The representation gap

Barriers:

They say you can’t be what you cannot see, and far too few Black business leaders are ‘one-of-one’ in their organisations (a 2021 BITC Survey found that just 1.5% of UK leaders were Black, despite making up 4.2% of the population). This often means they lack mentors or role models who can guide their careers, whose blueprint they can follow, and whose very existence bolsters their confidence and self-belief. This can also lead to or compound feelings of isolation and exclusion and ultimately can impact performance and tenure.

Solutions:

Set clear targets (yes, I did say ‘targets’) for balanced senior representation in your organisation when it comes to Black and underrepresented leaders. Recruiting top Black talent externally may require investment – Black leaders are a niche talent group – but studies have shown that diverse leadership helps to drive inclusive cultures, innovation, and revenue, so the potential ROI is strong.

From an employer branding perspective, companies have a great opportunity to work with Black leaders to showcase the fact that you have diverse representation both internally and externally as this representation is often a key part of the research into potential employers by Black job-seekers. But you don’t want to appear tokenistic, and overly reliant on one or a few employees with your communications, so if approaching Black leaders to support your employer branding or employee experience efforts, it’s always a good idea to demonstrate clear goals and intended outcomes from securing their involvement. You’re not promising anything but you’re showing clear intent to move the dial, rather than simply tick-boxing.

As part of the employee experience, companies can also:

• Develop initiatives to connect Black leaders with like-minded internal and external mentors and sponsors to support and guide their development and progression;
• Create internal programmes that develop high-potential Black employees for leadership roles;
• Employ tools and processes that help mitigate against unconscious bias in the recruitment process to help increase representation in the organisation
• Support the formation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as safe spaces that provide a sense of community and belonging.

Microaggressions and unconscious bias

Barriers:

Many characteristics are desirable in great leaders.  Assertiveness, boldness, and a willingness to innovate and disrupt. But with Black leaders, there’s a risk that these characteristics, through the lens of unconscious bias, become negatively perceived as ‘challenging’, ‘problematic’, or ‘disorganised’. And of course, there’s that dreadful ‘Well, you know why they were hired don’t you?..’ comment that has unfortunately been uttered way too often. All too often this bias and the accompanying microaggressions, can create a hostile work environment and make it difficult for Black leaders to be seen as competent despite the opposite being true.

Solutions:

To effectively tackle any instances of microaggression, it’s important to understand what is happening and the impact it has on your Black leaders as well as on the wider organisation.

If you have a small cohort of Black leaders, conducting a focus group within a psychologically safe environment is a great way to hear and understand their experience within the business. By supporting this qualitative data with the quantitative data you can get from (asking the right questions in) your internal surveys, you’ll also begin to see the bigger picture and understand how widespread or concentrated any issues may be.

Exit interviews may also help you retain existing staff and manage any reputational damage by addressing the concerns of departing Black leaders. Although some would have already disengaged, a good proportion would want to educate the business about the culture to prevent similar outcomes for other Black and underrepresented leaders.

As part of the employee experience, companies can also:

• Diversity and inclusion training has gotten a bad rap in recent years for seemingly being held up as the solution to unconscious bias and microaggressions. It is in fact, simply a starting point for addressing the issue, but it does have its place and shouldn’t completely be dismissed. What is important is for training to be ongoing, and meaningful.
• Alongside this training, to foster a culture of belonging, senior leaders can also develop – and embed – clear and well communicated policies and processes that clearly give no space to non-inclusive practices. This should be led and demonstrated by senior leadership to embed the culture and practice in the organisation.
• Businesses can also ensure that there are safe spaces and routes for their Black leaders to report and address microaggressions.

The competence cliff

Barriers:

Black leaders often live by the mantra: ‘work twice as hard for half as much’, which essentially means they feel they need to perform flawlessly to be perceived as merely competent. The repercussions of mistakes or failures (which are so essential for great leaders to develop), can often be career limiting for Black leaders in what I call the ‘Competence Cliff’. i.e. a high-performing Black leader makes a mistake, and there’s an instant drop-off in their perceived competence, all prior successes forgotten.

The constraint, caution, and sheer energy that needs to be employed by Black leaders to maintain this level of ‘perfection’ would perhaps serve the business better if it were directed to creating, innovating, and disrupting for the greater good.

Solutions:

Clear and public communication of the achievements of Black leaders by senior leaders and ExCo members within your organisation will not only create a more balanced perception of their capabilities and successes but will also publicly reinforce the rationale behind their hiring and increase the sense of belonging.

This communication could include regular performance reviews, and celebrating successes as well as learning from mistakes. If this practice is adopted on a widespread basis at all levels across the business, you will avoid the appearance of tokenism whilst fostering a culture of belonging and empowerment for all.

From a performance perspective, giving Black leaders and other employees the confidence to stand on their records of achievement, empowers them to innovate, challenge the status quo, and continue to accelerate your business goals.

The path forward doesn’t lie in a ‘one and done’ approach

In conclusion, Black Leaders Awareness Day serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing journey toward true inclusion. While strides have been made, the path forward doesn’t lie in a ‘one and done’ approach, and there’s no big fix. Instead, what is required is a considered and sustained effort to understand and enhance the employee experience in a way that is embedded and threaded into policy, process, and practice within organisations.

By actively dismantling barriers like the "Representation Gap", fostering an inclusive environment, and recognising the value of diverse perspectives, organisations can cultivate a space where Black leaders not only excel but become integral to a company's success. So let BLAD be a day for introspection and action for organisations to assess their current practices and commit to creating a more equitable future where Black leaders can flourish and contribute their full potential.

You can visit www.theblacknetwork.co.uk to find out more about the great work Isa is doing to help develop black talent and how to get involved.