Building Inclusive Boards (BIB)

There are lots of tangible actions businesses can take to push that needle... and posting a black square on your instagram is not one of them. 😬 Right now, a lot of resources are going towards: -> 🗣️Progressive messaging -> 🗣️Publicly engaging in the latest political discourse -> 🗣️Demonstrating diversity These are all lovely, but if you talk the talk you had better walk the walk! If you do the above, make sure you're also: -> 🚶♂️➡️Hiring equitably -> 🚶♂️➡️Checking your office culture -> 🚶♂️➡️Diversifying your board So, are you walking?🚶♂️➡️ Or just yapping. 🥱 —————————— 🌟 Hi! We’re BIB. We connect Host Boards with Board Apprentices, with the aim of upskilling a diverse base of candidates to be the board leaders of tomorrow. 🌟 We’re currently looking for Host Boards! There is no cost and the onboarding process is seamless. Come and be part of building the pipeline of diverse talent. Email BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! 🌟 We’re currently accepting Board Apprentices! If you are interested in becoming a Board Apprentice yourself, please email us at BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! —————————— #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackandBrilliant #Womenempowerment #StructuralRacism #DEI #Equity #Inspiration #DiverseTeams #CulturallyDiverseBusinesses #CandidateAttraction #Equity

Task distribution matters. (Yes - even if you hire inclusively!) 🗣️💡 How often do you consider gender or race when distributing ‘High Profile’ vs. ‘Non Promotable’ tasks? 🧐 ‘High profile’ work is work that sets employees up for promotion and leadership opportunities - things that lead to higher pay and rank. 📈 → But what if I told you that 50% of women of colour report access to these kinds of desireable assignments (compared to 81% of white men)? 📉 → Or if I told that if a 5% gender bias is incorporated at each level of a corporation, only 2% of the C-suite would be women? 📉 So… consider assigning your high profile work with care! —————————— 🌟 Hi! We’re BIB. We connect Host Boards with Board Apprentices, with the aim of upskilling a diverse base of candidates to be the board leaders of tomorrow. 🌟 We’re currently looking for Host Boards! There is no cost and the onboarding process is seamless. Come and be part of building the pipeline of diverse talent. Email BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! 🌟 We’re currently accepting Board Apprentices! If you are interested in becoming a Board Apprentice yourself, please email us at BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! —————————— #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackandBrilliant #Womenempowerment #StructuralRacism #DEI #Equity #Inspiration #DiverseTeams #CulturallyDiverseBusinesses #CandidateAttraction #Equity

Even if adding women to your board DIDN’T increase profits, you should probably still do it! 📊 This article by Vox highlights something very important: having women on boards doesn’t always increase profits or stock performance. In fact, it can be pretty difficult to trace individual actions of a board to the direct effect on profits. 😗 So… if we’re unsure how much diversity affects an organisation’s bottom line, why care at all? Diversity on boards is worth a lot more than its effect on profits! It also: → Improves discussion & lessens ‘groupthink’ 💡🗣️ → Requires hiring from a broader talent pool 📈 🏊♀️ → Improves office culture and company health 🧑🏽💻💓 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eMWTPkGu

