What are the best ways to advocate for diversity and inclusion in senior leadership?

I am a woman who has worked in the male dominated profession of engineering for almost 40 years and have advocated and consulted on diversity and inclusion for most of those decades. To be brief here, the competitive advantage arises from innovative ideas and problem solving that come from different lived experiences and understanding. Full stop. Inclusion means not talking over all the diverse members of your team, but actively soliciting their input and amplifying it! In addition to recruiting diversity in your organization, identify your allies of diversity and inclusion and promote them! Let’s celebrate our differences.

One of the best ways to advocate for diversity and inclusion in senior leadership in your organization is to provide data showing how other organizations benefit. Leading companies like McKinsey and SHRM have conducted rigorous research, producing empirical evidence highlighting financial and performance benefits. Diverse organizations outperform homogenous organizations. Diverse leadership teams make better decisions because they are not lulled to sleep by groupthink or suffer from myopia. Showing the data and the positive results, especially regarding financial performance and competitive differentiation, go a long way to helping senior leaders see diversification as a business imperative rather than an option to be ignored.

The most important thing to remember is that we all have biases. Including the DEI professionals. The key is to keep these biases in check so they don't impact our decision-making and affect our interactions with others. Keeping biases in check involves self-awareness, actively questioning assumptions, and preferences, seeking diverse perspectives, and being open to new information. Regularly reflecting on our beliefs and engaging in open and respectful conversations can also help.

I think the most sustainable path to diversity and inclusion within a corporate culture starts with personal beliefs that these two elements are vital for modern companies to solve hard problems. This leads to realizing that diversity of thought and inclusion of broad perspectives to produce better outcomes is right, and also monetizable. Hiring accordingly, integration of bravery and elements of ethic and authenticity build stronger outcomes and stars. Those stars become your leaders who do the right things for deeply held and supported reasons. It is iterative, non-linear and differentiated, with few meaningful shortcuts but more robust success.

I am a black female working in a male-dominated profession, and the following will help advocate for diversity in senior leadership: Leading with Conviction: Championing diversity goals, knowing that diverse leadership leads to better decisions. Inclusive Recruiting: Looking beyond the traditional talent pools to ensure that leadership reflects the dynamism of our global community. Empowering Voices: Supporting emerging diverse leaders and providing the guidance and advocacy needed to succeed. Culture of Belonging: Promoting environments where different perspectives are not just heard but are sought after and celebrated. Transparent Progress: Creating accountability standards for diversity milestones, because what gets measured gets done.

One useful starting point is to identify how diverse your current, and potential, customer base looks. How does your organization look like compared to the customers you want to sell to? How could diversity in your organization help you better understand and meet your customer needs? Questions like this can help people see diversity as an opportunity to seize more than a box to check.

Establish mentorship programs that connect underrepresented employees with senior leaders who can guide their career growth. Set measurable goals for diversity at senior levels and hold leaders accountable for progress.

I also want to encourage people to ask questions. Why? - it gives people a voice and makes them feel inclusive - it helps widen your perspective regarding what is needed from those within your industry - it helps build more affective programs, trainings, etc..

Another opportunity to educate yourself and others is to look into the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that your company offers. These are often open to allies in addition to their respective audiences. Having started the disability ERG at my work, this is a great way to grow the diversity in your company. Typically there will be an Executive Sponsor for an ERG, which can help diversity grow within the leadership realm.

The other way to educate oneself is to form learning circles with your peers and research a topic and share the knowledge gathered

Amplify and listen. It is amazing how much you can learn and how astounding other people's experiences can be. I have learnt so much from Black colleagues and how they have been treated, equally others have been gobsmacked about my experiences. It is important to ensure everyone is supporting and amplifying the voices of those ignored and not speaking on their behalf for example I have seen male majority panels speak about female equality. This in itself is not wrong however there are many amazing speakers who can share their lived experiences therefore it is important to give them a platform. Reverse mentoring is one particular method to better understand and then amplify diverse voices

As an employee with disabilities, by founding a disability ERG I'm able to educate, advocate and amplify the voices of one of the biggest minority groups in the workforce. Within an ERG, there's opportunities to network and open doors for underrepresented voices. This can include activities such as a mentorship program, lunch & learn webinars, shared knowledge resources, and more.

