Our Thinking.

Report – Diversity, Inclusion & Law 2024

Reports

We are delighted to welcome you to our third edition of the D&I and Law report. Commissioned by Obelisk in collaboration with Spark21 the charity behind The Next 100 Years Project. Spark21 work to promote equality and diversity and in particular the elimination of discrimination on the ground of gender. This report spotlights and celebrates the legal leaders driving sustained change and builds on over a decade of work by Obelisk Support championing a more diverse legal profession.

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Foreword

Inclusion in the context of leadership is a LOT like anchovies in the context of Caesar salads.

I am not a fan of those salty little fish. When taken on their own, I find them overpowering, but I once made the mistake of demanding “no anchovies” in my Caesar dressing, and what I tasted, as a result, was underwhelming at best – an experience that I never want to repeat and one that helped me to reframe the influence of anchovies for someone who’d never appreciated them.

A call for ‘inclusive leadership’ does not demand you to drop standards, abandon performance targets or countenance mediocrity. It’s a reminder that there are essential elements of leadership that you may find personally disagreeable when consumed alone, but when they’re absent, make your leadership equally unpalatable.

Inclusive leadership is how you deliver sustainable high performance. Every one of you remembers that one leader who, through their actions or lack of engagement, made you feel like you didn’t belong and weren’t welcome. You may have tolerated that behaviour for a period and have ‘made it’ despite their lack of inclusive leadership skills, but that doesn’t change that “leadership” you thrive despite… isn’t leadership.

It also doesn’t change the fact that the absence of inclusive leadership is no longer just a personal choice. Your organisation’s websites are littered with the promise of inclusive leadership made on your behalf. If you don’t believe me, check out the “Careers” and “About” pages on your respective departmental websites.

Inclusive leadership is energy expensive, but worth it: knowledge and skills that are a performance prerogative – a recipe for how we attract followers who want to contribute fulsomely, challenge intelligently and deliver consistently

John Amaechi
OBE