Last week when news broke about John Deere backing away from their DEI commitments, I was skeptical – suggesting it could be a hoax because of a few red flags. However, it now looks as though the company statement issued on X is real and official. If it was a fraud or a hoax, Deere would have rapidly issued an official statement to that effect – but here we are over a week later and the company has not officially confirmed or denied the statement. That absence implies the X post correctly reflects the company’s position.
There has been – and will continue to be – plenty written about the impact of abandoning DEI commitments. But let’s look at a different lesson. Communication of the announcement has been, well… less than optimal. Most striking is Deere’s ongoing silence on the matter. X isn’t typically the sole venue in which major companies make big announcements. It feels odd, especially given all the social media fraud that exists. This makes me wonder if Deere is afraid to really make the announcement publicly, or if it bypassed the company’s standard communication procedure.
ESG leaders, staff and advisors: As you lean into implementing programs for ESG/sustainability goals, you must consider communications plans for positive and negative actions or results. Avoid last minute panicked scrambling to explain things like why climate goals won’t be met, how you address suppliers facing human rights abuse allegations or a rapid change in corporate ESG direction. Develop specific positive and negative messaging around each material ESG matter identified as being relevant well in advance of your need to communicate. After all, if something is important enough to be material, it is important enough for thoughtful, planned and formal communications. Silence – and the ambiguity it brings – is not a good path.
For the sake of transparency, I don’t directly own any stock in John Deere, nor do I know anyone who works there.
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Photo credit: wolterke – stock.adobe.com
