3 ways to be a stronger D&I leader: learnings from industry experts

Working in the Diversity & Inclusion space isn’t easy. From the sheer scale of your scope to getting support for D&I initiatives from leadership, it can feel like an uphill battle – especially if you’re new to the role.

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We joined Thriving Talent and three expert panelists to talk about their learnings around working towards more diverse, inclusive work cultures – uncovering three ways to be a stronger D&I leader. Here are some of their key takeaways:

Networking: advice for building support

• To get leaders onside, get to know what drives them: D&I is a people-focused endeavour, so take the time to learn more about your leaders. What connects you with them, what drives them to succeed?
• Present your case like any other business challenge: source and share data, research, case studies, and personal testimonials to show how your initiatives will support and align with business priorities.
• Take a reciprocal, relational approach: it’s all about give and take. Be clear about the benefits to them, and be open and honest in your approach – it’s the best way to build a lasting relationship based on trust.
• Don’t be accusatory: take people where they are: it’s easy to feel frustrated and even angry when people don’t understand why this matters, but use your emotional intelligence to approach them in a place of mutual understanding.

Listening: ways of measuring inclusion

• Use multiple approaches to listening, not just one: focus groups, interviews, staff network groups, surveys – use a combination of these methods to make sure there are no unheard voices.
• Inclusion scores are helpful to get leaders invested in change: measuring and scoring inclusion regularly gives leaders something to get ‘competitive’ about – so they’ll start thinking about improving it as a real must.
• Make it a two-way conversation to strengthen trust: it should be more of a conversation, than just a listening exercise. Respond to what your people tell you with both words and actions, or they’ll lose trust in you.
• Use staff network groups, and embed them into your process: bring ‘interest groups’ into the line of sight, and involve them in your decision making. This will help you change your culture from the inside out.

Resilience: how to cope with setbacks

• Rely on your allies for emotional support: lean on your network of sympathetic colleagues and other D&I professionals, and allow yourself to be vulnerable in front of them – you matter too.
• Pace yourself: this is a “lifetime of marathons”: don’t expect quick pay-offs and easy solutions. This is a worthy cause, but it’s one that takes years of undoing past mistakes – just remember that you’re contributing your own part.
• Don’t be your own biggest critic – be kind to yourself: when you’re motivated by a moral imperative, small mistakes loom large in your mind. Don’t blame yourself for setbacks, as you’re doing the best you can in a hard situation.
• Focus on the bigger picture, and what motivates you: you’re part of something bigger than yourself, so remember that in tough times – and think back to why you moved into the D&I space in the first place.