Conscious Inclusion - Why Leading Collaboratively is so Difficult
Fiona Hathorn
Busy executives, male or female, rarely have the time or incentive to think deeply about how diversity, or the lack thereof, might be affecting the performance and potential of their team/organisation.
Today too many leaders are tired of reading about unconscious bias and the need for more women at the top. We hear things like this all the time:
- "Sexual harassment and bullying are shocking problems but they certainly don't happen here."
- "We're as inclusive as we can be but there aren't enough people from the minority groups who merit promotion, which is the only reason we have just white men in our executive team."
- "Our system is purely meritocratic."
Collaboration, thinking together and the skills needed for this are now a far bigger priority than 20 years ago. As business models become obsolete more rapidly, the war for talent intensifies. C-Suite executives need the right competencies to chart a path through this change and to lead in a purposeful and collaborative way which means bringing the whole organisation with them.
In her entertaining talk, Fiona shares the latest research on how diversity enhances group intelligence and innovation - and is essential to delivering top performance. Diverse groups may not always feel comfortable to manage, but the evidence is incontrovertible; teams of like-minded individuals are unlikely to deliver competitive advantage or exceptional results.
Fiona's talk is designed to engage in particular men from the C-Suite and who aspire to be there, HR directors and NEDs, and is about business performance, leadership and competitiveness in a global economy.