Linbert Spencer OBE, Leadership Consultant, Trust Inclusion
Read his previous blog here.
When he was CEO of Reach2, I worked with Sir Steve Lancashire on the trust’s inclusivity. He later wrote: "The board sends a strong signal about the organisation’s values. Research shows that to be really effective there has to be a critical mass of diverse viewpoints rather than ‘symbolic’ or ‘representative’ members.” He noted that the board recognised its own lack of diversity and did something serious to address it: three trustees volunteered not just to stand down but to actively help search for their successors. Reach2’s board didn’t act just because they believed more diversity would be a good thing. They acted as they did because they all felt included – that is: respected, trusted, safe, valued and having a sense of belonging.
Trust Inclusion’s 2023 report Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in school trusts, stated… "Trusts that build an inclusive culture will reap the positive benefits of a diverse workforce, and it is vital that work starts with inclusive leadership.” Boards therefore need to be inclusive environments if they are to become more diverse, reflective of the communities and pupils they serve, and be creative, productive, and effective models of what they want to see throughout the trust.
At Trust Inclusion, we know trusts struggle to attract a diverse range of applicants from which to appoint trustees. Below are some things your trusts could do to ultimately create more diverse pools from which to appoint. You will need to try different things, and there are no sustainable quick fixes.
- Knowledge: Increase your knowledge of the communities you serve. What do you know? What more do you need to know? How could you find out more?
- Focus: Which aspects of diversity will you prioritise: age, and/or gender, and/or ethnicity (if so which particular ethnic group/s), and/or sexual orientation? How will you apply the same evidence-based approach to the different aspect/s of diversity, as you would to legal or finance skills on the board. Remember that looking for legal or finance skills, and a particular aspect of diversity is not mutually exclusive.
- Networks: Mine the communities served by your schools. What relevant organisations (in terms of the particular aspect/s of diversity you’re seeking) could you engage with to seek candidates? Who are key stakeholders in those ‘communities’?
- Informing: How do potential candidates know there is an opportunity for them? Many boards use their existing or former members to find suitable candidates. If board members are properly briefed regarding the life experiences that are being sought, some might know people, and/or people who know people. This approach has the added benefit of reinforcing the commitment of the Trustees to increase board diversity.
- Word-of-Mouth: Word-of-mouth recruitment is often frowned upon because of the risk of perpetuating ‘closed shops’. However, if you begin to put the word into different mouths, then as well as increasing the diversity of the pool, it’ll enhance your profile within the relevant communities.
- Media: How do you advertise opportunities? Have you used media that seeks to serve those who share, or are allied to, the particular aspect/s of diversity that you’re seeking to attract? Using such media is not to suggest that they won’t see the advert in the mainstream media; rather, seeing it in media dedicated to serving them as well, will increase your chances of them taking you seriously.
- Agencies: If your recruitment agency consistently fails you regarding a diverse pool of applications from which to select, in spite of being given a clear brief – find another agency and tell them why the previous agency lost the contract.
- Congruence: Does your trust reflect the images and words on the website? If not, none of the above is likely to enable you to create an inclusive board that reflects the communities it serves. Being an inclusive trust with a diverse board requires your stated values to be evidenced in how you do everything you do.
Increasing the diversity of your board in order to ‘tick a box’ or to ‘look more representative’ can sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, if you don’t believe a more diverse board will add value to your work, then don’t bother; if however you believe the opposite, then focus on maintaining a board culture in which every member feels respected, trusted, valued, safe, and has a sense of belonging.
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