GOOD leaders take strides to INTERRUPT bias at their organisations. 💪 Last week we wrote about the four ways bias frequently shows itself at work. This week, let’s talk about how to ‘interrupt’ it. → Diversify your applicant pool. 🏊♀️ Make sure you set out your hiring goals from the beginning, and let everyone on your team know you’re not looking for a token diversity hire. The odds of hiring a woman or person of colour skyrocket when at least two candidates from these groups are present in your pool of finalists. So, make sure to keep that pool diverse! → Establish objective criteria. 📋 Make sure that people matching your ‘culture’ is based on PERTINENT observations. If you don’t define what a good ‘culture fit’ is, you’re leaving room for implicit bias to sway your opinion. Oftentimes the things that you think are ‘good vibes’ are actually just shared backgrounds, interests, and values. Things that will likely keep your organisation homogenous. Make sure you’re setting an objective standard, and then holding EVERYONE to it. → Limit referral hiring. 🧑🤝🧑 Again, if your team or organisation is already homogenous, hiring from your current employees’ networks isn’t going to change that. Try reaching out to universities and organisations that specialise in supporting underrepresented groups instead. → Ask skills-based questions. 📊 Instead of asking people if they’ve done something before, or what software they’re familiar with, try asking them to solve a specific problem. Even better, rate their answers immediately so as to prevent other factors from colouring that rating. This way you can be sure your candidate has the skills directly, and you can avoid bias in the recording of that skill. —————————— 🌟 Hi! We’re BIB. We connect Host Boards with Board Apprentices, with the aim of upskilling a diverse base of candidates to be the board leaders of tomorrow. 🌟 We’re currently looking for Host Boards! There is no cost and the onboarding process is seamless. Come and be part of building the pipeline of diverse talent. Email BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! 🌟 We’re currently accepting Board Apprentices! If you are interested in becoming a Board Apprentice yourself, please email us at BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! —————————— #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackandBrilliant #Womenempowerment #StructuralRacism #DEI #Equity #Inspiration #DiverseTeams #CulturallyDiverseBusinesses #CandidateAttraction #Equity

Four ways bias HIDES ITSELF in everyday workplace interactions! 🔎 You or your employer might expect EVEN BETTER performance from some groups of people. This tends to present itself by expecting marginalised individuals to: 🚩 Prove themselves… AGAIN… AND AGAIN. → While their less marginalised counterparts might be asked to demonstrate their skills once or twice before earning responsibilities, freedom, or promotions, marginalised individuals might be asked to repeatedly prove their competence. 🚫 Adhere to a narrower range of behaviours. → Employers or managers are oftentimes more lenient when their white or male employees express frustration, spend time socialising at work, or make mistakes. When marginalised individuals participate in these behaviours they are frequently perceived as angry, lazy, or incompetent. 🪫 Give 100% to their jobs AND their families. → Women, especially mothers, can be judged for being too career-focused, not focused enough, spending too much time with their family, not spending enough time, and even not having a good work-life balance. Let women decide how they split their time, they know their lives better than you. 🚨 Compete against each other for roles. → Oftentimes companies might put ONE woman or ONE person of colour on their boards or senior management teams, making those spots highly competitive. If more people are going for less spots, they might find themselves putting each other down in order to reach the top. How should we go about addressing these biases? 🌟 Read more at: https://lnkd.in/ekU9hNu —— #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackandBrilliant #Womenempowerment #StructuralRacism #DEI #Equity #Inspiration #DiverseTeams #CulturallyDiverseBusinesses #CandidateAttraction #Equity

Want to take some meaningful action with your DEI policy? Consider this framework by CCL! 🤔 CCL’s research-based ‘R.E.A.L.’ framework provides concrete recommendations for actions that you and your organisation can take. 📈 ✅ R - Reveal Relevant Opportunities → This step is about figuring out where your specific institution is lacking in effective DEI policies. Different initiatives will vary in effectiveness by organisation, based on what actually needs changing. If you’re working on issues that don’t need to be solved, you’re making as much progress as a hamster on a wheel. ✅ E - Elevate Equity → Remember that giving everyone an equal opportunity doesn’t mean giving everyone equal treatment. Just like schools give dyslexic students extra time or reading aids, your organisation might have to consider accommodations based on a multitude of demographic factors. Consider giving your applicants and employees contextually appropriate solutions. ✅ A - Activate Diversity → Make sure you’re actively trying to encourage contribution from many walks of life. Whether that’s from your employees or customer base, engage with these differences *actively* and intentionally to achieve best results. ✅ L - Lead Inclusively → Be intentional about the skills that you’re learning as a leader. If you’re attempting to lead a DEI initiative, improving your own knowledge of the problem will help you tackle it as best you can. Setting the bar for inclusivity high with your own behaviour is a great way to create a new norm in your organisation’s culture. —————————— 🌟 Hi! We’re BIB. We connect Host Boards with Board Apprentices, with the aim of upskilling a diverse base of candidates to be the board leaders of tomorrow. 🌟 We’re currently looking for Host Boards! There is no cost and the onboarding process is seamless. Come and be part of building the pipeline of diverse talent. Email BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! 🌟 We’re currently accepting Board Apprentices! If you are interested in becoming a Board Apprentice yourself, please email us at BIB@engagetransform.co.uk for details! —————————— #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackandBrilliant #Womenempowerment #StructuralRacism #DEI #Equity #Inspiration #DiverseTeams #CulturallyDiverseBusinesses #CandidateAttraction #Equity

