At the beginning of March, Hobson Leavy received unconscious bias training with Helene Deschamps from Diversity Works. This training explored the role of unconscious bias in the Executive Search space and how we can reduce its impact on our search processes.
In relation to the unconscious bias training, one of the articles included as part of our thought leadership this month is “The Key to Inclusive Leadership” by Juliet Bourke and Andrea Espedido. Juliet Bourke has more than 25 years of experience, is a Partner at Deloitte in Sydney and a Co-Leader of the Leadership Practice. Andrea Espedido is a Human Capital Consultant with Deloitte Australia.
The article examines what leaders say and do to ensure their teams feel included. Bourke and Espedido have found that although the policies and mission of a company do make a difference, it’s the leaders who make the most significant difference. Leaders’ actions can make up to a 70% difference as to whether or not their staff feel included. They identified six key traits that are essential to being an inclusive leader. These are visible commitment, humility, awareness of bias, curiosity about others, cultural intelligence and effective collaboration. These are leaders who foster inclusivity, challenge the status quo and make diversity a top priority. They admit when they have made mistakes, and they acknowledge their own biases and work to be empathetic to those around them. These leaders make an effort to understand the different cultures of others and utilise the diverse viewpoints of their team for effective collaboration.
