helpful to focus on common sense stuff like the example you gave. That type of stuff is real. I had a very influential career mentor that helped me throughout my career. He put me in direct contact with the guy who ultimate hired me at my last company (my career mentor had hired this guy out of college years earlier). This ended up being my last role before retirement and was a kick ass career move for me. I probably don't even get the interview for the job without my career mentor's introduction.

My career mentor would often mention how I reminded him of his younger self. Now I also busted my ass and got shit done, so it wasn't just that he connected with me....and before he was my career mentor, he was the VP of my division and I figured out he was a (really) late worker. So I became a (really) late worker. When he was looking for someone to run some analysis for him late at night, I was always there (and often the ONLY other one there). So some of this was me "making my own luck". But I also acknowledge the "You remind me of my younger self" factor might have been different if I was a woman or a minority, and maybe I don't build as strong of a connection.

I just wish companies would address this stuff with a more common sense, practical approach and drop the cringe inducing DEI gobbledygook. I think it's counterproductive and turns people off.