Even with good intentions, leaders can be disconnected from the realities of the company’s different demographics.
This disconnected leadership team hinders progress and misses opportunities for greater growth.
Tech exec Jenifer Clausell-Tormos experienced this with investors who couldn’t relate to her experiences, impacting their view of her company’s – Develop Diverse potential.

This highlights a broader issue: a lack of understanding from those in power.
Watch the full vodcast of Jenifer Clausell-Tormos’ session of the Inclusive Exec Series.

Disconnect leadership occurs when a leadership team does not reflect mirror the demographics of its employees, customers, or the community it serves.
This disconnect can manifest in a lack of understanding of the challenges faced by different groups, an inability to create environments that harness more perspectives, and ultimately, a negative impact on business outcomes.

Signs of a disconnect

Does your leadership team reflect the diversity of your customers beyond gender?
Do they have the lived experiences of diverse customer segments?
Do they actively demonstrate inclusive leadership?
If “no,” you likely have a disconnected leadership team.

Why is this a problem?

A disconnected leadership team leads to:

• Weak decisions: Obsolete strategies & missed opportunities.
  When leaders lack diverse perspectives, they may make decisions that do not resonate with all of their stakeholders. This can lead to missed opportunities for growth and innovation.
• Low morale: Disengaged employees, especially from “minority” groups.
  Employees who do not feel represented or understood by their leadership team may become disengaged and less productive. This can lead to higher turnover rates and difficulty attracting top talent.
• Increased risk: Discrimination, prejudice, and potential legal issues.
  A lack of diversity in leadership can create a culture where discrimination and prejudice are more likely to occur. This can lead to legal issues and damage the company’s reputation.

What can you do?

• Build a diverse leadership team: Ensure diverse voices are heard and valued.
  This means actively recruiting and promoting individuals from underrepresented groups. It also means creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcome and respected.
• Provide inclusive leadership training: Build cultural competency and understanding.
  Inclusive leadership training can help leaders develop the skills and knowledge they need to create inclusive environments. This training should cover topics such as unconscious bias, cultural sensitivity, and communication.
• Create open communication: Empower employees to share experiences and perspectives.
  Create opportunities for employees to share their experiences and perspectives with leadership. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, or employee resource groups.

We have clients in the tech and industrial sectors who are dealing with situation. If that’s also on your radar, we can share what’s working for other companies.

Let’s talk next steps