It’s an issue for organisations because the data shows that companies do better when they appoint more women to leadership positions. 

So, why then are women still leaving leadership roles in droves? Or, why don’t organisations invest more to grow their female talent pipeline? 

Subtle acts of exclusion continue, leaving women feeling like they don’t belong. This means they leave the organisation creating a ripple that affects engagement, productivity, and collaboration, to name a few. 

In this article, we’re going to dive deeper into women leadership and how an inclusive workplace can make a big impact, allowing organisations to reap even more benefits by having women at the helm. 

Why is women’s leadership important for organisations? 

Having women leaders in influential positions is important because women: 

1. Act as role models for other women in the organisation 

2. Offer unique mentorship opportunities 

3. Have a positive impact on workplace policies  

4. Bring difference to the table 

5. Attract a more diverse workforce 

We also know that women possess different leadership qualities and traits to men and studies show that it’s women who have what it takes to lead effectively. So, rather than acting more like men, it should in fact be the other way around. Men should try to lead more like their opposite sex in order to achieve greater outcomes for their organisation. 

If women leaders are more persuasive, assertive and willing to take more risks than their male counterparts, why are there still so few women in leadership roles? 

The Australian statistics around women in leadership

We hear and read a lot about the statistics coming out of America, but what about Australian companies? 

According to this article on the ABC: 

“Of the 11,000 organisations from which the WGEA (Workplace Gender Equality Agency) annually collects gender data, around one third currently have not a single woman on their boards. 

Of the ASX200 — Australia’s biggest companies — 34 currently have only one female board member, and four have no female board members at all, according to the latest data from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.” 

Furthermore, the study “demonstrated that companies who reduced their numbers of women in key leadership roles suffered a loss in value as a result, of around 3 per cent.” 

When the talent pool is broadened to include women in the pipeline to drive them towards decision-making roles, organisations perform better. 

So, if organisations begin to listen to the research, what do they need to do – what actions have to occur in order to attract, retain, and drive more women into leadership roles? 

What do organisations need to do to increase women leadership?  

The answer lies in inclusion allyship. 

Let me start with a story. 

I had a conversation with a leader recently who shared their experience as part of one of our inclusion programs for leaders. During our conversations they professed “I don’t feel like I’m the best poster child for diversity. I feel like a middle-aged white bloke.” 

It struck me as interesting because, even though they were sharing an example of their inclusive leadership behaviours, this comment made me realise that they possibly didn’t feel like they should be sharing their story – because they weren’t “diverse enough”. 

Here’s the catch – 

We’re all diverse. We’re all unique and we all bring our individual selves to our workplace. Our different styles of working. Our different ways of solving problems. Our different attitudes, beliefs, and backgrounds. 

The issue arises when the diversity isn’t included or considered.  

When the difference is ignored, and we’re encouraged to just do things as they always have been done. When we’re not given the opportunity to question the status quo or change. 

One way to support diversity is to be inclusive and wrapped up in this is also the act of allyship. To be an inclusion ally means that you support all colleagues who feel marginalised because of their difference.  

The thing is, we need the “middle-aged white blokes” to take a lead role because the answer to gender inclusion begins with them. This is because it’s “middle-aged white blokes” who are in the majority and for any minority to rise, they need the support of those who are in the powerful and influential positions.  

We need “middle-aged white blokes” to do more. 

How can organisations be more inclusive? 

Leaders report time and time again that they understand the benefits of inclusion on the workplace and on their people, but they don’t know the ‘how’ behind inclusive leadership. 

The day-to-day interactions that need to occur to build a sense of belonging and increase psychological safety can sometimes be forgotten during times of high-stress and busyness. 

This is why leaders need to build a new set of habits to underpin their leadership styles and ways of working. 

1. It starts with understanding the business case for inclusion – and most leaders get this bit. 

2. Then it’s about moving towards well, what does that look like, sound like, feel like within my workplace – and what does it NOT involve – this is the theory that many leaders haven’t learnt. 

3. Then it’s about experimenting with the newfound skills and habits – let’s be real here, no leader does this unless there is a conscious effort on their part. 

4. We then look at the outcomes of the experiments and see where the impact has been experienced across the business – using a tried and tested tool helps here. 

5. We improve the formula, and we rinse and repeat until the habits are embedded – it’s about creating those synapses in our brain and building that muscle memory so we default to new habits during high-stressful periods.  

Ready to act? 

Being inclusive of any difference – be it gender, age, culture, or ability – will improve your organisation’s bottom line. 

But do your leaders truly understand what inclusive behaviour looks like, feels like, and sounds like? 

Do they willingly have courageous conversations to dive deeper into the difference their people have so that innovation, collaboration, productivity, wellness, and safety skyrockets? 

If not, then I encourage you to find out more about our Inclusion Habits for Leaders Program where we take your leaders and transform their ways of work so that they are more conscious of their micro-actions and understand how these can make a big impact. 

Apply here. 

People’s ability to make good decisions in a group setting becomes diminished due to the pressures felt by the group.  

Groupthink origins 

Coined by social psychologist Irving Janis in 1972, groupthink was a label Janis used to describe what happens in a group setting when people strive for consensus by minimising conflict, nor sufficiently testing, analysing or evaluating their ideas. 

Through his research, Janis surmised that pressures for conformity restrict the thinking of the group, bias its analysis, promote simplistic and stereotyped thinking, and stifle creative and independent thinking. 

Characteristics of groupthink 

Through his research, Janis identified 8 things that occur within groups suffering from groupthink.

Let’s look at what the characteristics of groupthink are in more detail:

1. Direct pressure on dissenters

An in-group and an out-group are formed when groupthink occurs. The in-group agrees with the decisions and directions, while the out-group does not. When this happens the in-group often puts direct pressure on the out-group to conform or they are viewed as dissenters or disloyal. 

2. Illusion of invulnerability

In-group members often feel overconfident as a result of lack of questioning, which leads them to take greater risks around decision making. 

