Part 1: WHY?
Why Care? Do we care about balance? Why or why not? How much? How urgently? Can we sell our ‘why?’ to both the believers and the sceptics?
Most Executive Teams consider nationality and gender balance a priority. They haven’t yet thought much about age. Get balance onto the strategic agenda, compellingly.
Want to better reflect today’s diverse and multi-generational talent and customers? Proactively adapt your culture – and your systems.
A politically incorrect conversation to ensure that leaders become both convinced and convincing. Even comfortable on why and how to build balance – across nationalities, genders and/or generations. No mean feat in a single day.
“Don’t let anyone else (e.g. HR, Diversity, or your women’s network head) present the ‘business case’ for balance to a gently acquiescing but unaccountable leadership team. It is impossible to convince from the outside in. Years of out-groups arguing to in-groups why there should be more of them should have proven this. If you want buy-in, this team needs to debate the issues amongst themselves.”
Innovate! Run a Strategic Debate in FORBES
“I’m absolutely convinced that the evolving balance of the top management team is a key factor in our success and our ability to change” Feike Sijbesma, CEO DSM
““You are not a global company because you do business in 120 countries. You are a global company if you understand countries and customers so well that you are able to do business optimally everywhere.” Marijn Dekkers, Former CEO, BAYER
“Too often I have seen in other companies that women have to become tougher than men in order to succeed. I don’t want to see that happen at Nestle.” Paul Bulcke, former CEO Nestlé.
“Where government fails, global companies can fill the void by building concepts that become platforms for change and progress.” Ehsan Malik, former Country Manager Unilever Pakistan