In Episode 5 of Lead The Future, I spoke with Laura Liswood, the General Secretary of the Council of Women Leaders and a renowned speaker on leadership, diversity, and unconscious bias. In our conversation, Laura shares how mission-critical diversity is for businesses today and debunks common myths on how to go about achieving it.
“Sometimes you hear people saying ‘Diversity can go to the back burner right now. We have too many other important things to do,’” Liswood said. “The truth of the matter is that you can’t get to those important things, with the kind of innovation and solutions you need, without the diversity.”
We also discussed the different skillsets of transactional and relational leaders, appropriate moments for each, and the tools needed to navigate the unprecedented times of our current business context. We looked at examples of female leaders that have excelled across the world during the Covid-19 pandemic and Laura shared some of her insights from working with top female leaders from governments around the globe.
- How to think about unconscious bias and diversity – and why they matter
- The role of CEOs in social issues
- The best leaders have the most tools in their toolbox
- Tips for determining how committed your organization, or your team, truly is to diversity
- Laura’s advice for future leaders
