Hire what you are not, and then start leading

It’s incumbent on leaders to create truly diverse and inclusive workplaces, as Advertising Council Australia’s ‘Create Space’ diversity and inclusion census returns to track the industry’s progress.

Rose Herceg is president, WPP Australia and New Zealand, serves on the board of Advertising Council Australia and is chair of its diversity and inclusion committee

Research has proven time and again that the greatest commercial and competitive advantage businesses have is the cultivation of the broadest workforce possible.

The advertising industry is no exception, and as an often culture-shaping industry, it is essential those within our ranks feel not only included, but safe, welcome and supported to thrive.

Create Space is Advertising Council Australia’s initiative that drives progress on inclusion and belonging. On November 1, we launch our second census to track progress. Our ambition is to use this data to help our industry create workplaces where everyone can feel empowered to achieve their full potential.

This country per capita, has more diversity than any other country in the world. There are 270 ancestries in Australia. Roughly 20 per cent of Aussies have a disability. Approximately 14 per cent identify as LBGTQI+. Just under 4 per cent identify as First Nations.

Since the 1940s, our immigration policy has delivered diversity to our doorstep.

How can the advertising industry better tap into the extraordinary range of talent available to us now? What needs to change right now?

There are two things we can do today.

The first is to interview people for jobs who look nothing like us. The second is to accept that the fastest route to real change rests with those of us at the very top.

The human instinct is to hire the same. Same face, same education, same background, same ethnicity, same goals, and even the same sense of humour.

Resisting the urge to do this is hard. Because it feels so natural. It also feels (relatively) risk-free.

But in truth, it’s not.

To hire different means to hire fresh perspectives. A fresh approach to life. A fresh way to see the world. A fresh background from which to draw life experiences.

I call it hiring people you didn’t grow up with, know little about, have rarely met and are unlikely to meet in your family or friendship circles.

All these candidates need to possess are the right skills to do the job.

What we need right now are leaders who will lead the charge.

Leaders must accept that the power and responsibility rests with us on how to make our cultures safe for people to speak up. Do we have a culture that encourages people to say how they feel? To be who they are without fear? To be entirely whole in their place of work?

Yes, hiring diverse people is incredibly important, but it’s just as important to champion inclusive leadership alongside sponsorship and allyship.

The very name of the “Create Space” initiative is about leaders giving up some of their space to make room for diverse voices.

But here is the unvarnished truth.

According to Harvard Business Review, a box-tick approach to diversity is not sufficient to create truly diverse and inclusive working environments – the kind that drives growth and improves the overall health of a business.

A 2020 article in the publication summed it up:

“Increasing the numbers of traditionally under-represented people in your workforce does not automatically produce benefits. Taking an “add diversity and stir” approach, while business continues as usual, will not spur leaps in your firm’s effectiveness or financial performance … increasing demographic diversity does not, by itself, increase effectiveness; what matters is how an organisation harnesses diversity, and whether it is willing to reshape its power structure,” wrote renowned business academics Robin Ely and David Thomas.

If the advertising industry is to be admired for imagination and ingenuity, then we need to create a workforce that gives power to these diverse voices. Different perspectives. Different ways to solve problems. Different life experiences. Different ideas that stretch the boundaries of creativity.

The next time you advertise a position, think about how you ask people to apply. Where will you find these people who look different to you? What will you say in the advertisement?

And yet for all the hard evidence on why this is good, here is my favourite reason to make our industry more inclusive.

When people feel like they really belong, they are happier.

Happy employees are more productive, and they are more engaged. Happy people believe in miracles. I’m talking about the work miracles. The kind of miracle that makes you believe you can turn that unhappy client around. You can solve that impossibly large problem. You can wake up (after an especially tricky day) and start anew with optimism and faith. Happy people are a joy to be around. Happy people rarely give up.

Happy people thrive in their job roles. Opportunities arise. Good things happen.

Where is the fun in working with people who are exactly like you? It would result in some pretty limiting conversations.
We all need new energy, new opinions, and yes, even new arguments to stimulate and inspire us.

So the next time you hire someone, hire what you are not.

And if you happen to be a leader in our industry, then for goodness sake, start leading.

I promise you it will make all the difference.

Rose Herceg is president, WPP Australia and New Zealand, serves on the board of Advertising Council Australia and is chair of its diversity and inclusion committee.