3. Illusion of unanimity

When there is a lack of questions or alternate opinions, group members view this as a sign that everyone is unanimous in their agreement. This can make it harder for others to offer dissenting viewpoints or opinions. 

4. Mindguards

Group leaders are shielded by self-appointed gatekeepers who keep out different opinions or outside influences that could negatively impact the group identity. 

5. Collective rationalisation

When a group is in the throes of groupthink they dismiss outside information, warnings, or criticisms because this would result in the need to dive deeper or reconsider their opinions. 

6. Self-censorship

When members start to repress their own ideas or opinions that put them at adds with the group, or even doubt their own thoughts and beliefs, they are experiencing self-censorship 

7. Stereotyped views of out-group

In-group members have been known to argue with, verbally abuse, or attack out-group members for their dissent. Negative biases occur. 

8. Belief in inherent morality

Defective decision making occurs when the in-groups unwavering belief in their own inherent morality and ethical correctness takes over. The group often disregards any consequences of their actions. 

Why is groupthink limiting? 

A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when:

• Its members are similar in background;
• The group is insulated from outside opinions; and
• There are no clear rules for decision making. 

When pressures for unanimity seem overwhelming, members are less motivated to realistically appraise the alternative courses of action available to them. 

Groupthink ensures you are getting the most popular, low-quality ideas implemented as a standard practice in your organisation.  

The best idea isn’t always the most popular, and the quick decisions aren’t always the best solutions that address the need or solve the problem. 

In fact, decisions shaped by groupthink have low probability of achieving successful outcomes. 

What does groupthink look like in a workplace setting? 

Here is what we often see in a workplace that suffers from groupthink: 

• Low innovation and creativity 
• People do not feel safe to speak up or share their ideas or opinions 
• Conforming is valued more than making good decisions or problem solving 
• The bigger voices are always the ones who are heard, shutting down those who aren’t given a voice 
• Maintaining the status quo simply to achieve group cohesion and avoid confrontation 

If there is groupthink around you in your workplace you might hear people say “this is the way we do things around here” when you raise a new idea to pressure you to conform. 

People have been known to actively defend and justify why your individual idea or opinion won’t work and you keep getting shut down. Position power or influence is used to keep things as they are. 

You might see or experience managers and leaders inviting the same people to key meetings in order to keep things running the same way they always have been. 

When “the same” is valued, we often don’t hear about or seek our new and innovative ways of growing, solving problems, or making decisions. 

It’s clear that this could have detrimental impacts on an organisation. So how do we eliminate groupthink when we see it happening? 

The solution to groupthink 

Inclusion is the key to solving the problem of groupthink. 

This lies in leaders overtly indicating their willingness and desire to hear unique ideas, thoughts, and opinions. 

Leaders need to get courageously curious about their teams and the processes followed to reach decisions. If they are inquisitive, they are more likely to learn. 

Group leaders can encourage disclosure and sharing of information – even if it doesn’t align with the group’s thinking or direction – in order to significantly reduce the characteristics of groupthink. 

If groupthink is happening right now in your organisation then reducing it will take effort and time, however the size of the prize will be big. 

There isn’t a quick band-aid solution but there is a change to the ways of working and leading that will help to reduce groupthink. 

Inclusive leadership reduces groupthink 

When leaders learn the ‘how’ of increasing inclusivity, they will see that changing their human interactions with their work colleagues can have massive implications for groupthink. 

Being inclusive of all, means valuing the difference we bring to the table and recognising that we all deserve to have a voice and feel safe and secure in raising our ideas. And consciously acting on this in our micro-actions. 

It means we support our colleagues to be courageous in their thinking and we actively listen and take on and implement suggestions. 

We can’t just tell our teams to “be innovative”, we need to create a culture that supports wild ideas and encourages outside of the box thinking. 

We all deserve to work for an organisation that values our uniqueness and encourages our participation. It can start by: 

1. Building diverse teams 

2. Intentionally structuring meetings 

3. Engaging outsiders 

4. Seeking unfiltered input 

5. Encouraging constructive conflict 

Embed habits to support your leaders to be more inclusive with our inclusion habits program for leaders. 

Apply here. 

Being social at work doesn’t always come naturally to some generations – especially if you’re of the mind where you stick to business topics at work and keep your personal lives for home. 

The shift from one to the other can take a bit of getting used to, which is understandable because it’s essentially adjusting your ingrained behaviour in an attempt to become more socially inclusive.  And as we know, change can be a big step for some.

So, what is social inclusion?

It’s when you demonstrate an inclusive attitude towards your colleagues and employees, socially. It’s when you make people feel like they’re a part of all social conversations, whether they’re work, or non-work related. 

In a recent report undertaken by Inclusive Australia, they found that:

“While Australians are generally satisfied with practices for diversity and equality in their workplaces, some aspects of inclusion could be improved and for particular industries. Only half of respondents strongly believed that their work fitted the definition of a socially inclusive workplace in which people are treated equally.”

So, it seems that there is some work to be done to increase socially inclusive workplaces.

A short word on the impact of Covid-19 on being socially inclusive 

The world is changing, dramatically, and of course the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted how we demonstrate inclusive behaviours. 

Even more so, when it comes to understanding what social inclusion looks like in the workplace! We’re not always face-to-face with our colleagues anymore, so what is social inclusion post-pandemic?

The conversations may still be happening, but they’re happening over different mediums – instant chat, email, zoom meetings, comments in working documents. These informal conversations play a big role in understanding what social inclusion looks like. 

So, during pre-Covid days, you could be talking about a game of footy with some colleagues standing around your corner office desk.

But if you’re only discussing footy with your Australian colleagues, and not your Asian colleagues, you may not be socially inclusive. 

On the other hand, if you talk about footy with everyone at the office, and talk about it as your passion, and let people talk openly about their passions, then you’re being inclusive.  

There should always be a fair exchange of ideas at the workplace!  

While Covid-19 has clearly impacted on our ability to be socially inclusive in the face-to-face context, the basics still apply. 

