Leadership Capacity
In This Section
Guide to Sustaining Organizational Change
2.2 Governance
Talent Processes
2.1 Reflection Moment
Talent Processes
3.0 Mentorship
Talent Processes
5.2 Succession Planning
2.2 Governance
To put the strategy in place and sustain it in the long-term, governance and oversight is needed.
1. Consider how governance structures can support the organization in achieving its vision and long-term strategy.
- Who should be part of the structure? What does the board structure look like? Are there other committees within the organization focused on EDI?
- Where are the lines of communication? In what ways are they formalized?
- What does accountability look like? Are different pieces of the strategy owned by members across the organization?
- Is the EDI strategy embedded within the overall strategy and viewed as a cultural shift/transformation?
- How do leadership and the board interact? What kind of interactions exist between leadership and the board with employees?
2. Within the overall governance structure, consider all layers of an organization, and their interactions with the strategy, particularly focusing on the following functions:
- Organizational Structures: Different functions and teams that make up the organization
- Decision-Making Processes: Processes and approvals required to make decisions
- General Roles and Responsibilities: Staff, People Leaders, Executives and Sponsors
Key Action
Considerations for Non-Profit Organizations
2.1 Reflection Moment: How Will I Recruit to Fill This Role?
You can and should first turn inwards if you have an internal pool of candidates that meet the qualifications required. If not, you will need to source the candidate through external channels.
3.0 Pit Stop #3: Mentorship
Welcome to Mentorship!
Now that you have hired your leader, your next step is to help them grow within your organization.
Mentorship fosters a sense of belonging and ensures your leaders are able to learn from others on how to be successful within their role.
It is critical that mentorship is offered equally to everyone, and that the mentor opportunities cater to the unique identities of all leaders.
3.1 Mentorship: Formal Mentorship Opportunities
Formal mentorship opportunities are organization-developed programs that provide employees with the tools to enhance their leadership capabilities.
leading practices:
- Focus specific mentorship programs / events on allyship to encourage leaders to support co-workers who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ and/or gender and sexually diverse individuals
- Facilitate mentor training on how to become an impactful mentor and champion for leaders
- Encourage senior leaders and board members to open space in their schedules to allow for mentorship opportunities for the next generation of leaders
Specific actions to follow:
- Establish formal mentorship programs within your organization to support high-potential and board-ready talent in receiving active feedback and coaching to achieve senior leadership positions
- Allow mentorship programs to be sponsored by senior leaders to ensure that junior leaders are receiving visibility and benefit from expansion of their network
- Advise mentors to encourage mentees of priority groups and empower them to apply for leadership roles
- Provide equal mentorship opportunities to all leaders to remove influence of informal mentorship mechanisms
- Mentorship program activities should be inclusionary in nature. All mentees should receive an invitation and options to ensure the activity is not “traditionally exclusionary” (e.g. team-building events rather than golfing or hockey games, dinner at a restaurant rather than drinks after work)
Case Study
Considerations for Intermediate / Advanced Organizations
This article from RevolutionHer discusses the importance of mentorship.
Mentorship: Regional and Industry Considerations
Industry: Technology
The 2020 People of Colour in Tech report demonstrated that less than 5% of the workforce for large technology companies are composed of Black, Latinx and “Aboriginal” and/or Indigenous tech professionals. Employees of Colour find it difficult to access mentors, and Black employees reported it 62% more difficult to find a mentor than white respondents.
Priority group employees in the technology sector often do not see many leaders who look like them, and struggle to progress within the organization due to a lack of exposure.
Consider the following:
- Design mentorship programs keeping in mind career progression, to enable priority group employees to achieve leadership positions
- Host priority-group specific technology mentorship events, such as Black Professionals in Tech
- Partner with community-based organizations to provide mentorship to young professionals looking to enter the technology industry
Region: Atlantic Canada
According to a 2022 report from the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, women are well represented in employment in Atlantic Canada, consisting of approximately 50% of the workforce. Racialized, Black and/or People of Colour however only account for about 1 in 20 workers. The report also indicated that Black employees specifically are less likely to be promoted to manager and leader roles.
Consider the following:
- Provide mentorship opportunities specific to diverse talent and leaders new to Atlantic Canada to help them expand their local network, and reduce social isolation that often arises from not being a local
- Ensure mentors can provide education and learning for those learning French, if required by the role
- Provide training on intersectionality to mentors, so they are able to support diverse talent
5.2 Succession Planning: Accountability
It is important you remain accountable for your role and contribution to sustaining the pipeline of leaders within your organization.
leading practices:
- Collect disaggregated self-identification data to identify gaps in current leadership composition and where action is required
- Place accountability by sharing progress and results towards diverse representation at leadership levels externally, via communications
Specific actions to follow:
- Actively track representation across all levels and metrics to measure priority group success in achieving leadership and board positions within the organization
- Leverage analytical solutions to visualize and report changes internally
Succession Planning: Regional and Industry Considerations
Industry: Forestry
Statistics Canada identified that the forestry industry currently employs 17% women, 9% Racialized, Black and/or People of Colour, 7% “Aboriginal” and/or Indigenous peoples and 12% newcomers to Canada.
Due to working conditions within the forestry sector, such as often operating in remote areas, as well as performing heavy-lifting and labour, there is currently a lack of diversity within the industry.
Consider the following:
- Provide flexibility in employment opportunities with internationally accredited individuals, who have the right skills and possess potential to grow
- Sponsor priority group talent to grow into leadership roles
- Consider new arrangements to help caregivers better manage work-family conflict and improve work-life balance. For example, those that require time to commute to place and pick-up their child from daycare should be provided time and accommodations to do so
These additional resources from the national Free to Grow project discuss how to advance EDI in the forestry sector.
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