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DEIB Leaders' Toolkit

DEIB Leaders' Toolkit

Toolkit collated by Hannah Wilson

What Is a DEIB Leader?

DEIB leaders are champions for marginalised groups, actively seeking their voices and experiences. They leverage these diverse perspectives to drive innovation, a win-win for creativity, belonging and business growth.

What Does a DEIB Leader Do?

A DEIB Leader works in collaboration with multiple stakeholders and oversees diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging activities at all levels from the Governance and Executive Leadership through to Employee Network Groups. They are an expert advocate who can equip and educate the team to create the most inclusive experience for all employees.

What Are the Skills that a DEIB Leader Needs?

DEIB leaders excel at active listening, creating spaces where employees from all backgrounds feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. A DEIB Leader authentically commits to diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging. They seek to understand other cultures, challenge the status quo, and be an advocate of equity for all. They can navigate difficult conversations about bias and microaggressions with empathy and respect.

Find out more via this article about the qualities of a successful DEIB Leader.

How Do You Get a Job as a DEIB Leader?

The path to becoming a diversity and inclusion manager usually involves obtaining a degree in a field such as human resources, sociology or business studies, gaining relevant work experience and pursuing professional certifications or postgraduate qualifications.

You can often gain relevant experience at university, through equality and diversity committees or related societies. Alternatively, voluntary work in the community can be helpful. You could seek work experience in a relevant position, either in an equality and diversity role or in something related, such as HR.

What Are the Key Responsibilities of a DEIB Leader?

  • To create and implement a diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging strategy for the organisation, building a framework that aligns with goals and priorities.
  • To work closely with key stakeholders, including HR, talent, finance, procurement, marketing and environmental, social and governance functions.
  • To ensure that the needs of all people and communities are met in a responsive and respectful way.
  • To be aware of their own behaviours and cultural values and understand implications of these for making respectful, reflective and reasoned choices.
  • To understand the impact of organisational systems, processes and cultures.

The Diverse Educators’ DEIB Leaders’ Toolkit

We are collating a growing bank of resources to support you in reflecting on the following questions:

  • Why do you want to be/ become a DEIB Leader?
  • How have you committed to championing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in your workplace?
  • What leadership skills and experience can you bring to the role of the DEIB Leader?
  • What impact have you had in creating a more inclusive approach to leadership?
  • What lived experiences do you bring to the role of DEIB Leader to shape your understanding of marginalised identities?
  • What training have you engaged in to develop your consciousness, confidence and competence as a DEIB Leader?

Articles

Center for Creative Leadership

5 Powerful Ways to Take REAL Action on DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion)

Read

Cooper

Strategies for Effective DEI Leadership

Read

Emeritus

7 Ways to Build a DEI Strategy in the Workplace

Read

Forbes

Three Characteristics Of Effective DEI Leadership

Read

Harvard Business Review

Why DEI Leaders Are Burning Out – and How Organizations Can Help

Read

Harvard Business Review

Overcoming Today’s DEI Leadership Challenges

Read

McKinsey & Co

It’s (past) time to get strategic about DEI

Read

McKinsey & Co

Unlocking the Potential of Chief Diversity Officers

Read

Books

Andersen, Heidi

Diversity Intelligence

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Battye, Gina

The Authentic Organisation

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Garrod, Catherine

Conscious Inclusion

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Malone, Tony

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

View

Malone, Tony

The Diversity & Inclusion Glossary

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McKenzie Delis, Leila

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

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Steele, Yvette

Impactful Inclusion Toolkit

View

Sweeney, Charlotte

Inclusive Leadership

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Thompson, Jason

Diversity and Inclusion Matters

View

Podcasts

Code Switch

View

DEI after 5

View

The Element of Inclusion

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Inclusion Inc - Diversity at Work

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Leaders for Good - Inclusion a Work

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The Will to Change

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Videos

All Inclusive

The Untold Realities of DEI Leadership

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DEI Career Conversations

Interrupting Bias as a DEI Leader

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Reimagining Company Culture

Connect & Be the Change

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School of Becoming

Emancipatory Leadership

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TEDxNewAlbany

3 Secrets of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership

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Uplifting Impact

How To Be A Responsible DEI Leader

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