How social inclusion shapes your workplace culture 

With some workplaces encouraging their employees to return to the office, and the pre-Covid ways of working making a come back, let’s look at all the ways being socially inclusive can shape your workplace: 

Your events will be multicultural  

When you’re socially inclusive, your organisation’s event calendar will look very different to a generic one. You’ll not just celebrate Christmas, you’ll also celebrate Eid, and Diwali.  

The type of events you organise will be very inclusive of the diverse cultures represented within your organisation, which will add a hint of dynamism to the events!  

What’s even better?  

Hosting your events in different languages, or you may hire translators so everyone can understand the cultural nuances that are part of the events you organise. Have you ever considered having an Auslan interpreter at one of your events? Maybe none of your employees are hearing impaired, but are any of their children? Are any of your employees learning or honing this communication skill? 

How do you know? 

Your employees will be more exposed, and open minded  

When you’re socially inclusive, you learn each other’s social graces.  

As a result, everyone learns to socialise with each other and become more open minded to different attitudes, ways of thinking, and ways of being. The more exposed your employees are, the more value they can add to each other’s lives, and the less friction there will be between them.  

Your employees, will learn to work as one cohesive unit through their exposure and open-mindedness, which can help your organisation grow.  

Your workplace will be more innovative  

Innovation happens in informal and relaxed settings. We can’t just shout “Be innovative!” from the rooftops and expect our people to just throw out the new, amazing, never-thought-of-before ideas. 

Formal and rigid settings restrict innovation. Consider when your people have expressed themselves in an uninhibited manner? There’s always elements of trust and mutual respect taking place as well. By all means build these into your workplace environment, but also remember they can occur socially and spontaneously as well. 

By encouraging social inclusion, you’re basically bringing together different ways of thinking. And it’s this amalgamation of differences which sparks creative ideas in the workplace. Therefore, by being socially inclusive, increases those creative, innovative conversations, often resulting in diverse solutions.  

Your employees will start feeling like they’re one big family  

Being a family, or feeling like you’re part of a family is all about inclusiveness.  

The more socially inclusive your employees are, the more everyone will feel like they can share their innermost secrets, their hopes, desires, goals and ambitions with each other.  

That’s exactly what a family does, isn’t it? By enabling each other to talk honestly, your workplace will become like a family. This, in turn, fosters a greater sense of belonging, thereby also building psychological safety.

You’ll minimise instances of exclusion  

Exclusion is the opposite of inclusion.  Seems obvious, but sometimes we need to be explicit when we define inclusive behaviours.

When you exclude someone from being a part of an event, or a conversation, you’re demonstrating a bias in some way. This could be based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, and the list continues.  

Through social inclusion though, you’ll make your workplace culture more fun, more interactive, and less exclusive. You’ll minimise the chances of any discrimination happening, making your organisation truly diverse and friendly to all.  

You’ll attract top talent into the workplace  

Believe it or not, everyone is curious about each other, especially if they’re different. 

If outsiders notice that your organisation allows an open interaction between all races, and they get along well, you’ll end up attracting employees from different cultures, races and backgrounds to work for you.  

The wider the pool of talent you attract, the more talented your workforce will be!  

Your employees might learn or transfer skills 

By being socially inclusive, your employees might become far more interested in each other’s cultures. An Asian employee might become curious about a Spanish colleague’s culture and language, and vice versa.  

And this curiosity in each other’s culture and language may lead them to learn an additional language, to travel, and explore their social and cultural boundaries. 

When cultures connect, so too do opportunities for knowledge and skill transfers, especially if employees from different departments are encouraged to socialise. 

Be inclusive of all, socially and professionally 

An inclusive organisation values the uniqueness of their employees and encourages everyone to bring their true selves to work.

The need to manage diversity arises when there are boundaries that restrict people from forming deeper connections at work. By being socially inclusive, you’ll just naturally function as a cohesive, well rounded, culturally oiled organisation!  

You’ll be surprised at how your workplace culture can be shaped when social inclusion is encouraged. Lead your organisation down the path of progress, simply by being friendly and open minded with everyone!  

Ready to learn more about inclusion and to help your leaders feel more empowered in the space? Take this 3 minute questionnaire to determine if our programs are a good fit for your organisation’s DEI goals. 

We’re going to dive into what inclusive behaviour comprises and looks like in an organisation’s day-to-day. 

Remember this:  

If your leaders can define inclusive practice and your employees are reminded about it on a daily basis, the chances of it being ingrained into the workplace culture are a lot higher.  

So, what exactly is inclusive behaviour and how do you define it?  

Showing mutual respect

Being inclusive means showing mutual respect.

It’s important that employees, and leaders at your organisation have a healthy mutual respect towards one another. For instance, do you greet your diverse employees in the morning when they come into work with the same enthusiasm as you greet your racially similar employees?  And it’s not only about racial or ethnicity diversity – what about employees who are a different gender, age, or level of ability or seniority within the organisation?

Mutual respect starts with the small things. 

Some other signs of mutual respect within the office include: 

• Showing your colleagues courtesy, politeness, and kindness
• Considering your non-verbal communication including facial expressions and body language 
• Putting your phone away while talking to a colleague 
• Being fully present and actively listening to a teammate, encouraging them to participate and share ideas 
• Treating everyone fairly and equally 

By being respectful we also work towards improving psychological safety which we know has an impact on a person’s sense of belonging and feelings of inclusion.

Socially including all colleagues

Social inclusion is another way of being inclusive at events, lunch gatherings, and other social outings – both within and outside of the office.

For instance, if you normally go out with racially similar employees for lunch, you need to break the pattern and go out with some of your more diverse colleagues. 

In this way you’re demonstrating that you care about them and have a genuine interest in getting to know them as people. It’s imperative that you break the habit of hanging out with the same crowd of people, especially if you want to define yourself as an inclusive leader.  

Another way you can make diverse employees feel included is to ensure they get invited to all training programs. Diverse employees need to feel that they’re being given an equal opportunity to rise and shine in their careers, and that you hold no biases that might hold them back.  We can also support our diverse employees by supporting the informal and formal ERGs to foster inclusion.

