Practical advice to help you be one of the leaders in tackling D&I

I'm sure you've seen some great campaigns for Pride Month as the marketing industry leads a much-needed loud voice on diversity and inclusion. But D&I isn't a one-month event.?

The inaugural IPA Talent & Diversity Conference a few weeks ago gave me some great food for thought which I wanted to share. The event highlighted the industry challenges many of your businesses may face, with this relatively new demand on policies and people - especially from a talent attraction and retention point-of-view.

What's clear is there's goodwill around making positive lasting change. But the tools and techniques are missing.?This is why you'll find clear advice below to help you be one of the leaders in tackling D&I.

?

In my Talk with Sally, I'm joined by Jennie Child, founder of?Balance, a consultancy that enables companies to become intentionally and measurably inclusive and bias-free when hiring. We continue the conversation around approaches for companies on this journey.

???

Commit to invest in change

To truly commit to changing the ratios, bring about a more diverse and inclusive culture takes financial investment. Pure and simple. And in a market where there is talk of a recession, committing an appropriate budget to D&I takes bravery.?

For it's those leaders, brands and agencies that hold nerve, keep investing to bring about tangible change, that will always win and come out of challenges stronger and more successful. Here are the cornerstones to having the culture and competitive advantage D&I gives you:

?

Invest in the recruitment process

Train your people in the fundamentals of good interviewing techniques – it's a skill that can be taught. You aren't going to attract and gain vital talent if your talent engagement is weak and your interviewers rely on a coffee and a chat!?

?

Have a clear?Employer Value Brand Proposition (EVP)?

I've said this before but ensure everyone is clear and consistent on your EVP and how to make it compelling to both new and established talent. Think of your EVP like a tasting menu. Each dish has to create gorgeous bites that align to make a delicious experience and keep people wanting to come back for more. When you get it right, your EVP will give you, your senior team and the whole business a clear guide and structure to attracting and retaining your people.?

?

Support your leadership

Invest in your leaders' development and wellbeing – bravery takes energy and changing behaviours takes mentoring which requires budget. And this isn't 'fluffy'. There are countless reports validating the value of investing in leadership and growth.?This article from Forbes?offers various ways you can measure ROI from mentoring and coaching.

?

Bring in accountability

Become more intentional in the D&I and talent process. Ensure everyone is respectful and responsive – time is a killer when it comes to good intentions without action. Make D&I an accountable part of your leaders' role and responsibility, track them on progress and reward them on results. At the same time however make sure you support them to have the bandwidth to take on this important responsibility well. Everyone only has 100% to give.

?

Measure what matters

Things change when you measure them. What are you measuring, how effectively and what changes are you tangibly making based on your findings? This?article from Mercer?takes you through the 5 key areas to include in a successful D&I dashboard.

???

Talk with Sally

Jennie Child, Founder of?Balance, works with organisations to achieve a measurably inclusive and bias-free approach to recruitment.

TLDR: How to consider your D&I policies

• Jennie's favourite description of diversity is "being asked to the party", and inclusion is "being asked to dance". D&I, from an organisational point of view, is about representation.
• There is a challenging scenario where large organisations hire D&I experts and ask them to drive the change. But they can't make a difference as they're not giving them the power, influence and investment.
• The companies that are getting it right start with the Why, and the companies that are getting it wrong start with the What.
• Data allows you to have tough conversations with your C-suite about where you are and need to be. It can be beneficial to remove all the emotion from that conversation because it's just facts. And it can be delivered without judgment and just as a set of clear information.

Actions

• Check: Are your hiring managers trained and equipped to interview in the right way to achieve a reduced bias-driven outcome?
• Do an audit every year to check how you are performing: identify what the benchmark is and how you are progressing against it. Are you pushing the needle? Measurements are a real issue in D&I.??
• Self-education is crucial for a leader who wants to do more and understand more about the area of diversity and inclusion. There are two great books: 'The Anti-Racist Organization' Shereen Daniels; and 'How to Get your Act Together' by Suki Sandhu and Felicity Hassan.
• Avoid assigning blame. Even if you have somebody who has the word D&I in the title, they are just there to enable everyone else to do really great work, but it's everyone's job.

You can watch the interview?here.

Read the full interview?here

?

Jennie has also given us?this free guide to download on The Ten Characteristics of Inclusive Hiring.

???

Walking the mentoring-walk

Getting out and about

This month has been a continuation of 'getting out there' and connecting in-person again. It's given me so much energy, elevated my perspective and made me smile more.?

?

Two real highlights were giving a talk on 'what I wish I'd known when I was younger' to a group of 50 women for Good Girls Eat Dinner.?Key highlights are here.?I'm also running online leadership mentoring sessions to support the Advisory Board MENA Stella - the female empowerment initiative within WPP.?

Cheers, Sally