Leading Boards Engage With and Value Differences

Share the accountability to learn how to discuss effectively about and across differences*

Who This Is For 

Board chair, committee chairs, board buddies, mentors, and advocates*

The Aim 

Develop experience and comfort with engaging in conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging* to be more effective in harnessing differences to generate value. Foster a culture that allows for learning, mistakes and candid discussions without undue judgment or harm to relationships.

Take Action

• Learn, practice, and create norms* about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Practice perspective taking as a tool to learn about how others experience meetings and activities
• Develop the capacity to facilitate through differences

User Tip: See if the company is offering executive diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging training and create a complementary session for board members.

Benefits

By engaging in challenging conversations, you can learn more about what works on the board and create spaces where people can more fully contribute to the work.

Why It Matters

Protective behaviors* in diverse groups can limit authentic and productive engagement. Working through challenging conversations, and building trust, can help the board move forward together.

_{^{*Advocates: A person who proactively and intentionally seeks to support another’s participation in the group.
*Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) refers to commitments, policies, practices and initiatives aiming to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations. 
*Differences: For the purpose of this playbook, difference is used as a term to identify that all people in a boardroom have varying backgrounds and identities. 
*Norms: The practices and behaviors of a group--formal and informal, spoken and unspoken--that guide how the group works together and how individuals can participate. 
*Protective Behaviors: When faced with uncertainty, including when working across differences, people can respond with behaviors aiming to protect them, even if the harm is only perceived.}}

_{^{Learn more about these terms in the glossary.}}