When diverse employees speak up, ensure there are no awkward silences that make them feel like they’re different. They need to be given a sense of belonging, and need to feel like they’re part of a family.  

Being mindful of cultural nuances  

While your office may be closed for Christmas, New Year and other standard public days, consider making your holiday calendar more inclusive by supporting your culturally diverse employees to take paid time off on cultural days of their choice.  

For instance, the Hindus celebrate Diwali, which is the festival of lights, while Muslims celebrate Eid once a year. Supporting and encouraging Hindus and Muslims to take days off during these culturally important days is a sign of inclusive behaviour.  

Diverse employees may also have different dietary requirements. For instance, some Hindus may be pure vegetarians, while Muslims may only eat “halal” meat. At your corporate events, if you pay heed to their dietary needs, that’s another sign of inclusive behaviour.  

Another cultural factor is the clothing diverse employees wear. Sikhs may wear a turban around their head, while Muslims may be required to wear a burqa. It’s important to be mindful of these nuances of in order to leverage diversity in the workplace. Everyone needs to feel like they fit into your organisation, no matter how different their clothing is!  

Making inclusion an intentional habit

Being inclusive should become effortless. It shouldn’t come across as something that your leaders are doing to please you. It should just be the way they are, free of any unconscious biases, and open minded.  

If you want to be successful in becoming an inclusive leader – you need to get intentional about repetition and practice. One-off actions won’t cut it.  

Repeat and embed until it becomes automatic – the good news is that once it becomes automatic it requires way less energy. The reason why most organisations and leaders don’t succeed at becoming inclusive is that they don’t take this approach. 

Being inclusive is not a one-off training session or random act. It is either a part of the workplace culture or it is tokenistic. 

Avoid being tokenistic in your inclusive practices 

Make sure your leaders are constantly building trust with your employees through their words, thoughts, and actions.  

Trust is most important when it comes to being inclusive. Give your colleagues a sense of belongingness by acknowledging that you’re working towards a common goal, and a shared vision. This will go a long way in making everyone feel included.  

More importantly, you must empower people to speak up when they feel excluded. This will ensure that ‘exclusion’ is minimised, and inclusion is optimised at every instance.  

However, consider this about whenever you have felt excluded: 

Did you have the confidence, courage, and support to speak up about the exclusive behaviour? 

If not, then it is likely your organisation didn’t prioritise or define inclusive well enough for your leaders, managers, or supervisors. 

Is it time to better define inclusive behaviours at your organisation? 

If you’re ready to take action and empower your leaders to becoming more inclusive of diversity within your organisation, start by taking our 3 minute questionnaire. 

Your answers help us to determine if our Inclusion Habits for Leaders program is a good fit your organisation. 

Take the questionnaire here and we will be in touch with your next steps. 

As inclusive leaders you should be constantly communicating with your diverse team about how much you value their presence and contribution in your organisation. Letting them know you care is key.  

Valuing the diversity that your team brings to the organisation helps to develop a sense of belonging. And when employees feel like they belong then you will experience a boost to the overall creativity and innovation among your employees.  

It won’t take long, believe me, until you start to notice the flow on effect to the bottom line.

But how do you show to your employees that you are in fact valuing diversity?  

In this article, I’m going to cover off on 5 ways. Let’s begin.

#1: Recognise and appreciate diversity  

It starts with learning to recognise diversity.  

Diversity in the workplace comes in all shapes and sizes and colours. The dimensions of diversity are vast and some are more obvious than others. Yes there are different cultures, skin tone, genders, styles, and preferences that many of us can recognise almost instantly.

But there are also other diverse ways of working that aren’t always so obvious.

Consider the neuro-diverse people who often mask their diversity when they interact others. Or consider introvert versus extrovert personality types and their ways of working and solving problems. And then there are LGBTQ persons who choose not to be overt in their sexual orientation.

We are surrounded by difference and uniqueness every day and yet sometimes we forget that our difference is our superpower.

So, when an employee contributes a unique perspective on a business problem, shows initiative to connect with people or a problem from a different angle, or gives you a new perspective on a work situation, consider expressing your appreciation towards them for bringing their contribution to the table.

As an inclusive leader you can begin to show that you are valuing diversity with a simple ‘thank you’. Expressing appreciation, whether publicly or privately, encourages your employees to be more open and forthcoming with their diverse opinions and initiatives. Your gratitude means a lot to your employees as it gives them a clear indication of what you value, helping promote the right types of behaviour and actions from your employees.  

#2: Invest in D&I programs with an ROI focus

When you put your money where your mouth is by investing in diversity and inclusion programs, it sends a clear signal to your employees that you are valuing diversity.  

Make sure you invest in programs that have an ROI focus, so you’re letting your employees know that you’re interested in leveraging their difference and translating it into real tangible results.  

Your employees will then view your investment in diversity and inclusion as a serious one, since it would be closely tied to your organisation’s financial performance.  

Your employees should see that you value diversity from a business context, not just as a casual way to make your employees socialise over cultural nuances.  

#3: Design and run inclusion experiments

To show you value diversity, it’s important you’re constantly designing experiments to test your hypothesis around diversity and inclusion.  

For example, you might find that two teams in your organisation are constantly in conflict, blaming each other when there’s a client problem.  

To address this problem, you could design an experiment to have a compulsory ‘Friday morning coffee’ session which both teams have to attend.  

You could set a rule for this catchup that for the first hour in the meeting, people only talk about things that are unrelated to work, like who they are, and what they like doing.  

This informal catchup between the two teams could help break the ice, and fix the communication problems between them. It could result in a massive increase in collaboration, minimising conflict and boosting productivity.  

If you value diversity, you will constantly design experiments. Experimentation will help you refine your diversity and inclusion strategy, and build it for the long term.  

#4: Educate yourself and your leaders 

Make the time to educate yourself and the leaders in your organisation about diversity. This involves becoming aware about different cultural traditions, different approaches to work, and getting to know your colleagues on a more personal level.  

