Advancing diversity in leadership
Proud to co-author this piece with my friend, Kate Whalen. This article was originally published in The Hamilton Spectator on January 22, 2018.
Hamilton prides itself on being a diverse and inclusive community and we can all identify many areas where successes can be celebrated. How inclusive is our region when it comes to diversity and leadership? Not as much as we would hope. A survey by CivicAction and Environics found that 45 per cent of rising leaders have directly experienced racism and/or discrimination in the past year.
While Hamilton is one of the most diverse communities in the region, our leadership does not reflect our city's mosaic.
The lack of diverse leadership is consistent across public, private and charitable sectors in Hamilton and Halton, according to the Women and Diversity EXCLerator Project report. In Hamilton, visible minorities are significantly underrepresented in legal, public and health sectors. While about 24 per cent of residents in Hamilton are foreign-born, only 5.3 per cent of Hamilton's elected officials are visible minorities.
Compared to other sectors in Hamilton, the nonprofits and charitable sector has the largest share of women in leadership roles. But the sector's underfunding, precarious work and demands of complex, expanded services undermine women's ability to thrive, the EXCLerator study suggests.
This needs to change, because diversity and inclusion are imperative for organizations, cities and society to thrive.
Beyond just the positive rhetoric that diverse and inclusive spaces are welcoming, foster trust and support well-being, diversity also benefits the bottom line. Companies with diverse executive teams outperform their peers. Research by McKinsey & Company and MSCI Women on Boards found that the most diverse companies see higher return on equity (ROE), including companies with strong female leadership.
When diversity and inclusion are front and centre in every facet of the workforce, organizations will not only attract, retain and advance the best talent but also build a culture that embraces and celebrates differences. In Hamilton, independent community-based health-care provider Marchese Health and local startup Brüha are both examples of successful businesses that hire individuals of diverse backgrounds, including internationally-trained professionals, to serve their diverse clients.
Research also shows that diverse teams are more creative, innovative and make better decisions, compared to small, niche group of experts. Not surprisingly, they perform better financially too. According to a report by the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a 1 per cent increase in diversity is correlated with a 2.4 per cent increase in revenue.
Given the strong case for diversity and inclusion, what can we do to ensure that the decisions made are representative of the communities that live in our city? We believe that we can and should do better. Here are some questions to inspire action:
Who is not at the decision-making table? Diversity is about intersectionality, not just skin colour and gender. Where you can, challenge the status quo to create space for diverse leaders in your communities.
What does inclusion really look and feel like? As thought leader Verna Myers says, diversity is being invited to the party, but inclusion is being asked to dance. Critically evaluate your efforts and don't stop at just diversity – make space to include others.
What information is critical to make progress? Our city is constantly evolving – we need to keep pace with change and commit to continuous learning.
We must work towards building a diverse and inclusive community, at all levels and in all areas. When decision-makers at every level begin to reflect the diverse population in Hamilton, our culture will improve, the economy will grow and we will thrive collectively.
Hamilton residents Alyssa Lai and Kate Whalen are 2017 DiverseCity Felllows. The Fellows program is comprised of 25 emerging leaders in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Learn more: leadership.civicaction.ca/diversecityfellows. They are also members of the Leadership Forum