[jfengel]

They say it because they don't do it. What happens instead is that a board of people tends to associate with others who look like them, and either drive away or ignore anybody who doesn't. Then they seem surprised that the most talented person for the job always seems to be somebody else who looks like them.

Saying it isn't as good as doing it, but they certainly won't get to doing it without first saying it. Then they have to have somebody to remind them at each decision they make to check that it's actually consonant with their stated goals. It turns out to be surprisingly pervasive, in decisions that you don't even realize will impact that unless you go looking for it.

(Such as, to pick a random example, partnering with an organization with somebody who makes indiscriminate passes at women -- something every woman there knows, but that men either don't know about or don't understand the significance of.)

So, they start by making a statement about their goals. It's not good enough, but it's a necessary first step. It does mean a whole lot more when they take a concrete step, such as hiring somebody with the stated goal of pointing it out.