We are all different and our difference is what makes us strong and unique. 

Work to encourage your leaders to move from having a ‘local mindset’ to having a ‘global mindset’. Educate yourself about world events and international politics, be open to travel opportunities, and actively seek out new perspectives from your colleagues.  

You’ll then figure out a way to build international friendships, and leverage your diverse employees more effectively, while also finding a common ground with them to connect with them more meaningfully.  

#5: Build a workplace culture that values diversity 

In all honesty, your entire organisation’s culture should already revolve around diversity and inclusion – and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case. 

When it comes to disrupting the way diversity and inclusion solutions are delivered within your organisation, I strongly suggest you start by removing the dimensions of diversity. 

I know this is a bold statement given that in this article I’m promoting that we value diversity – but hear me out. 

When we remove the dimensions of diversity we allow ourselves to focus on the human interactions that can and should occur despite our difference. 

Once we understand how our interactions promote inclusion then we can bring back the diversity dimensions. 

It’s the basis of my inclusion program for leaders and it’s the basis of my newest best-selling book. It’s also how I’ve been able to successfully support thousands of leaders across the globe to become more inclusive in their every day. 

Are you ready to take the next step towards valuing diversity? 

To truly assess whether your company is ready to tackle the challenges of creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, consider doing an internal audit that tells you where you stand.  

Complete this questionnaire on our website to help us ascertain whether your organisation is ready to disrupt the delivery of inclusion and diversity solutions.  

And of course, there are many benefits to having a diverse workforce. Such as:  

• Usually, the more diversity in the workplace is, the higher the likelihood that you’ll generate creative solutions to problems. A recent study found that there’s a direct correlation between diversity and innovation. This is because a plethora of opinions and perspectives when fused together generate interesting, unique outcomes.  
• Diversity leads to increased profits. Another study by McKinsey found that companies with diverse executive boards show a 95% higher return on equity than those with homogenous boards.  
• Diverse companies attract the best talent. A study by Glassdoor found that 76% of new job seekers say that a diverse workforce is a highly important consideration when evaluating companies and job offers. This shows that the current generation of employees is looking for a diverse and progressive place to work. 

So how do you leverage diversity in the workplace to find solid solutions to real business problems?  

Here are a few strategies:  

Find out how your diverse employees would solve a problem 

While you may be accustomed to relying on your ‘usual go-to’ employees, it’s time you started giving your diverse employees a chance to solve business problems.  

Your diverse employees have been exposed to different cultures and work environments, and may come up with a different solution to your problem, which might even make more commercial sense.  

For instance, if you’re looking for a new way to motivate employees, your Australian employees may only be able to suggest a barbeque party, or an outing to a footy match. While your diverse teammates may have other ideas like going to a movie or musical night, or other non-monetary incentives which might be more inclusive in nature for all employees.  

An inclusive leader gets curious about how their team would solve problems differently to the status quo. 

Tap into the networks of your diverse workforce 

Your diverse employees have diverse networks. For instance, an American you’ve hired may have networks in the US, while a Chinese employee will have different networks around the globe. 

In the globally connected and interdependent world we live in, it’s important you’re acting locally, but thinking globally. That’s why it may pay to tap into the networks of your employees to leverage diversity in your workplace for generating tangible business outcomes.  

An American employee may be able to find you technologically advanced professionals to connect with, while a Chinese employee may be able to find you cheap manufacturers for your product in China.  

The sky’s the limit when it comes to the number of possibilities that can emerge if you leverage your employee networks in all parts of the world.  

Channelise diverse employees according to their strengths and interests 

As a leader, you must capitalise on the strengths and interests of your employees and their types of diversity. This creates a win-win situation since your employees do what they’re good at, and your business benefits from high-quality work.  

When we generalise and, as an example, only hire men for technological roles and women for design roles, we miss out on a whole host of skill and talent that comes when we broaden our biases. 

A person who has an analytical brain, probably has a keen eye for detail and they could support an organisation in a range of business areas, not just be pigeonholed based on their gender. 

Similarly, a person who has a disability may have a very different view of the world and of getting the job done in a way that is accessible for them – this means they don’t necessarily have to work a 9-5 role, nor do they necessarily need to be physically present in an office to produce their best work. 

Fuse the ideas of your diverse workforce 

The best insights come from combining two or more ideas. As a leader, you need to be the one who facilitates your diverse workforce into sharing their ideas. Once you have a pipeline full of ideas, you can strategically combine them to come up with something unique.  

When organisations support and encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work and to connect with others who are like them, then they feel empowered to be innovative, collaborative, and engaged with the organisation.

Many organisations are embracing the development of formalised ERG programs to support their diverse employees in a way that works for them. 

Change the way you think about diversity in the workplace

Diversity isn’t just about coming from a different race or having a different sexual orientation – there are many different dimensions of diversity. From a work perspective, it’s also about having a difference of opinion or a different approach to problem solving.  

Just because you have a few women, a few men, a few Latinos, a few Africans, a few Europeans, and a few Asians at your workplace doesn’t mean you have a diverse workforce. Consider the different ways of working, the different ways of problem solving, and the different styles of learning that each one of us brings to the workplace. 

Expand your view of what diversity means. Minimising racial issues is only the start of what it means to be diverse and inclusive.  

True diversity comes when you can allow completely different perspectives to co-exist, while trying to combine them to generate creative and inclusive solutions. It’s about being comfortable with confrontation, and disagreement, and yet striving to find the best solution, inclusively. 

Wrapping up diversity in the workplace 

Malcolm Forbes said “Diversity is the art of thinking independently, together.” And that couldn’t be truer in an organisational context.  

Support independent thinking and become a great inclusive leader who can bring out diverse perspectives from employees, while knowing when to combine them to produce great solutions.  

Start by finding out more when you preview the first two chapters of my newest book – The 6 Habits of Being an Inclusive Leader. 

While it is admirable to adopt training solutions for employees at all levels in the hopes of developing a more inclusive workplace; from my many years of experience working in the diversity and inclusion arena, I know that these types of programs do not always provide long-term effects. 

