The Importance of Loudly Celebrating Others’ Strengths

After years of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), many companies and universities are pulling back on their language, programs, and policies amid backlash, DEI bans, and court rulings.

In their place, some have pushed for “merit-based systems.” While signaling the idea of fairness, this approach can insinuate that marginalized groups, such as women and people of color, don’t have merit.

Myths about the incompetence of marginalized groups persist partly because their achievements regularly go unacknowledged.

Women’s basketball star and 2025 number one draft pick in the WNBA, Paige Bueckers, delivered a powerful speech during the 2021 ESPY awards. She pointed out that at the previous WNBA postseason awards, 80 percent of the winners were Black athletes, but they received just half the media coverage as White athletes. Like Bueckers, who celebrated Black women like Maria Taylor, Robin Roberts, Maya Moore, and Odicci Alexander in her remarks, it is critical to shine the spotlight on those who are chronically underappreciated. Especially now.

How Contributions Are Overlooked

There is a long history of rendering invisible the merit of people from marginalized groups. For example, whether in science, art, business, or the military, women’s achievements are routinely neglected, overlooked, or misattributed. A 2022 study published in Nature found that women are less likely than men to be listed as authors for their scientific research. When their merit is not acknowledged, it becomes easier to falsely accuse women of mediocrity.

Not only are the achievements of marginalized groups downplayed, but the overall success of projects is often incorrectly attributed instead to White men, whether intentionally or presumed due to stereotypes. To make matters worse, marginalized employees tend to get unfairly blamed for failures.

Strategies for Highlighting Merit and Excellence

A majority of people express a desire to support their marginalized colleagues as allies. One effective way to be an ally is to highlight colleagues’ strengths and achievements.

My team’s research shows that when a marginalized employee is being belittled, redirecting the conversation to emphasize their achievements can foster greater inclusion and well-being. This approach is more effective than responding to bias by confronting the perpetrator or citing antidiscrimination policies.

Marginalized employees report that they find it valuable when allies speak favorably about them, as it can enhance their reputation and credibility. When allies advocate for them, it can create a larger impact than if marginalized employees spoke up for themselves. After all, would you believe a letter of recommendation that someone wrote about themselves, or one that was written by someone else?

During a time when structured opportunities to appreciate marginalized groups are diminished—for example, as organizations pull back from observances like Black History Month, which shine a light on the achievements of those who have been ignored—it becomes all the more important for allies to fill that vacuum and highlight the achievements of their marginalized colleagues.

Here are some ways to show through your actions that you see them, you appreciate them, and you value them.

1. Learn about what makes people successful. Take the time to learn about the achievements, skills, and efforts of your marginalized colleagues. This is crucial because the quality of your allyship depends on having concrete statistics, stories, and examples of their strengths and achievements you can highlight.

One way to go about this is by imagining you were to write a “gratitude letter” to a colleague or employee, telling them how they have positively impacted your work and life. What would you say? Similarly, if you were to write a letter of recommendation or give an awards speech introducing them, what sorts of strengths, contributions, and achievements would you speak highly of?

If you’re not sure what to highlight, don’t be afraid to directly ask someone, “What efforts, achievements, and strengths are you most proud of that I can share about you with others?” When in doubt, emphasize their measurable successes, achievements, and impact.

2. Identify places and times to celebrate them. Highlight the strengths of your marginalized colleagues in any spaces where you have a voice and some degree of influence. This might include team meetings, boardrooms, or even social media. Make sure to identify and target influential decision-makers who can open doors. The key is to “talk them up” when they are not in the room and are unable to advocate for themselves.

This is particularly important in two scenarios:

• When you anticipate potential discrimination against them in the future, as may be the case in the current environment of corporate pullbacks.
• When discrimination is happening in the moment. When someone is unfairly questioning your colleague’s competence, redirect the conversation to remind them about the colleague’s strengths and successes. My team’s recent research has found that this is a very effective strategy.