Does changing the demographic composition of your board ensure that diverse perspectives are a primary component of your decision-making process? 🤨 → Short answer: Not really… The Harvard Business Review has found that: → “when directors from underrepresented groups are *effectively* integrated, boards exhibit a more collaborative decision-making process.” So board room behaviour changes when boards become more diverse. But does it actually drive positive action? HBR found that boards with ineffectively integrated female directors: → 🚫 Voted Preemptively to mask disagreements. → 🚫 Overlooked many perspectives. → 🚫 Were overconfident in their decisions. While boards with *effectively* integrated female directors: → ✅ Took time to reach a common understanding. → ✅ Ensured that nobody’s opinions were disregarded. → ✅ Made more unified decisions on which everyone was clear. And why is that so great? As opposed to diverse boards without an inclusive process, well-integrated teams: → 📈 Experienced 10% higher stock returns. → 📈 And their shareholders were 8% less likely to formally dissent to board decisions. Interested? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gh9JxvA5 —————————— We need more host boards. There is no cost and we have made the onboarding process seamless. Come and be part of those building the pipeline of diverse talent for boards, email BIB@engagetransform.co.uk If you are interested in becoming a Board Apprentice yourself, please email us at BIB@engagetransform.co.uk —————————— #DiversityAndInclusion #BlackandBrilliant #Womenempowerment #StructuralRacism #DEI #Equity #Inspiration #DiverseTeams #CulturallyDiverseBusinesses #CandidateAttraction #Equity

Board Apprentice Testimonial When you challenge most Boards on their lack of diversity, the response is often shortage of diverse talent with experience! The only way to break that cycle is to give women and those from ethnically diverse background access and training in the Boardroom ! Building Inclusive Boards (BIB) is a franchise of Board Apprentice, a programme set up 10 years ago, to train underrepresented groups in corporate governance, provide mentorship from seasoned Board members, but most importantly, the 12 months placement on a Board. This practical experience has resulted in 80% of our apprentices landing their first NED role. Sharing the testimonial of the very talented Winifred Ujuomu on her placement at Cifas. "My placement as a board apprentice through BIB has been both inspiring and educational. Not only have I had the opportunity to experience how boards work, I have sharpened up my corporate governance knowledge through the online training provided. And to top it up, the board directors at CIFAs have been so supportive and encouraged me to never stop learning. I am really enjoying getting to know the world of cybersecurity. Thank you BIB " We could not make this happen without wonderful host Boards like Cifas, our appreciation to John Browett, Cifas Board Chair and Mike Haley Cifas CEO. We need more hosts boards, there is no cost and we have made the onboarding process seamless, come and be part of those building the pipeline of diverse talent for boards, email BIB@engagetransform.co.uk If you are interested in becoming a Board Apprentice yourself, please email us at BIB@engagetransform.co.uk