When it comes to diversity and inclusion, there are better approaches to generate tangible results.  

And they are through strategic leadership coaching. 

Believe me when I say that developing committed leaders through coaching is not an impossible goal! 

The reality is that a lack of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is often a consequence of a more pressing leadership problem. One that inclusive leadership coaching can easily remedy. 

What is inclusive leadership coaching and why is it important? 

Inclusive leadership coaching entails the most critical aspects required for any leader to be successful in the diversity and inclusion sector.  

It is an essential component of any leader’s learning and development process. It equips leaders with the insights, tools, and expertise they need to solve D&I problems, generate innovative ideas from different perspectives, and to build inclusive teams.  

Coaching differs from other types of training in that you learn by doing. It is an extremely powerful and effective method that allows those in positions of leadership to arrive at their own solutions rather than being told what steps to take. 

The coaching approach to inclusive leadership is effective. According to research by Deloitte, inclusive leaders have the potential to improve overall employee performance. This is significant and a game changer for many organisations.  

A leadership coaching framework is distinctive in that it approaches the conversation about diversity and inclusion in a unique way than with more traditional training programs. 

The “how” of leadership coaching

Leadership coaching is both empowering and centred on the leader.  

When it comes to identifying their own answers to common DEI and other workplace difficulties, leaders develop their own individual goals and learn to build capability instead of reliance.  

Those at the top of an organisation who receive inclusive leadership coaching frequently report a shift in their mindset. They learn how to create strategies that help underrepresented employees. They learn through doing hands-on experiments in real-life circumstances, all of which is both educational and psychologically rewarding. 

What are the leadership coaching challenges faced by organisations? 

There are many challenges that leaders face whilst completing their training, some of which are easier to overcome than others.  

Let us dive into a few leaderships challenge examples. 

Bias blind spots 

Bias for leaders who are untouched by prejudice can be a difficult learning curve during leadership coaching. It can be a challenge for leaders to uncover unconscious and concealed bias in the workplace. Identifying with employees from backgrounds other than their own is difficult.  

This is when awareness comes in. Understanding personal privilege, which is often invisible to many leaders, is critical to effective leadership coaching.  

An effective strategy for removing blind spots is through sharing stories.

When leaders listen to real-life stories from their team members who have faced bias or discrimination, they empathise and are engaged on an emotional level rather than on an intellectual one.  This is often where leaders begin to feel a shift and report those true a-ha moments.  

Lack of comprehension  

Have you noticed that leaders often fit a specific criterion?

They tend to be unsure of how exactly to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace because they cannot relate.  

Leadership coaching overcomes this lack of understanding through open dialogue and experiments in real life scenarios. 

It is through learning and educating, the transfer of knowledge and skills, that inclusive leadership becomes possible.  

The inference being that there must be a willingness to do the work. To change the micro habits and to challenge the knowledge bank. 

Inadequate accountability 

The unconscious and automatic biases of those in leadership positions that perpetuate workplace inequity require more than well-intentioned policies and programs.

To move the leadership paradigm from the typical “employee-fit” to greater diversity and inclusion requires leaders to take accountability.  

Leadership coaching overcomes this habit. Leaders become more aware and comfortable with holding themselves and others accountable.  

Leadership best practices for diversity and inclusion 

I will say this: when your approach to diversity and inclusion is successful you will see it on the faces of your team members around you. Leadership best practice often looks like an environment where employees feel a sense of belonging.  

When leaders establish a sense of belonging, it changes the status quo.  

When diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of a leader’s thoughts, everyone in the organisation has fair and equal opportunity. 

Inclusive leadership success story 

My leadership coaching is pragmatic. As seen in the below video, leaders who engage in my Inclusive Habits for Leaders program learn through hands-on real-life experiments with employees. 

Diversity and inclusion are essential components of every successful organisation. And although there are numerous aspects that need to work in tandem to implement an impactful D&I strategy, the key to its success is inclusive leadership.  

It is critical for leaders to not only build and master their inclusive abilities through leadership coaching, but also to put them into practise.  

The key message is that inclusive leaders interact with the heterogeneity around them, they create interpersonal trust, consider the perspectives of others, and are adaptive.  

All which lead to business growth and employee retention. 

Are you ready to take your leadership skills to the next level?  

My diversity and inclusion program, Inclusion Habits for Leaders, is an award winner.  

My approach employs two tools that are specifically developed to help organisations establish Inclusive Leadership CHAMPIONS.  

The curriculum develops diversity and inclusion champions who know what to do. My program educates at a critical mass to foster an inclusive culture with proven results. 

The first step is for you to discover whether my diversity and inclusion solutions are right for you by completing this 2-minute questionnaire. 

Positive micro actions are evident in a workplace that is focused on holding leaders accountable to their daily words, behaviours and actions. It is in this repetition of their micro habits, where the whole picture comes together for inclusive leaders with an impactful D&I strategy.  

This is because when leaders focus on their inclusive habits the impact can be felt on the company’s ROI, employee retention, development of the talent pipeline, and ultimately business revenue.

Let’s explore more about micro actions to identify the impact on your D&I strategy for greater results. 

Why create a D&I workplace?

As would be expected, diversity and inclusion as individual concepts are actually closely intertwined and often interchangeable.  

It is this decoupling of diversity and inclusion that will have the most impact on a workplace where repetitive micro inequalities go unchecked. This is because, as I’ve discovered, leaders are often unaware of the impact their unconscious bias can have on diverse hires. 

Now, I’m not saying that we should all go out and undertake unconscious bias training in order to ‘fix’ our leaders.

What I’m proposing here is that we support our leaders to better understand how to be more inclusive of difference first. Then we support them to better understand dimensions of diversity. 

Consider tokenism for a moment.  

Both D&I are equally important in creating an authentic workplace that steers away from being a token hire-centric workplace. Tokenism is “the practice of doing something (such as hiring a person who belongs to a minority group) only to prevent criticism and give the appearance that people are being treated fairly.”  

