Why female political leaders have saved lives during the pandemic - Greg Wright

You cannot be what you cannot see.

It’s a famous saying that contains an eternal truth. Role models reinforce positive messages about the nature of leadership.

The value of having a broad range of talents in high profile roles was underlined by Griselda Togobo, the chief executive of Forward Ladies, at our Excellence in Business awards.

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The ceremony showed that the best companies continue to value and respect their staff as they plot expansion.

Griselda Togobo of Forward LadiesGriselda Togobo of Forward Ladies
Griselda Togobo of Forward Ladies

During our interview, Griselda highlighted the reasons many Britons would rather have New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in charge of our response to the pandemic.

To quote, Griselda: :”Countries led by female leaders have experienced half as many deaths as countries led by men.

“Every female leader is saving lives. And the impact on the lives saved has a direct correlation to the economy and the communities we are living in right now.”

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“The broader lessons are around the different styles of leadership and what different people bring to the table based on their lived experiences, the way they see the world, their culture and their religion and their ethnicity,’’ said Griselda.

“Research has shown that women have a more collaborative, democratic style of leadership, which means that they are seeking different opinions from the different tiers of demographics we have in the community.”

There is a broader business lesson that can be drawn from the female-led response to the pandemic.

In a fast-changing world every business will need to serve the needs of a diverse market place.

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“How are you going to achieve that when you have a homogeneous group of people, who think in the same way, and went to the same schools?” said Griselda.

“How are you going to solve the problems that a more diverse market place is facing?

“That’s why it’s very important that businesses spend some time looking at the teams they have in place to develop their products, so that the products they are developing remain relevant, not just for the core demographic of people, but for the different people who will be using their products.”

“I can give the very simple example of Alexa or Google, and the fact that I have an accent that is not European,’’ Griselda said.

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“When I speak to my Google appliance, they don’t always understand my phonetics and inflections.

“This is one simple example of how a lack of diversity really has a direct impact on the products that come out into the market place.”

So how do we go about creating a talent pipeline that is truly inclusive and diverse?

According to Griselda, the problem is structural and cannot be solved by a quick training programme around inclusion.

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“This is really down to how we recruit, how we reward and how we retain talent,’’ she said.” If we are looking to attract a diverse talent base, we cannot do the same things we have done.

She added:.”Things won’t change if we simply have the same people on interview panels, asking the same question.

“It’s really about learning to engage with a different demographic that we are trying to attract. We need to look at the language we are using to offer those opportunities, so we can speak to the people we are trying to recruit.

“There is also a big issue around how we reward success in leadership. Currently leaders are not rewarded for the inclusion of the teams they develop.”

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By amending the rewards structure and – say – basing bonuses around the level of diversity across an entire organisation would certainly concentrate minds and lead to lasting change.

We must recognise that all of us experience life in a different way, due to our accents, gender and the colour of our skin.

By acknowledging our own flaws and prejudices, we can take the first steps on a journey of self discovery which should enhance our understanding of the complex world of work.

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