I always thought I was lucky to live in Australia. After all, we live in an egalitarian society right? Our institutions are run along a philosophy of meritocracy, right? Your workplace promotes the best, right?
Well in that case, why is Diversity an issue?
There are serious deficiencies of women and other ethnic groups in the majority of leadership positions in Australia. No one truly thinks women and non-whites are not as capable than the male majority in leadership positions. In fact, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that being a mother builds a range of useful skills relevant to leadership.
So my point here is that our diversity problem is a symptom of a bigger problem. The fact is our organisations are not promoting on merit. We do not actually have the best people running our organisations.
Imagine the increases in productivity if the best people were in the top jobs.
Imagine the improvement in conversations when there is a greater diversity of voices and ideas.
Imagine the improvements in the social fabric and social justice if our society truly was fair.
So don’t see equity as a women’s issue or a black issue. See addressing inequities as an opportunity for dramatic improvements in productivity and social equity. Address the underlying issues that cause inequity. Don’t appoint a women as CEO just for the sake of it. Appoint a woman as CEO and have the board hold her accountable for changing the internal biases in the system that work not just against women but against meritocracy.