What organisations need to really focus on is the intent of their diversity hire. Are leaders purposefully hiring because they genuinely want to increase the diversity of their staff – but their recruitment process hasn’t been successful? Or is the intent of the hire one where the organisation is giving an external appearance of prioritising diversity? 

In this example, the intent is important, and when there is an absence of pragmatic and checked micro aggressions, tokenism occurs. 

Supporting leaders instil inclusive micro behaviours will ensure greater inclusion in the workplace so that macro business impact is achieved.

What are micro aggressions and what impact do they have on diversity and inclusion?

Micro aggressions or behaviours sometimes go unnoticed, largely because those who are not affected don’t consider their impact. These actions are so small, however their constant repetition can add up and leave a mark on an individual.  

Such behaviours include gestures, actions, words or tone of voice that leave those who are different, feeling left out, overlooked, or ignored. It can look like ignoring junior staff members, never thanking people, or mispronouncing people’s names.  

The impact of unconscious bias through these actions can negatively affect performance, talent calibrations, and promotional structures. Correcting our human interactions through conscious habitual change and a willingness to be more inclusive leaders helps workplaces to better reap the rewards of their D&I strategy. 

Micro aggressions can be overcome 

A recent study by the American Psychology Association found that micro aggressions are easily overcome through micro interventions.  

The study outlines two key universal strategies that apply to pragmatism when evaluating micro habits –  

1. Highlight the unacceptable – In order to see a D&I shift in micro actions and unconscious bias, we must highlight these wrong doings as they arise. 

2. Educate to create change – This is about learning and growing. It is about educating on the unacceptable and building future relationships that have a basis of respect. 

Are you ready to reap the rewards of an impactful D&I strategy? 

A truly diverse and inclusive workplace is one where staff feel a sense of belonging and commitment to their workplace. It is through employing a diverse group of people and then developing and empowering them within the organisation. This is at the heart of every successful D&I story. 

Rewiring our brains that are conditioned for bias takes conscious and repetitive effort. It requires reflection and self-awareness.  

D&I strategies that are centred around embedding inclusion habits deliver successful outcomes across the board. We know this because we’ve seen it time and time again when leaders implement our training programs.  

When leaders are more inclusive the ripple effect is huge because their teams also feel:  

• Safe or psychologically well  
• Engaged  
• Innovative  
• Collaborative  
• Productive 
• Agile  
• Talented  
• Customer focussed 

It is no longer a hypothesis! Our small and intentional inclusion habits need to be practical in nature and undertaken daily. 

Make the necessary changes to your approach to D&I 

Move towards an inclusive workplace and enrol in our Inclusion Habits for Leaders program. We have worked with thousands of organisations to educate and implement strategies that work.  

Our pragmatic approach is designed to empower your workforce to achieve inclusivity and allow you to experience the ROI impact on the bottom line. 

Find out if your organisation is a good fit by completing our disruption questionnaire. It allows us to understand your specific goals for D&I. We will be in touch directly with your next steps. 

I committed to having 100 virtual coffees with leaders and diversity and inclusion experts from around the world. I have been having some very interesting conversations. My question is: 

What does the pivot in diversity and inclusion start to look like post Covid-19?  

This is the second article in a series of thoughts from those conversations, my research and my hands on experience in supporting leaders to be more inclusive during lockdown.  Find the first article here – it focuses on advocacy for inclusion and diversity in the workplace.

In times of crisis and after, this conscious commitment to harnessing the potential of diversity and inclusion becomes more important than ever. In times of extreme stress, the standard human reaction is to shut down and close off, not open up. Hence our workplace wellbeing will be affected.

If leaders are to cultivate diversity and inclusion solutions within their organisations, they need to be even more wary than usual of contracted, isolating thinking – in themselves and in their teams. 

One of the strongest messages to emerge from social distancing and isolation is that humans are at their very best when they’re connected and engaged with each other. Diversity and inclusion are the ingredients of deep and meaningful interactions. 

This is not fluffy stuff.

The business outcomes of a diverse and inclusive workplace culture go beyond feeling good about ourselves. What we’re talking about is greater competitiveness, better results, and ultimately delivering key business objectives, time and time again. 

The impact of a crisis impacts workplace wellbeing differently for different groups of people

For example, the 2008 recession was more immediately felt by men in terms of job losses. Yet the prolonged cuts to public spending meant lower wages for the female dominated public sector. A reduction in policies and financial support, such as childcare for working mothers, was also felt.

Past pandemics, such as Ebola and Zika also show different impacts for different demographics. The hardest hit often being women, who tend to care for the sick so are at a greater risk to themselves. Another hardest hit were lower income households who have worse living conditions and reduced access to medical care. 

Recognising that although ‘we are all in this together’, we are not experiencing it in the same way. This is the first step in helping leaders create inclusive workplace cultures which are conscious of the crisis impact on different employee groups. 

Behaviours that marginalise employees can go even more unnoticed when employees are working remotely. Employees can quickly feel that they are not being heard, are isolated from resources, or unable to do the same quality or amount of work while working from home.  

Workplace wellbeing needs to be brought to the table.

Inclusive mental health and workplace wellbeing support has become urgent

Leaders and managers must be more adept at spotting the signs of stress – their own and others – especially at this time of unrest. 

Everyone has mental health issues! Despite our best efforts to talk more openly about our mental health, there is still a level of stigma attached to it.

Some fear it will be perceived as a weakness, others feel it might hold them back professionally, and many believe that they will be unfairly judged as a result of disclosing information about their mental health.

If the current situation has taught us anything, it’s that none of us are completely safe from the stress and anxiety that a global pandemic brings. Whether you’re concerned about loved ones, worried about navigating an ever-changing situation, or trying to stay safe as a vulnerable person. 

Many are finding themselves in unimaginable circumstances, experiencing loneliness as a result of social distancing, being impacted by redundancies, or facing significant income challenges for those who are self-employed.

