Individual Capability
In This Section
Board and Leader Guidebook
Section 1.0: Self-Reflection and Learning Your Role in Showing Up to Change
10 Actions You Can Take
Section 1.0: Learn and Reflect
1.0 Self-Reflection and Learning Your Role in Showing Up to Change
1.1 Self-Reflection
Reflect on your experiences and the different elements that make up your identity. Ask yourself these questions:
- How would you describe your identity? What are the unique interests, experiences, and perspectives that shape who you are today? (Hint: You might think about your family’s story, where you grew up, your career path, the activities you do in your spare time, who you enjoy spending time with, etc.)
- What might be unique about these experiences?
- How might this identity have influenced your workplace experiences, both positively and negatively?
As a leader, think about these questions:
- As a leader, how can you leverage your strengths, power, and influence to support inclusivity and organizational growth?
- What kind of leader do you want to be seen as? What do you want your legacy to be?
- What are ways you can learn more about people’s different lived experiences and show up as an agent of change?
Take a moment to reflect on other people’s experiences. Ask these questions:
- In what ways are their identities different than yours?
- How might that influence their experiences?
- What kind of barriers might they be facing that you might not have faced?
The path towards inclusivity involves learning, unlearning, humility, and self-reflection. The journey will likely involve bumps along the way, which are normal and part of growth.
1.2 So as a Leader, What Can You Do?
To lead a culture change of inclusion and belonging, it is important to be empathetic, to try to understand other’s experiences, and to show that you are taking action.
Here is how you can take action:
- Find comfort within the discomfort: though some information may be uncomfortable to hear, your learning, engagement, and growth is driving meaningful change
- Reflect on areas where you can learn more about another person’s lived experience, challenges, and perspectives: Challenge yourself to learn more about that by speaking with others, reading and taking courses
- Seek out and welcome feedback
- Be open to perspectives and information
- Anticipate that you will make mistakes on the learning journey
- Expect change to take time
If you make a mistake or are called out for a microaggression, acknowledge your mistake and show that you are ready to grow from it:
- Take a breath: understand that while you may have spoken or acted in error, this one mistake doesn’t reflect on you as a person
- Be open: keep an open mind and focus your attention on the other person’s feedback
- Listen: your priority is to make sure the other person has been (and feels) heard
- Sincerely apologize: replace instinctive defensiveness with curiosity and empathy, and offer a genuine apology
- Don’t overdo it: an excessive apology can contribute to the injury
1.3 Organizational Reflection and Actions
An important goal in working towards the 50 – 30 Challenge is to build a culture where everyone (regardless of identity) feels safe, welcome and respected. Below are research highlights on key ways to do this:
- Diversity doesn’t guarantee a better performing board and organization; rather, it is the board’s culture of inclusion that can affect how well diverse boards perform.
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It is important to focus on multiple forms of diversity, not only one form; social diversity (gender, race/ethnicity, age) and professional diversity (ideas, skills, expertise, etc.) are both important for increasing the impact of diverse perspectives on a board.
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It is also important to have diversity of thought and perspective; to do so, analyze the current skillset and experiences of board members and seek candidates to fill gaps.
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To make diverse boards more effective, build a culture where people feel safe and welcome to contribute, and that their voices are heard and integrated into decisions.
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Having a socially and professionally diverse board coupled with an open and welcome culture ultimately benefits the entire organization.
10 Actions You Can Take: Learn & Reflect
1. Watch a video on understanding equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and inclusive language.
- English: Why your words matter and how the words you choose affect everyone
- French: Diversité et inclusion, de quoi parle-t-on?
2. Self-learning: Begin to understand the challenges faced by different identity groups by starting with these resources. Choose 3 links to start, then move to the next Action. When you’ve completed all 10 actions, come back to learn more!
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (English and French)
- Building Inclusion for Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Workplaces (Report) (English and French)
- Employment Gaps and Underemployment for Racialized Groups and Immigrants in Canada (English and French)
- Comment soutenir la diversité entrepreneuriale
- Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples
- The State of Women in the Workplace 2021
- Being Black in Corporate America
- A storyteller’s approach to facilitating conversations on Racism | Lachelle King | TEDxOU
- Allegories on race and racism | Camara Jones | TEDxEmory
- Beyond Diversity: An LGBTQ Best Practice Guide for Employers
Note: As language is evolving, some terminology in the above external links may not be up-to-date.