,” she said. “The pie or the embrace is getting bigger. There’s an expansion of consciousness going on.”