Barclays Keynote Speaker A thank you to the awesome women at Barclays UK; Victoria Fayemi, Audrey Adams PhD, Honey Akinbo, Henrietta Funmi Dayo-Somefun, and Ama Ofori for inviting me to be the keynote speaker; Women on Boards, Saluting Our Sister finale. This was my first keynote paid live speaking gig, normally I am part of a panel and can hide my nerves by bringing others into the conversation. I have done many virtual speaking engagements but then again I could hide behind the camera, well no more hiding!! The key note was about encouraging Women, particularly Women of Colour to pursue Non-Exec Director roles. I shared with the women why I feel so passionate about this ; we need to be part of those setting the strategies for major corporations, charities, Government bodies and widen our circle of influence. Serving on Boards is a win-win, you share your wealth of work and life experience, and your learn and meet influential people that would be outside your normal network to work on a common goal. The feedback from this event, via emails, text and LinkedIn messages has been overwhelming, and has definitely given me a confident boost to do more speaking engagements. So lovely to have one of the ladies on my group coaching with me, Dane Pedro, JP, LLB, MSc. Lets use our privilege to bring others into the room. So my ask from Linkedin Fam; if you are looking for a speaker, contact me email yemi@engagetransform.co.uk, no manager yet 😜 . I am more than ready, remember only doing paying gigs no more freebies. I have invested the last 5 years, to learn, unlearn, and re-learn and now ready to start sharing with wider audience my knowledge. Topics I speak to - Diversity on Boards, the why, how and where to start - Business Case for diversity at leadership (audience leaders/allies) - 7 Hacks for Career progression (audience varied, mid to senior) - Inclusive recruitment strategies (internal talent acquisitions teams) Who said you can't get paid for doing what you love !! ------------------------------------------------ If you are struggling to break from limiting mindset, come join my group coaching sessions, next cohort starts 15th Jan 2024. https://lnkd.in/efW4eK4W, we will work with you to create the future you deserve. #womenonboards #speakup #nomoreimpostersyndrome #diversityandinclusion

Celebrating European Women on Boards (EWOB) 10-year anniversary at AllBright was special. I was on the panel with Hedwige Nuyens EWOB Chair and CEO of the International Banking Federation (IBFed) and Viviane Paxinos, CEO AllBright, our host. I believe passionately in collaboration and that as women we will have greater impact when we band together. It was so lovely to see women from European Women on Boards (EWOB), AllBright and IoD Glass Ceiling Group (including the chair Vanessa Dal Busco) all networking and learning from each other. Every time I meet Hedwige, I am always blown away by her mission of gender equity on Boards across all 27 EU states and UK, the EU directive which EWOB was instrumental in driving requires 40% on all listed company boards, the end goal for EWOB is to achieve 50%!! Hedwige and EWOB has started a movement, that will ultimately fuel itself across Europe, and she is intentional about ensuring women of colour are included! Viviane shared her heart and passion about her work through AllBright, creating a physical and virtual space that empower and support both professional women and those running their own business, connect with her to find out more about becoming a member. I am a member of both European Women on Boards (EWOB) and AllBright and it was so good to connect both of these great leaders. It was so lovely to see Nicola Williams FRSA, a friend from another powerful group of awesome women, International Women's Forum, loved her question on how quotas should be a launch pad not the ceiling!!! EWOB's target is 1000 members across Europe, we currently have circa 850, so definitely room for you join to us and be part of the movement. Great to see so many EWOB members travel to London from all over UK and Europe to attend the celebration Patricia Gestoso-Souto ◆ Inclusive Innovation, Marianna Cherry, Zana S Aston EMBA, Cristina Frontera Rossello, Martin Hjørngaard Hjorth, Iryna Podoliak, Bushra A., Tamara Tankosic, Shahrzad Pakgohar, Frances Gunnell, Tanja Mihajlovska Dimitrievska, Ana Andres del Valle, Ph.D, Esther van der Zee - Teeken #NetworkingEvent #WomenInLeadership #Empowerment #ProfessionalConnections #allbright #womenonboards