Fortunately, there are many helpful wellbeing resources and tips available during these difficult times and practising self-care is now more important than ever.  

Taking the lessons of Covid forward to our ‘new normal’

Due to global lockdowns, organisations have had no choice but to rapidly adapt their business model, investing in technology to support remote working, connectivity with their customers and employees.

With broad recognition that jobs can be performed just as efficiently outside a nine hour regular office timetable, we have an opportunity to transform our global working culture, utilising the flexible and remote working structures many of us now have in place. By doing this, not only can we step up progress in diversity and inclusion solutions, building a more creative workforce that can weather the storm, we can also create a better life-work balance. 

Because of our inability to truly embrace flexibility, organisations have missed out on employee productivity and attracting top talent by shutting out large groups of people. Particularly women who are more likely to work part-time because they still shoulder most of the domestic and caring duties in the family.

Similarly, people with disabilities and those suffering from or recovering from physical and mental illness represent a largely untapped talent pool that could greatly benefit from flexible and remote working opportunities. 

Flexible work and working from home have long been seen as either necessary or desired by women who often shoulder the disproportionate burden of family care.

Working from home, once a luxury for some, is now a necessity

Historically, the women (and men) who did flexible work or working from home were often perceived as less committed to their careers. Will this gender-biased assumption now be put to rest when everyone, from the CEO to the administrative assistant, is working from home? 

What will responsibility look like at home as some people are laid off and others working from home long past the eight-hour workday?

Most people don’t have a home office elegantly framing themselves for a video call, with books and fine art as a halo around them. But we can glimpse into their lives and see that men have generally always played a smaller role in childcare and family obligations.

Do stay-at-home dads or male partners learn what their significant other juggles daily? Can there be a long-lasting shift that delegates obligations in a more equitable way? 

Communities are actively coming together to help the most vulnerable; we have seen the advantages of working remotely and virtually – and the reductions in pollution. We can use this global shockwave to drive positive change profoundly by maintaining positive behaviours, the best agile work patterns, and new perspectives on what is possible. 

Let’s make the best of them our new habits. Our new normal!

Are you ready to elevate a new normal within your organisation?

Disrupting how diversity strategy and inclusion programs are delivered may deliver the outcomes you’re looking for. Find out if our programs are a good fit for your needs. Take our 2-minute questionnaire and we will get in touch with your next steps.

The reality is that a role that works in advocacy for inclusion requires budget and strategy – and sometimes organisations choose to throw one or the other at their D&I.

This from Forbes: “Organisations spend about $8 billion per year on diversity and inclusion training with little to show for their efforts. The swamp seems muddier than ever.”

Why is there such a such limited return on inclusion and diversity strategy, with such large investment?

Here are five reasons:

Rigidly sticking to the way D&I has always been done 

There is a traditional approach applied to D&I. Without strategic thinking this approach is blindly applied. The approach is based on events that create PR and lots of activity. This shows we are doing something, but we don’t know where we are going! There is a disconnect between the passionate and the senior business leaders who want to see bottom line impact.  

An L&D ‘sheep dip’ approach to training with a focus on awareness 

Training is a numbers game and measured based on whether a participant ‘liked’ the experience. Measurement should be based on the actions people take as a result of training and cannot be one off (learn and forget curve is steep). This is about behavioural change and its unlikely a participant will ‘like’ it but if they persist, they will see it creates a better outcome.  

Measuring ‘diversity strategy’ only and not measuring inclusion 

The metrics and goals are still largely based on numbers of women. This is a lag indicator and not a lead indicator. We need to change to an inclusion scorecard – and measure indicators of inclusion. The first evidence of increased inclusion is increased engagement.  

Not getting real about the underlying resistance which is alive and well 

Middle managers don’t understand and feel threatened. Underneath the nodding of heads is sometimes overt, but mostly silent resistance. This needs to be tackled head on instead of being ignored. What if you explained the ‘what’s in it for me’ to middle management. As well as the how?

Complicated lists of activities – when leaders require simplification and a bigger ROI to make it a real priority 

People who are well meaning and passionate come up with the strategy! They tend to look at what other organisations are doing – perpetuating the cycle of ineffectiveness. The strategy is not aligned to an inclusive culture and all the things you are trying to achieve and does not apply a cultural change approach. The focus is on awareness and ‘feel good’ events.  

The truth is that the ROI of inclusion and diversity strategy, globally, has been minimal

Emberin is a global leading organisation in diversity and inclusion education. At Emberin we have worked with over 250 of the largest organisations in the world over the last decade and a half. Our obsession has been to support organisations to get results. Our frustration has been approaches to diversity and inclusion which get us nowhere.

We have continued to push the envelope and take new approaches because we believe it’s not sustainable to keep trying the same approach and expect a different result. And the results are miserable when compared to the efforts which have been put in and the money that has been spent.  

The Emberin approach

The approach which we take focusses on two simple elements: 

1. PUSH – supporting individuals in organisations who feel they don’t ‘fit’ the norm, supporting them with intentional development and consistent structured coaching & mentoring to develop their own toolkit, because they don’t need to be fixed.  
2. PULL – supporting leaders to understand that managing difference is difficult and requires a new skillset. Helping leaders build the new habits of being inclusive and measuring this via their actions and experiments, rather than just ticking a ‘training’ box.  

Both approaches are focussed on demonstrating an ROI to an organisation within a short timeframe.  

We cannot claim to have the Holy Grail for D&I strategy – but we do believe we have moved closer to real impact and results in organisations by testing and experimenting with different approaches over 15 years.

In this time, we have had the privilege of conversations with over 15,000 leaders from every industry all over the globe, and we have mentored more than 35,000 people. Our clients have won global awards based on our results.  

Our current offering is the culmination of all of those experiences, with our north star being evidence of real impact.  Our flagship solution is about building the skillset for leaders around dealing with and managing difference, any difference. It’s about looking at the dimensions of diversity through an inclusive lens.

Want to find out more about our inclusion and diversity strategy offerings?

Take our 2-minute questionnaire to find out if our programs are a good fit!