DEIA advisory · Keynotes · Author
I'm Michael Bach. For more than twenty years I've worked in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA), helping organizations build inclusion strategies that actually work, which is to say strategies that don't crumble the first time someone in the room gets nervous. Three best-selling books, five hundred keynotes, four continents, and one very patient husband.
Why I'm not like the others
You know the story. Listening sessions, a workshop, a beautifully designed slide deck, and twelve months later the same conversation as before, only now with snacks. I work differently. I help leaders build the kind of DEIA work that holds up on a Tuesday in March when no one is watching and the budget is tight. Real strategy. Real programs. Language that doesn't curdle the next time the political weather changes. And as anyone who's worked with me can tell you, I won't pretend the work is easy. It isn't. But it is doable, and it is worth doing.
How I work
Every engagement starts with a real conversation. You tell me what's actually going on, I tell you whether I'm the right person, what the work would look like, and what it would cost. All before you commit to anything. I know. Revolutionary.
01 · Strategic advisory
Quiet work, mostly. The CEO, the CHRO, an executive sponsor and me, building a DEIA strategy that actually holds up across the business. Three to twelve months, depending on how big the room is and how brave you're feeling.
Discuss an engagement02 · Assessment
A proper diagnostic. Where your organization actually sits on your DEIA journey, not where the all-staff deck says it sits. Plus a clear-eyed view of where the next dollar should go, which is usually nowhere near where you'd think.
Request scope03 · Capability building
Keynotes, executive workshops, manager training, multi-session programs for ERG leaders. Built so people remember what they learned by Friday. (Some of them will even use it. Honestly, that's the best I can promise anyone.)
See keynote topics
Inclusion isn't a values exercise. It's a business decision. That's the work I do.
Keynote & workshop topics
A few of the keynotes I deliver most often. Each one gets shaped for your audience, whether that's the board, the C-suite, your people leaders, or your ERG. There are fourteen of them in total, with learning objectives and pairing notes, on the Talks page.
DEIA · Board & C-suite
Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility is STILL good business
The business case for DEIA, in plain language, for the people who sign the cheques. Built on real data (Deloitte, McKinsey, the usual suspects), this one walks through what the research actually says, what it doesn't, and what it costs you when the work stops. Spoiler: more than you'd think.
DEIA · Strategy & HR
Measuring Success in Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility
Built on the framework from Birds of All Feathers: how to measure DEIA without squashing the life out of it. Which numbers mean something, which numbers are decoration, and what to do when leadership wants both a tidy dashboard and the truth.
2SLGBTQI+ · All-staff & ERG
Understanding the Difference Between Attraction, Identity and Expression
The 2SLGBTQI+ initialism, fully explained, in a way that doesn't make anyone feel stupid for asking. Drawn from Alphabet Soup, this talk pulls apart who you're attracted to, who you are, and how you show up in the world. Surprisingly fun, like everything I do.
2SLGBTQI+ · All-staff & managers
Understanding the Why and How of Pronouns
Pronouns at work, taken seriously without anyone needing to clutch their pearls. Why pronouns matter, how to use them in real conversations and emails, and what to do when you slip up. (Which you will. So will I. That's not the problem.)
Selected clients
What clients say
Michael brought a thoughtful balance of humor and education to the table, creating a forum where employees could gain a better understanding of important topics. We would definitely recommend him to any organization interested in elevating its awareness of LGBTQ+ issues.
Michael provided our organization with amazing insights into how we can make our workplace and our world more open, equal and considerate. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to other organizations looking to enhance their inclusiveness, equity and diversity functions.
Michael's ability to address what can obviously be a tricky and sensitive topic, with an awareness to these sensitivities and with a level of empathy that made it accessible to staff who may have been previously unaware. Highly recommend bringing Michael in to your organization, we intend to have him back sometime soon.
Additional references available on request if you're into that sort of thing.
About Michael
I've spent more than two decades building DEIA programs for organizations from Fortune 100 companies to global professional-services firms to government agencies. The work has taken me across four continents, into the boardrooms of executives who needed the strategy to actually hold up, not just look good on a slide.
I've written three best-selling books, including Birds of All Feathers, and I speak on DEIA and 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion at work. I'm told I'm funny on stage and unusually direct in the room, which clients tend to either love or find slightly alarming. Often both.
Start a conversationBooks
Two on DEIA and 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion at work. One memoir, co-authored, in a completely different lane (because I'm a Drag Race stan!). All three best-sellers, which I don't say to brag. Well. A little.
Start a conversation
Send a short message with what you're trying to do, who's involved, and roughly when you need it to happen, and I'll write back personally within two business days. I'll tell you whether I'm the right person for the work, and what makes sense as a next step. (If I'm not the right person, I'll usually know someone who is.)
