Leaders play an important role in creating safe environments for their employees, customers, and partners. Leaders who are committed to diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives can help ensure that their organizations reflect the diversity of their communities and foster more inclusive cultures. This is particularly important because research suggests that diverse teams make better decisions than homogenous ones.
Executive Commitment is critical.
Executive commitment is critical. Executives are responsible for setting the tone for their organization, and they can create a psychologically safe environment for employees to speak up. If they model the behavior they want to see in others, then others will follow suit. They also have an opportunity to be a powerful force for change at their organizations by acting as sponsors, who help provide opportunities and support for people who might otherwise not feel comfortable being vocal about equity issues within their organization or on behalf of it.
Executive Sponsorship is crucial.
Executive sponsorship is a powerful tool to help leaders become aware of potential blind spots and make appropriate adjustments to their behavior.
In order for an executive sponsor to be effective, he or she must first understand the organizational culture and how it can influence relationships. Then, they must identify what needs to change within the organization so that everyone feels safe enough to speak up when they see something wrong happening. Once this has been done, they need to establish good communication with their employees who may not feel comfortable speaking up themselves, as well as, with other managers/leaders in their organization who may be able to assist them in helping others find ways around these issues (or even speak up themselves).
Executive sponsorship is not just about the leader, it is about the organization as a whole. It means that leaders are willing outwards towards those around them rather than inwardly focusing solely on themselves—which will help create an environment where everyone feels valued regardless of their background or experience level within an organization.
Multi-dimensional feedback on performance can be a powerful tool to help leaders become aware of potential blind spots and make appropriate adjustments to their behavior.
Feedback is a two-way street. Leaders need to be receptive to feedback and take it seriously, even if it’s not what they want to hear. It can be challenging for leaders to accept criticism of themselves, but we need our leaders to receive performance feedback in order for any changes in behavior or thinking to occur.
Feedback should be done in a psychologically safe space. This means that the feedback should focus on behaviors rather than personality traits (e.g., “John is aggressive and abrasive in his approach with people” rather than “John is an angry person”). Feedback should also not be based on rumors or hearsay – instead, the feedback needs factual evidence and specific examples so that the leader understands where he/she may have fallen short without feeling personally attacked by their peers or subordinates. And finally, leaders should always feel comfortable asking questions during this process so that they understand how they can improve before moving forward with any changes on their own accord!
Building trust is critical in creating opportunities for leaders to see the benefit of change and take action to address these changes.
Trust is a two-way street. It must be earned, and it should not be given freely. Trust is also built over time through consistent actions, behaviors and communication.
Building trust requires leaders to take action that demonstrates their commitment to making organizational equity a priority for them and their teams. Examples of actions include:
- Creating and supporting Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) or affinity groups for underrepresented employees;
- Using inclusive language in communications;
- Participating in professional development opportunities focused on diversity and inclusion;
- Sharing information about gender pay equity with team members;
- Building relationships with employees from underrepresented groups by attending events outside the office together (e.g., socializing after work, but only if employees feel comfortable doing so).
Creating opportunities for leaders to learn from others and share experiences can help build support and strengthen accountability.
Creating opportunities for leaders to learn from others and share experiences can help build support and strengthen accountability. Shared learning experiences can lead to new ideas, foster trust among stakeholders, create relationships that are based on shared values, and establish a more effective network of people who share similar interests.
As you prepare your leadership development plan this year, think about ways in which you can help your leaders participate in sharing their stories with one another. The following are some tips:
- Encourage leaders to share their stories within their own teams by asking them how they got started or what motivated them throughout their careers.
- Create opportunities for learning outside of the workplace through conferences or group activities such as volunteering together for a cause that is important to your organization’s mission statement.
Leveraging commonalities helps build trust, facilitate collaboration, and create space for positive organizational transformation.
Leveraging commonalities helps build trust, facilitate collaboration, and create space for positive organizational transformation.
Consider how leveraging commonalities can help build trust. In particular, think about the kinds of issues you might face in your work environment and how leveraging commonalities might help with those issues.
Now consider how leveraging commonalities can help facilitate collaboration between team members who do not share the same backgrounds or experiences, but still want to work together on a project or issue at hand. Finally, imagine that you have a specific goal in mind for your organization that requires the support of many different types of people from across different departments or units within your organization (such as a change initiative) – what would happen if you leveraged commonalities to engage those people?
Incentives are important to motivate change in behaviors and practices that are critical to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
- Incentives are important to motivate change in behaviors and practices that are critical to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
- They can create a sense of urgency for individuals by setting specific goals for them to achieve.
- Incentives can help with employee retention by making sure that people feel valued and respected at work.
In summary, incentives are an effective way of motivating those who need encouragement when it comes to creating change within their organizations or communities.
Executives can play an important role in advancing diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives in their organizations by learning how to be successful through executive commitment and sponsorship.
Executives can play an important role in advancing diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives in their organizations by learning how to be successful through executive commitment and sponsorship. Executive commitment is critical to ensure that all employees are aware of the value of these efforts and have a shared understanding of what they can do to support them. Executive sponsorship is crucial for being able to execute on the most strategic elements of diversity and inclusion activities because it provides access to key executives who have decision-making power at critical points along the way.
Multi-dimensional feedback is a powerful tool for engaging executives in this process because it allows them to see how they personally impact others’ ability or willingness to engage with diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives—and ultimately affect progress towards organizational change within the company as a whole.
Conclusion
It’s time to move beyond the rhetoric and build a space where all people can reach their full potential.