10 Feb Leadership Update – Febuary 2023
Diversity, equity & inclusion
Our first Leadership Update of the year focuses on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) from a ‘what does this mean for leaders’ perspective. We asked our research and data analytics lead Juliet Hammond and Head of EMEA, Mark Ferguson to hit the record button on their conversation discussing one or two topics from the list. They chose the interview with Diversity and Inclusion expert Marsha Ramroop in Squadify’s We not Me podcast, and Training Journal’s ‘How to have impactful, authentic DE&I conversations’.
Their conversation touches on the distinction between diversity and inclusion and how increased self-awareness and recognition that we all bring bias to the table is crucial. They highlight that we’re all at different points on the DE&I journey but that being present and self-aware will lead us to recognise our own bias which in turn, will help us to recognise it in others.
DE&I is a huge subject and we hope that this month’s Leadership Update combined with Juliet and Mark’s conversation helps bring some fresh perspective to your thinking, especially when considering DE&I from a leadership viewpoint.
We hope you enjoy the first Leadership Update of the year, and that you’ll join throughout 2023 – watch the video, and check out the full list below!
Research in leadership
The power of inclusion
This WeNotMe episode explores diversity starting with empathy and imagining a world of greater opportunity for all employees. Martha defines diversity as the fact of visible difference among people, and inclusion as the act of including everyone through your behaviours
How to Have Impactful, Authentic DEI Conversations
TrainingIndustry says DEI conversations should recognise people are at different points on their DEI journey. They advise building trust first, presenting questions to help everyone towards shared goals and understanding, and demonstrate action against decisions made
2022 Workplace DEI Report
Research from CultureAmp suggests that DEI is shifting from representation to a more comprehensive focus on the employee experience. But progress is slow and initiatives are still top down events rather than supporting real behaviour change among leaders and staff
Using data to remove biases in the remote workplace
Hybrid working can be a source of new diversity and biases – in the time and manner that people choose to work. Instead of judging others by our own preferences, data can help us to recognise different work patterns and enable better understanding and collaboration
A Key to Better Leadership: “Confident Humility”
Wharton Professor Adam Grant introduces the concept of confident humility – being confident in your strengths so you can admit to uncertainty. The key is to build a learning culture, give yourself the benefit of doubts and identify conflicting info to start working it out
Want to be a better leader? Observe more and react less
This insight from McKinsey into the benefits of meditation for work performance is honest and straightforward. Be intentional with your attention (don’t jump to every ping!), detach your emotions from business outcomes and focus on others to support their success
Does your team need a meeting reset?
Organisations are considering a ‘meeting reset’ after success stories at Asana, Dropbox and other workplaces reported 75% increase in employee productivity and 60% reduction in stress. Its an opportunity to test if meetings are really delivering impact or just old habits
Quiet quitting, boomerang employees and more
Test your knowledge of these HR buzzwords from 2022 – but seriously… Quiet quitting is actually about engagement, productivity paranoia reflects uncertainty as managers shift to a hybrid model and boomerang employees show us there is uncertainty across workplaces globally j
