2024 Trends, Predictions, Actions We Must Take - by Mauricio Velásquez.

2024 is going to be a very tumultuous year. It is an election year, divisiveness, hate, polarized manipulation will be the name of the game. Pitting people, groups against each other will be attempted, fight these forces. Take the high road – call for calm, unity, understanding, and Peace.

As a global backdrop, a constant reminder of division and hate – Ukraine-Russia, and the Israel-Hamas wars will be a contributing factor in the churning of hate. Hate opportunists will take advantage of these wars as a backdrop to foment division, suspicion, and outright hate and violence. Watch the hate on social media and call it out. I am constantly “Calling for Respect, Dignity, Understanding for All.”

Anti-immigration sentiment will tick up, again it is an election year. Forces to address the immigration issues will battle with those who want no solution – just something to complain about and use as a wedge issue to continue to divide our great nation. Here is hoping steps for reform are made. I welcome any progress.

Women’s rights, a right to control your own body, health care, liberty, freedom for medical decisions regarding your body, your health, will be on the voting agenda and it is a clarion call to arms, to voice your opinion. I see women and their allies making a huge statement in this coming election – transcending politics. A sleeping giant has awakened, coupled with Barbi and Taylor Swift trends and more, I see a comeuppance, a retribution coming. I don’t think this election will even be close.

Related – GLBTQ, especially Trans Rights will be under attack. We must support our Trans community brothers and sisters. Eyes Wide Shut – in Plain Sight, we must stand up to these hateful forces spreading misunderstanding and chaos. I think those forces attacking this community are “outing themselves” as haters and I do believe this next election will discipline them, remind these parties of what a losing issue this is (like women’s rights). They are on the wrong side of humanity and justice.

The Justice, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (JEDI) field is under siege, under attack by Dark Political Forces, again boosted and bolstered by the Presidential Election and especially Donald Trump. These “Anit-woke, anti-JEDI, anti-ESG forces” will be loud and in our faces but do not waiver, stick to your JEDI work. Capitalism favors the JEDI field.

The economy is improving (regardless of what a few say) and the JEDI field will benefit. Winning the War for Talent is more important than doing nothing. Demographics and Capitalism favor the JEDI field.

Demographics are at our back, a tail wind so to speak. Later in this decade the demographic tsunami will hit and people will be wondering years from now – “How did we think we could just ignore these demographic shifts in our hiring and in our emerging customer bases?” The next Census – can you imagine?

Reposition your JEDI efforts and endeavors

As JEDI Professionals make sure you focus…

… on “Unity” work – bringing people together, building coalitions – forces that opposed JEDI can’t be opposed to Unity right?

… on “Retention of Talent Work” – nurturing and promoting more inclusive workplaces where all benefit, where all employees want to stay and work and thrive. As the economy continues to improve – the labor market will tighten. This includes conducting stay, exit, and post-exit interviews. Who would want to be opposed or outlaw these practices?

…. on “Respect for All Training.” Who can be opposed to this? Remember there are plenty of people out there that have a bias about the work of JEDI professionals, work that is about challenging bias, prejudice, hate and discrimination. These people with a bias squared, need to be educated. Hating people who fight hate is just nuts.

…. on Emotional Intelligence, defining it, improving it – will continue to gain steam as a JEDI competence. More understanding, training and education in EI will be a big trend 2024. I love this emerging part of our field.

…. on Trust – coupled with EI, based on the work of SMR Covey and his two books, will be a critical area of concern, focus, training, and education. Look at everything I talk about here – politics, wars, etc. – fundamentally at the center of all of this is trust, or a lack thereof. Congress is a case study in the lack of trust.

Lastly, as JEDI Change Agents – we must help each other. We must “Band together.” Share our strategies and tactics. There are forces out there opposed to what we as JEDI Change Agents do and accomplish. The forces trying to undermine our JEDI field have pulled together their resources and we must as well. We must unite to fight back. I have put many of my thoughts together on my website for free. Articles, checklists, sample training, all for free. Why? To help my colleagues in our space.

Besides being Founder and President of my firm, The Diversity Training Group, I am also Co-Chair of the Elimination of Prejudice Foundation (EOP) where you can find more free resources. Skill up, improve your knowledge base, lean on each other, build coalitions, and unite to enhance the cumulative impact of our JEDI efforts.

I am doing, we are doing everything we can to “fight back” and “preserve, if not enhance our field.” We must make it clear, being opposed to JEDI, is like being opposed to oxygen or breathing.

Join us! Get in the fight – go from Bystander to Upstander. Diversitydtg.com