In The Elephant and the Mouse, celebrated expert on leadership and diversity, Laura Liswood, delivers a thought-provoking and valuable new blueprint for realizing success from workplace diversity. Building on her groundbreaking book, The Loudest Duck, Liswood presents a powerful argument for implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including the oft-overlooked risks posed by a homogeneous workforce. You'll learn the hard truths about why many DEI efforts fail and dollars are wasted, and be provided actions and solutions to move beyond unconscious bias awareness. Finally, you will be presented new Elephant and Mouse ways of leading. The Elephant and the Mouse reflects on the imbalance between the Elephant, dominant group members, and the Mouse, non-dominant groups. This imbalance in a diverse organization means the Elephant knows little about the work and life experiences of the Mouse while the Mouse needs to know much more about the Elephant to survive and thrive. The Elephant and the Mouse shares how these dynamics play out in organizations. The book explores the myths and illusions surrounding diversity efforts, including the illusion of inclusion. It highlights common organization dynamics that act as obstacles to consciously inclusive success. The author shares how to create true meritocracy while understanding the differences in lived experiences. The Elephant and the Mouse presents evidence-based explanations for the slow progress of DEI outcomes in societies and companies, as well as examinations of the concepts and myths of meritocracy, with a guide to conducting a meritocracy stress test for your firm. The book also lays out the important roles of the ally, the wing-person, the independent evaluator, the active bystander, and Upstander, which are essential to overcoming DEI roadblocks. It looks at how organizations take on Safety First efforts as a model for diversity commitment, along with the importance of technology and people analytics as tools to overcome unconscious barriers to create a truly successful, diverse organization. The Elephant and the Mouse is a cutting-edge resource for those who lead and manage diverse teams and for those who seek a successful career in a workplace that is diverse, or strives to be. It is an essential read for any organization that proclaims diversity as a critical part of its mission.