Rory E. Verrett & Peter M. Birkeland 
The Pomegranate Principle [PDF ebook] 
Best Practices in Diversity Recruiting

Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xv
About the Authors xix
Introduction: Growing Up as a Pomegranate xxi
Who This Book Is For xxvi
Protégé Search: Our Mission and Methodology as a Diversity Recruiting Firm xxix
Part I The Structure of the Talent Market 1
Finding Pomegranates 1
What You Are Up Against in Your Diversity Recruiting Efforts 4
Chapter One The Labor Market 5
The Lure of Entrepreneurship 8
Your Company’s Brand or Reputation 12
First- Generation Big- Time 16
Part II What to Do About It 37
Chapter Two Stop Doing This: Not Recognizing the Phase of DEI Adoption Your Organization Is In 39
Phase One: You Need a DEI Strategy, but Don’t Have Anything in Place 42
Phase Two: You Have a DEI Strategy, but It Is Not Sustainable 44
Phase Three: You Have Some Momentum and Success with DEI, but Risks Remain 48
Phase Four: You Have a Sustainable and Integrated DEI Strategy 50
Chapter Three Stop Doing This: Relying on the Chief Diversity Officer Role to Solve Every DEI Problem 55
The Chief Diversity Officer Role 57
The Evolution of the Chief Diversity Officer Role: 1970s to Today 58
Stop Having the CDO Report to the Head of HR 62
Searching for Your Next Chief Diversity Officer 67
The Future of the Chief Diversity Officer Role 70
Chapter Four Stop Doing This: Having a Static DEI Strategy (or How the Murder of George Floyd Changed DEI Forever) 73
Black Trauma, White Discomfort, and the Civil Rights Case for DEI 76
Chapter Five Stop Doing This: Focusing Too Much on Culture Fit in Recruiting 85
The Culture of the Corporate Tournament 98
Chapter Six Stop Doing This: Allowing the Fake Failed Search to Thwart Your DEI Recruiting Strategy 103
Chapter Seven Stop Doing This: Believing Your Organization Is a True Meritocracy 109
Part III Solutions 117
Pomegranate Principles 117
Chapter Eight Principle 1: Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline in Advance of Hiring Needs 119
Chapter Nine Principle 2: Expanding the Archetype of the Ideal Candidate 131
Chapter Ten Principle 3: Diversifying the Recruiting Process 137
Chapter Eleven Principle 4: Recruiting the Whole Person 155
Chapter Twelve Principle 5: Onboarding Diverse Talent 163
Conclusion: What else Can You Do? 171
Notes 173
Index 175

RORY E. VERRETT is the Founder and Managing Partner of Protégé Search, the leading global executive search firm focused on diverse talent. He is the host of Protégé Podcast, a career show highlighting the success stories of diverse executives, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders. Rory is an independent board member of Bolster, the on-demand executive talent marketplace, and serves as a diversity advisor to Mercury Fund, a $750 million early stage venture capital fund. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Howard University, Rory is the former president of the Harvard Law Black Alumni Network and a former trustee of Howard University. He splits his time between Potomac, Maryland and Lisbon, Portugal serving Protégé’s global client base.