Sometimes amplification of equity deserving voices means availing the resource that can advance their progress in the workplace so that they too can participate in the organizational leadership

I truly believe in this. The idea of "if for us, not without us". Paternalistic process can be really detrimental. Bring the equity deserving groups to the core of the conversation.

Amplifying underrepresented voices in senior leadership is critical. It requires not just inviting diverse perspectives but genuinely listening and acknowledging their contributions. Yet, this process can feel uncomfortable. I recall a workshop where a female black leader shared barriers she faced. The discomfort voiced by participants revealed a stark truth that some dismissed instead of addressing. It's vital to embrace discomfort, as uncomfortable truths often shed light on areas needing change. Brushing aside uncomfortable conversations perpetuates systemic issues. True advocacy involves embracing the discomfort they may bring. It's about actively addressing uncomfortable truths to foster an inclusive environment.

In my experience, questioning or challenging the revision of policies, processes, and practices that may create barriers or biases for diversity and inclusion is one of the best ways a leader can show their commitment to diversity and inclusion success

We spend far too much time thinking about how to create change and give little or no attention to sustaining it over a period of time. This is why most D&I initiatives lose momentum soon after the D&I team steps away or when another D&I project starts. Consider the following: Ensure you have a robust D&I governance and assurance framework. Build a community of the practice for D&I champions. Empower your Employee Resource Groups. Take allies on the journey. Tranparently report D&I progress. Celebrate success but also cheer on the incremental advances. Most importantly take an evidence-based approach and don't try not to boil the ocean. Finally, close the gap between d&I rhetoric and the reality on the ground.

Practice the PTR model. Preference Tradition Requirement Most decisions are made based on “we like to do things in a certain way (preference)” or “we've always done things this way (tradition)” Let's start prioitising “requirements”, especially in recruitment and promotions conversations.

Leaders need to be actively challenged on how they are performing. Having a platform the allows engagement, in some circumstances aimed at marginalised groups such as BAME and Women etc... This could be something simple as a survey or as far as reverse mentoring, it all makes a difference.

Allyship is key to bringing about positive change. Allies bring different experiences and viewpoints to the table, leading to more creative and effective solutions. Allies can amplify the impact of diversity initiatives by working together, leading to more significant change. Remember - strength in numbers Collaborating with allies allows for cross-cultural and cross-functional learning, promoting cultural competence and personal growth it also demonstrates a commitment to diversity through collaboration with allies can enhance an organization's reputation and attract diverse talent. Collective efforts toward diversity and inclusion which includes allies are more likely to bring about lasting change within an organization.

Something which is not advocated for enough but is absolutely paramount at senior leadership level to drive EDI is to ensure there is accountability. The reality is that unless its not a key metric that is being measured it will often fall low on the priority list, therefore by holding leaders accountable for EDI in the same way you do for profitability and growth will help make it high on the priority list and when you will start to see the needle move.

It would be great to see a shift away from tried and tested ideas that have failed to deliver change. Let's stop recycling and repackaging diversity initiatives and focus on innovation and creativity including how technology can help accelerate the pace of change. Empower people to think outside the box and try new and innovative ideas. We must avoid the risk of looking like a one-trick Pony.

Senior leaders need a strategic approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). They must understand and articulate the business case for DEIB within their organization. Commitment to investing in DEIB initiatives will only arise when they grasp the impact of belonging on employee’s engagement and business results. The next step for senior leaders is to recognize that inclusion starts with "I." Assessing their own inclusive leadership competence can be the first step in developing it. This approach enables leaders to model inclusive behaviors and foster a growth culture in their organizations. Simply and not easy. And definitely easier said than done. #inclusiveleadership

A step that is often missed, is for leaders to pause and identify their "why bother." It seems like an obvious thing, but if executive can't move the idea of DEI from their head to their heart, then work can end up performative, or worse, doing more harm than good. As a peer to leadership, talk about why this work is important. Get personal and create space for authentic answers. As an employee, share your story. Make the work personal by sharing your experiences, if you feel safe to do so. If not, consider leveraging a resource group structure and strategic recommendations to create safety in numbers.

Empowering is the only way forward 1) Empower the groups that face equity deficits and bring them to co-lead the definition of the best inclusion actions. 2) Develop associated metrics, to understand progress. 3) Set short, medium and long term goals. 4) Hold decision makers at all levels accountable to those goals. 5) Go back to one and start all over again.