Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Great Leadership Is Inclusive Leadership

Great things happen when leaders embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In fact, in order for your organization’s DEI efforts to succeed, leaders need to make inclusion part of the way they lead every day.

As companies face pressure to change their DEI initiatives, it’s even more important to weave inclusion and belonging into your company’s culture. Failing to do so poses risks to retention, employee engagement, bench strength, business performance, and more.

We know that DEI is part of any strong leadership development strategy. When leaders consistently model inclusive values and behavior, you can grow the inclusive workplace culture that attracts and engages employees of all backgrounds.

By the Numbers

How Is Leadership Development Connected to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

Leaders who foster an inclusive work environment help their organizations achieve better business results.

2.4X

more likely to outperform peers financially

Organizations with above-average diversity are 2.4X more likely to outperform their peers financially.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report 2023

10X

more likely to have a strong leadership bench

Organizations that develop high-potential leaders from diverse backgrounds are 10X more likely to have a strong leadership bench.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report 2023

7X

more likely to report inclusive culture

When leaders demonstrate behaviors that drive inclusion, employees are 7X more likely to report that inclusion is a strong part of their culture.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report 2023

It takes high-quality DEI practices to get diverse talent in the door, but high-quality leadership to make them want to stay.

Driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Leadership

Leaders set the tone for inclusion. But while many leaders have completed DEI training, they don’t know how to actually be more inclusive. That’s where DDI comes in. Using a framework of awareness, commitment, and allyship, we help companies guide leaders to change their behavior.

Leaders learn to value diverse perspectives and offer equitable opportunities. Most importantly, we help leaders recognize specific ways they can be more inclusive within the leadership role. This includes learning how to delegate equitably, run inclusive meetings, and create psychological safety. By focusing on these key behaviors, we help leaders develop behaviors that are authentic and impactful.

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man in a wheelchair talking to two other colleagues in the office about diversity, equity, and inclusion

Sample Learning Journey

Imagine an Inclusive Leadership Development Program

We know every organization has different diversity, equity, and inclusion needs. At DDI, we help you design a leadership development solution to match your specific business context—helping you achieve the inclusive culture you aspire towards.

Download a sample of how we work with organizations to create development programs that integrate DEI across leadership levels. This is just one sample learning journey detailing how we help leaders move from awareness to action and allyship.

View sample
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Develop Inclusive Leaders with a DDI Subscription

Driving diversity, equity, and inclusion through leadership requires inclusive leaders who are thoughtful about using their skills every day.

With a DDI leadership development subscription, you can help your leaders apply a lens of equity and inclusion to the way they communicate, coach, and delegate in their daily work.

And it doesn’t end there. Our subscriptions are designed to grow with leaders. We support them through evolving challenges and meet them in their every moment of need.

Learn more about subscriptions

21

of leaders say company seeks diversity

21% of leaders say their organization recruits and promotes from diverse candidate pools.

Global Leadership Forecast, DEI Report 2023

By the Numbers

Developing Leaders Can Reduce Interviewing Bias

Hiring diverse talent is critical to building an inclusive culture. Unfortunately, many interview processes introduce unconscious bias. People across the hiring team may approach interviews differently, which opens the door to inconsistent experiences for each candidate. Each interviewer likely uses different decision-making criteria and may also lack confidence making hiring decisions for their organizations.

DDI’s behavioral interviewing approach, Targeted Selection®, is designed to ensure hiring teams gather consistent criteria and evaluate candidates fairly. This results in less bias and higher confidence when making hiring decisions.

Learn more about behavioral interviewing