Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Adiverse boardroom may not be as comfortable and chummy as a homogeneous boardroom – it may feel messy, the inaugural Diverse Thinking Governance Summit 2018 heard.

But it is this that drives the success, where a variety of ideas and viewpoints can flourish, rather than just a me-too approach. Director Rob Campbell commented that you: “Need to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.”

The summit, which was hosted by the Superdiversity Institute, attracted more than 130 participants. They heard from a who’s who of speakers including the Superdiversity Institute’s Mai Chen, director Justine Smyth, director Julia Raue, the Institute of Directors’ Kirsten Patterson and director Rob Campbell, around diversity in governance and how to improve it.

Amongst the key topics covered were: • How chairs and directors can grow

diverse boards. • Measuring diverse thinking. • How diverse thinking directors can be

more effective. • Growing diverse thinking on not-for-profit

boards. • Why diverse thinking boards really matter

to shareholders. • Why diverse thinking matters to state

sector boards. • Growing diverse thinking in CEOs and

senior management. • IoD New Zealand’s Future Directors programme.

Prior to the summit a significant number of chairs and directors signed up to the Diverse Thinking Leadership Pledge to promote both diversity on their boards and also to bring their own diverse voices to the board table.

The Superdiversity Institute has a great tool in its Diverse Thinking Matrix that can both help those looking for board roles demonstrate their diversity, but also for boards to measure their own and candidates’ diversity.

It was emphasised that what is important is diversity of thought which comes from diversity of experience. While obvious diversity such as gender or ethnicity can produce this often people that, on the surface, look the same but they may have had hidden diversity due to significantly different life experiences, making them more diverse than at first view.

For a new diverse director you need to do some ground work, let people hear your voice before the meeting, look to build a relationship and understanding with the chair so they know you and can support you and work on relationships with other board members.

Director Tania Simpson commented that: “Most importantly be genuine and act with integrity of who you are.”

It is also key that the capability to be a diverse thinker is not the same as actually doing it and practicing it takes courage and bravery.

There was discussion that boards should not just consider strategy but also company culture as this has a huge bearing on ultimate success and staff retention.

The IoD Future Directors programme was introduced where younger upcoming directors get to sit on a large board as an observer for a year. Two current Future Directors Venasio-Lorenzo Crawley and Nagaja Sanatkumar spoke of their experience in the programme.