What does good, inclusive leadership look like?
We have all heard when in February a tech giant Uber was thrust into the headlines after a former female engineer published her account of working at the company—complete with allegations of the horrifying sexism and misogyny that eventually caused her to quit and seek employment elsewhere.
Susan Fowler, the engineer in question, notes that Uber tech giant once had 25% female representation, which, on the day she left, had sagged all the way down to a staggering 3%!
It’s unpleasant to think about and it is plain wrong.
It’s even more unpleasant to think about whether other global giants are fostering this kind of company culture. Recent study on gender diversity from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, US found that there “is a positive correlation between the presence of women in corporate leadership and performance” by a fair margin. Diversity of thinking therefore one would think would help foster a healthy, sustainable and creative business vision keeping it highly inclusive,
As a Diversity champion and senior professional after years of working in the profession I still keep hearing how ‘Diversity and Inclusion is a highly desired state, a ‘positive thing’, that makes the businesses better and encourages all round prosperity.
So, why do we still feel there is so much tokenism still present in the organisations globally and how we can start working more constructively towards a more inclusive leadership model?
Starting a conversation about diversity and inclusion can be difficult, because there’s nothing so personal as looking in a mirror. What is your company culture like? Would a woman or minority feel comfortable or valued in that culture? Could they realistically see themselves growing at your company?
Change has to start with the leadership team. And, although looking at those blemishes in the mirror might be painful or embarrassing, it’s an unavoidable first step.
Many companies may not want to admit they have diversity or inclusion issues and a part of me also feels for senior leaders. Those that really want to make a difference but maybe somewhat restricted, or distracted by other operational and strategic matters making the profit margins and keeping the clients happy may also feel overwhelmed at times by the sheer amount of pressure to make D&I the business priority.
Where do we start from?
- A good starting point may be go back to your role profiles.
- Then consider the intrinsic motivators – associated with those rewards and benefits.
- Be as inclusive in the process as much as possible and be a brave but considerate leader.
- Keep a thermometer on that culture!
Changing a toxic company culture is a must but it starts from you – it starts with the leader and remember change is more about making those baby steps along the way.
When you build flexibility model in your working, and your teams embrace flexibility for everyone!
Having diversity in your company will make it easier to attract diversity in the future.
Remember to share important ‘journey’s, key milestones and company stories. Even the vulnerable ones, no lesson or a failing is a bad lesson.
History is important and every part of your organization, every employee should be involved and understand how three big rocks (Mission, Vision, Values) align together and how they are mirrored in every aspect of your business’ DNA.
Dos and Don’ts
Do:
- Check your accounting yearly for salary/wage benchmark parity.
- Try to include diversity on your leadership team, not just your entry-level employees.
- Promote healthy communication.
- Report key metrics about diversity to your leadership team
Do not:
- Ever Assume any problem will fix itself, it does not.
- Advocate or passively encourage toxic culture in your teams.
Remain mindful that as (HRD) community professionals it is part of our responsibility to ensure there is a positive flow of the conversation and constructive engagement at the heart of this process to ensure the best result.