Rob Wright, Partner and Executive Coach at Cadence Partners, on what NOT to underestimate in your journey towards a more diverse board.
We’ve all heard the rhetoric; diversity at board level further-enhances decision-making, innovation and organisational culture, making your organisation more responsive to the communities you serve. But as the NHS faces increased operational pressures and political, financial and media scrutiny, how do we embed JEDI (justice, equity, diversity inclusion) principles into our boards while meeting multiple demands?
During my ten years as a specialist in developing and promoting board-level talent in the NHS, I supported hundreds of hiring organisations to attract, assess, and appoint the right leaders to the right jobs, at the right time. Here are the five things I learned you shouldn’t underestimate:
The importance of non-exec directors, particularly from a range ofbackgrounds: NEDs, as they’re known in our acronym-loving NHS, play a pivotal role in democratic governance and the shaping of strategic direction. NHS organisations exist to serve the public, and as outlined by the NHS Constitution, their boards should reflect the diversity of the populations they serve. Research consistently shows that diverse teams improve decision-making by incorporating a broader range of perspectives, which leads to more innovative solutions. In healthcare, diverse leadership is crucial for understanding and addressing health disparities, ultimately enhancing patient care and outcomes. This was underlined in a 2020 report from The King's Fund. By ensuring NEDs reflect the fabric of the whole community, you’re helping your board to better-understand and address the needs of all patients and ensuring the voices of underrepresented groups are heard and considered in policy and service delivery. Which can only lead to better care outcomes.
Being intentional about cultivating your leadership pipeline: Succession planning for board-level roles must be intentional and not left to chance, particularly if you want to go beyond the traditional methods of recruitment in order to discover truly diverse talent.The NHS Long Term Plan highlights the need for more inclusive leadership development initiatives, noting that organisations should focus on creating pathways for underrepresented groups. Ensuring you’re offering targeted leadership development programmes, mentorship opportunities, and clear pathways to board roles that have JEDI principles as a golden thread is a powerful step forward. In doing so you’re not only nurturing the next generation of diverse NEDs and enriching the broader leadership landscape, you’re also promoting the sustainability of EDI practices for years to come.
2. The loneliness of public sector leadership: Nonprofit leadership can be isolating. The weight of decision-making that directly impacts lives, combined with the pressure of constant scrutiny, can lead to burnout and affect board member tenure. Offer specific support for execs, including networks of peer support and mentorship. This approach not only allows individuals to share experiences and develop effective coping strategies, but also plays a crucial role in retaining talented and diverse leaders.
The importance of retaining difference rather than asking for assimilation: Diverse leaders are often appointed then expected to act, think, speak, sound like everyone else. They then either have to adopt a new way of ‘fitting in’ or remain ‘different’ and risk being ostracised. That can lead to higher turnover of diverse NEDs and feed the idea that board members won’t be welcomed if they don’t ‘fit the mould’. To address this, use the recruitment of new board members as an opportunity to get your existing board to re-visit their understanding and appreciation of difference, be more inclusive, and actively role-model that as a representative of your organisation. You can also think about the ways in which the running of your board can be made more inclusive and remove any unnecessary barriers. As well as induction, buddying and mentoring, we need to be giving a full, 3D brief to NEDs on a proactive basis. Think about less formal training around your current priorities or challenges, acronyms and jargon, as well as key stakeholders and external environment. This is the kind of information shared informally over a coffee!
Role-model the culture you want for your organisation: The day-to-day culture of any NHS organisation is often a direct reflection of its leadership. This statement might seem obvious, but there are ample harrowing examples of where it doesn’t happen. When JEDI is prioritised at board level, it permeates throughout the organisation, but don’t assume that happens automatically. This involves a proactive approach to ensuring that all board members not only understand but role-model and champion JEDI principles in their strategic decisions. By setting the tone from the top, leaders can create a workplace where everyone feels valued, engaged, and motivated to contribute to the organisation’s goals. This in turn means people are more likely to adhere to Freedom to Speak Up principles and in turn, helps mitigate against the worst-case scenarios we still see all too frequently in the national press.
