How can organizations increase diversity in leadership?

How can organizations increase diversity in leadership?

This matter has been on my mind in the last 15 years, while I’ve been dealing with the challenges of building an authentic leadership style as a woman in the corporate world, and later as an entrepreneur. I could see the journey of promoting diversity by different angles and reflect on what still prevent executive teams from counting with more women in leadership and across organizations. The core task is that we need to face the discomfort of living and working with people that are substantially different from us and learn that true power is empowering others.

In the beginning of my career I used to provide corporate communication advisory for male leaders mostly, as a public relations consultant. Later, I became a corporate affairs director in a global packaging industry and learned what it means to be the only woman in the room, dealing with all those unconscious bias and the general belief system that was still “the males way”.

During the last eight years I’ve been coaching and training women professionals that aspire career growth and entrepreneurs searching for clarity on personal and business development. Later came the traditional male leadership, that today I mentor to become effective in promoting inclusion and skilful in managing diverse teams. During the talks and training programs, the core obstacle has been getting leaders engaged in dealing with their own mindset and behaviour change, what can be really disruptive.

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On average, when organizations try to implement new strategies that require behaviour change, a certain paralysis in execution arise. Resistance to something new, a lack of sincere communication or commitment and skepticism can hinder the best of plans and that applies for opening space for women in leadership as well. Few people are against the changes, but when it comes to a real transformation in attitude, the individual resistance can be silent but still predominant.

We are talking a lot about promoting diversity nowadays. What makes me curious is that, if we just take a walk on the street or enter a subway station, we can find that we are already diverse as a society, in most western countries. However, in companies is still a different scenario, because organizations, on average, are controlled by an intellectual elite that make choices based on their own belief system. That is a cultural construction that can be tracked long ago. The same happens in the academic field and is gradually changing.

I can foresee that some generations from now those issues can become irrelevant. However, the traditional leadership formed by Baby Boomers and X Generation, and even segments of Y Generation still find difficult to accept and fully integrate with those who are different from oneself, due to the patterns of education received since childhood. Talking about equality and keeping a sporadic contact with people different from us is not being inclusive and will not be enough to promote more diversity in companies. While we cannot feel that we are equal, there is not a tangible advance.

I have learned with Ken O’Donnell, a great speaker and writer in the field on values in leadership and self-management, that we need a deeper approach to our human values for effective leadership change. Ken teaches that very often the energy for building positive professional relationships is lost in fear, doubt and confusion and, therefore, expertise is no longer enough to succeed, being wisdom a fundamental characteristic of the leader today.

A wise leader knows how to unleash the best in others, despite of gender, race, sexual orientation, physical condition or age. This involves cultivating people and cultivating one’s own humility. To be humble, it is not necessary to give up your personal power or social position. It’s about knowing that your role as a leader is to serve, being open to the needs of other people with focus on what is good in them. Of course, that requires investing in self-observation and promoting dialogue for creating opportunities to deep connection with teams and partners. That expands the understanding about our human problems and ways of evolution.

In 2019 I conducted a mentoring group program that had woman from different generations, colours and cultural background. We spent a year together on weekly sessions and, although it was challenging to deal with so many different mindset models in the beginning, it turned out to be such an amazing experience. I could support their growth and acquired a special affection for each one of them. I learned how to love all of them equally and that was a milestone in my own leadership development.

We need to create more opportunities for coexistence and dialogue with people that are different from us. When you do that, you can find that the “other” is "another you" and that beyond appearances, we are equal in our human condition. Everyone want to be happy, healthy and to experience prosperity.

I also have been learning what it takes to promote women from senior lawyers to become partners in a trust. It must be a double-hand initiative between lawyers and board members, what involves much dialog with senior level as well as specific program for empowering women. When I started a mentorship training last year the female group was afraid that no one would jump in. Men where uncomfortable with mentoring a group of women only. “Why are we supposed to do that” was their major concern. Today, all are engaged in developing women’s career and have learned that promoting more dialogue with those who are different is the core thing to do, so the organization can promote effective inclusion and diversity, enhance creativity, team performance, profitability and happiness.

We need to deal with this deep sense of separation that we still have in relation to others. It is strong and it is an illusion. That caused the movement for sustainability to sink and the movement for diversity is running the same risk, if leaders insist in treating gender balance, race etc as a compliance issue. It is not about compliance only. What brings us together is what makes us human: surpass greed and meaningfulness jobs, reconnect to feelings, perceive our mind pattern, become aware of our behaviour and our impact on others.

Quantum Science can help us better understand our true nature and how to overcome our major problems. According to quantum physics, reality includes many levels of perception, some very concrete such as our bodies and material things. Other levels are more subtle, such as thinking, feelings and intuition and are often suppressed in a search for fighting negative feelings and enhancing good feelings.

After twenty years practicing meditation and self-discovery, while working in the corporate field, I do not see any possibility of real change that does not involve rediscovering who we really are, understanding our limitations and potentials. The solution for our major problems depends on a leap in consciousness. This is a creative process and it is quantum because it involves change in thinking and feeling, and thoughts and feelings are quantum - they operate in an energetic level as well, not just as chemistry in the brain.

This level of change is what determines how our evolutionary process will follow. Shall we take the quantum leap towards new forms of consciousness and count with more diverse and innovative companies, capable of being agents of social transformation? This is about self-leadership and women, who are naturally more emphatic, can play an important role in taking protagonist and leading changes as role models that support other women and help their male colleagues for change. We can do it if we decide deep inside to abandon any trace of victimization and stretch ourselves to be the change we want to see in the world.