Helen Schwarz
Helen Schwarz, Director at executive recruitment specialist, Page Executive discusses:
Last month, we hosted our annual Page Executive Women in Business event in Birmingham, during which we discussed the topic of inclusive leadership. It was a full house at Michelin Star restaurant, Adams, and we were delighted to see so many female leaders from a number of Midlands businesses join the discussion.
Sheri Hughes, UK Diversity and Inclusion Director at PageGroup, and Dan Robertson, Director of Vercida Consulting, spoke about the different ways in which business leaders can encourage inclusivity within their organisation.
The difference between D and I
Both speakers noted the importance of alignment between the principles of managing diversity and organisational inclusivity. Diversity being about maintaining difference among an organisation’s talent – be it gender, background, beliefs, or even personality traits – and inclusion being about valuing and respecting each employee, as well as their views and opinions.
We’re seeing more efforts from organisations towards increasing employee diversity – typically by meeting certain quotas – but the way their employees feel within the business can sometimes be overlooked.
We know that businesses that value, encourage and support their employees see lower staff turnover, but also improve their productivity and ability to innovate. So increasing levels of both diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the same time leads to better sustainability.
During the event, both speakers and attendees shared best practice towards increasing levels of D&I, but all agreed that business leaders should play a key role in encouraging these efforts.
How can we define an inclusive leader?
Inclusive leaders are those who let go of the traditional definition of leadership, and who are able to reflect on themselves. They are curious about their own biases and are able to question patterns in recruitment, appraisals, and performance management processes.
They ensure that every single employee is heard and encourage everyone to continuously innovate, but they also allocate work and responsibilities in a fair way within their organisation. By sponsoring people who are different from them, they are also able to grow diverse talent.
You can use these examples to evaluate your own inclusiveness as a business leader. By assessing your behaviours honestly, you will have a clear indication of where to concentrate your efforts, and you will be better equipped to lead progress from the front.
