Two Essential Things Leaders Should Do to Build Diverse and Inclusive Teams in 2022

A quick google search of 'How to build a diverse and inclusive team' yields over 130,000,000 results. Many contain useful tips and reveal that there are many ways to build diversity and inclusion. I'm making the following two points a priority for DE&I in 2022.

1. As leaders, we must set diversity targets and define measures

This is an idea that many people find uncomfortable. The idea that setting targets for diversity risks 'tokenizing' the people in the pipeline, but there is another way to think about it:

If you intend to build a diverse, inclusive environment that values and really benefits from a multitude of experiences and opinions, you should actively seek out alternative perspectives to your own and the norm.

Over the past ten years, I have learned that this won't happen without leaders putting diversity at the top of our agendas with concrete ways to measure success.

As an example, achieving our target of 40% women in the team at DHL Consulting is hard every year. We have a target because it keeps us focused, guides our actions, and clearly signals the value we place on the insights and ideas women from all over the world bring to our team.

Attracting women talent is a joint effort, one that is integrated into our recruiting processes by the HR team and demonstrated by our employees who work together to promote an environment of psychological safety and trust. We know that there isn't one way to do things, that innovation, creativity, problem-solving, and leadership come in many different styles.

This leads me to the second essential aspect of diverse team building.

2. We must be aware of unconscious bias and give feedback

This is something everybody needs to do, no matter their seniority. Over the years, many women have reached out to me to share and discuss situations where they faced bias. When asked for my advice on what to do in such situations, I usually say the same thing - give feedback.

This isn't easy but both parties have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

If we really want to drive change, we all need to push for it. If you face a situation where you feel discriminated against, see that you are treated differently than your colleagues, or see somebody acting with unconscious bias, you need to leave your comfort zone and give direct 1:1 feedback.

Here's a tip to help you in situations where you want to give feedback. Try to make your feedback constructive and solution-based. Emphasize to the person you're speaking to that changing their behavior would benefit them, the team and open up new opportunities for success.

Ask yourself these three questions before initiating a conversation:

1. What did the person say?
2. How did it make you feel?
3. What would you wish he/she does differently next time?

If you give your honest feedback and it isn't taken seriously, you have to ask yourself whether the company aligns with your values and if it's worth staying. If you can, move on and search for an environment that embraces feedback and continuous learning.

If we don't challenge, nothing will change

Our biases often lead us to subconsciously devalue the opinions and behaviors of people who don't appear to fit our ideas of what we deem the norm. For example, let's look at traditional notions of leadership. This might manifest in looking to a man for leadership over a woman - despite having similar qualifications, skills, and track record.

We need to challenge these perceptions as they happen. Otherwise, we send the message that people who don't fit conservative models should change. Instead, we need to change the culture that reinforces stereotypes. This requires persistent effort, but the benefits are significant.

And now I'd like your feedback. Think about situations you have been in and seen bias in action or experienced discrimination. How often did you address the issue head-on? 30% of the time? Perhaps even less. What made you hold back from giving feedback?

I look forward to discussing your opinions in the comments below.

I write regularly on leadership topics on my blog Sabinext. Follow and connect with me here on LinkedIn for more content.

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