Is role modelling inclusion bad for your image?
If companies really care about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) as they claim, there needs to be a shift at a far deeper level – a conscious effort to measure inclusion and embed it in the leadership agenda.
One of the blocks to this is what I call the ‘spiral of silence’ – white, male leaders who feel uncomfortable and unconfident about representing, let alone advocating, the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) discussion.
Why are these leaders, who have the power and privilege to change the status quo, unwilling to speak out?
As the power of visible diversity has gradually grown, some speak of feeling under-represented, or marginalised in the whole diversity and inclusion agenda. It speaks to an often unconscious anxiety that their position, (founded in structural privilege) is being usurped.
These are some of the reasons why DE&I is not being disseminated more widely and successfully from the top down. What these leaders need to realise is that they ARE represented – significantly – and have been for a long time. If they’re good, they will never be ignored.
There’s no doubt that the latest Parker Review findings are a step in the right direction. It’s encouraging that 90% of FTSE 100 organisations now have at least one ethnic minority board member and progress is evidently being made. Companies need to be held accountable for representation and without a government target, today’s boards might still be uniformly male and white. So yes, we have a lot to thank the Parker Review for – but in my opinion, we shouldn’t be patting ourselves on the back just yet.
After all, ethnic minority representation is just one facet of diversity. What about LGBTQIA+ leaders? Leaders with disabilities? Neurodiverse leaders? You get the picture. Of course, it’s great that there are more people of colour at Board level, but let’s be honest: it’s only addressing one small part of the problem.
Where the real issue lies is the failure to consider inclusion. No matter how many diverse leaders a company has, it can still be uninclusive. The Parker Review, mandatory pay gap reporting and initiatives like the 30% club might open the door to diverse recruits, but it doesn’t mean that they will feel a sense of belonging.
Imagine walking into a meeting where you are the sole white person. Would you feel empowered to bring your whole self to work if, every time you tried to contribute, you were spoken over or ignored? And just because a leader is considered diverse, it doesn’t mean that they will be an advocate for inclusion. They may well be feeling the pressure to conform to the stereotypical view(s) of their majority white ‘peers’.
Inclusion and diversity are often thrown together or used as one interchangeable term, with inclusion as an after-thought rather than by design.
As a white man, I have the power to drive the solution. Most C-suite leaders are also in that privileged position but instead, they refuse to be part of the change. This is bad news for their organisations as well as equality and business performance: preventing DE&I from flourishing can have huge repercussions on countless levels. There is now robust longitudinal evidence attesting to the value of diverse and inclusive boards.
If there is to be real progress, majority white leaders need to step up and embrace inclusive behaviour. They need to be role models and active allies. Change will only happen when they are brave and empathetic enough to create a workplace where everyone is welcome and celebrated.
References
1. Improving the Ethnic Diversity of UK Boards: An update report from the Parker Review | EY
2. Research: When Women Are on Boards, Male CEOs Are Less Overconfident | HBR
3. Diversity wins: How inclusion matters | McKinsey & Company
4. 2021 Gender Pay Gap | Department of Education
5. Ethnic Pay Gap Reporting | House of Commons, Women and Equalities Committee
About Jonathan Hime | Founder & Managing Partner at Equiida
Jonathan is a British entrepreneur and businessman with a successful track record over 20 years in growing leadership advisory companies worldwide. He is a trusted advisor and confidant to a large network of C-level executives who run some of the most influential and progressive companies. Jonathan brings a value centric and commercial approach to business transformation and has helped hundreds of companies and individuals in their pursuit for growth and performance improvement.
Jonathan has a huge desire to positively disrupt the thinking and strategies of executives relating to succession planning, cultural dynamics in the board, as well as sourcing the next generation of leaders. He has been a regular contributor to panel discussions, newspapers and industry journals on topics relating to diversity, leadership and the emerging trends in the boardroom.
