Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It is what companies (and schools and society) everywhere are talking about, defining, and incorporating into their mission. DEI experts are in high demand and education around the subject seems to be on everyone’s agenda. It makes sense. What is surprising, however, is how little anyone has looked for examples from the DEI OG: Sports.

Indeed, while Sports haven’t always been perfect, they have generally been ahead of their time**. Sports teams incorporated diversity, equity and inclusion before DEI was a common societal term.**

Bernie Kosar, legendary NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champ started his career with the University of Miami Hurricanes. His 1983 squad, emblematic of the time and place, brought together players from various racial, economic and ethnic backgrounds. In his words, “we forged a brotherhood that overcame all the obstacles, and in the process, we became a symbol for the whole troubled city of Miami of what could be accomplished by a group of guys who put aside their differences and scrambled back from their collective adversities” explains Kosar. In one of his OpenSesame Plus courses, “The Beauty of a Diverse Team”, he tells first-hand how he and his teammates shared clear and simple objectives and understood their roles and responsibilities, which helped them build complete trust. Does your team share clear objectives and does everyone on your team know their role?

Major League Baseball, most recently evidenced by the highly successful World Baseball Classic, has players representing at least 20 countries and that has been the case for years. The teams, in the clubhouse and on the field, are diverse. They were DEI before DEI. In one of his OpenSesame Plus courses, Uniting a Diverse Team, Justin Su’a, Mental Performance Coach for both the NFL and the MLB, discusses his fascination with how leaders unite teams with diverse backgrounds, teams separated by decades in age, different languages, and wildly dissimilar upbringings. He shares the story of a player who took it upon himself to learn a new language and bring the locker room together through empathy, listening, understanding and relationship building. How can you be a glue for your people?

And while some sports were clearly ahead of their DEI time, others may have lagged behind. Cullen Jones, four-time Olympic medalist and part of the legendary world-record setting 4x100 freestyle relay led by Michael Phelps, which made Jones the first African American swimmer to hold a world record, talks about a time when he was the only black swimmer on his competitive team. His feeling of isolation actually caused his performance to decline, until his coach got involved. In one of his OpenSesame Plus courses, Inclusion Sparks Performance, Jones explains how his coach’s awareness and simple efforts at team and family socialization propelled him to number one in the world. “When I started to feel comfortable, that’s when I started excelling”. Do you have any team members trying to find their place?

As the world of sports continues to examine where it has room for improvement to rise above the competition both on and off the field, perhaps you can do the same. Yet instead of worrying

about the size or existence of your DEI department, start by looking around your world and take some lessons from the world of sports.

Diversity is an asset, be sure to maximize it by making sure that:

• Everyone on the team shares a clear objective and knows their role

• You discover how you can be the glue

• You help people find their place

For these and other business insights, check out the continuous drop of new courses by On This Topic, lessons taught by high achieving individuals in the world of sports. On This Topic brings stories of leadership, teamwork, motivation, and performance from the world of sports. Story-driven micro-lessons told by athletes and sports professionals from the US Olympic team, National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association embed real-world themes in dramatic tales of teamwork, perseverance, and victory. These high-quality, video-based, interview-style courses are presented in short 3-5 minute stories and are applicable to leaders, developing leaders, and anyone interested in life lessons from the high-pressure world of professional athletics.

For more information about On This Topic or to incorporate these courses into your learning plan, speak to your OpenSesame curation specialist.