McKinsey & LeanIn’s Women in the Workplace Report 2023 finds women of colour are still persistently underrepresented. So, what can leaders do to move the dial?

This annual report is the largest of its kind in corporate America. This year it saw modest gains for women in general and a pipeline that’s weak in the middle, but for women of colour, progress is lagging at almost every career stage. This of course means that once you get to the C-suite, representation is truly dire. And it's not for lack of ambition; women of colour are even more ambitious than their white counterparts, with 88% looking to be promoted to the next level.

This starts from early career, where progress is furthest behind, especially for Black women which is a disappointing picture given the uptick in promotions in 2020 and 2021. It seems the focus has shifted, and with that, progress rewinds. As leading companies cut back their DEI staff, we as leaders need to be more proactive than ever to ensure our companies remain progressive, inclusive, and therefore out in front of the competition.

Managers are central to the employee experience, and as such can play a key role in uplifting women of colour. There is still much to do around mitigating microaggressions and fostering belonging in organisational culture, but there is plenty a leader can do on a person-to-person basis to empower women of colour to climb the ladder to C-suite.

First of all, it's crucial to track what is being put into DEI initiatives and the outcomes they produce with an intersectional lens. This can help us see, with more nuance, where gaps are forming. Here are some questions leaders need to ask:

- An initiative in and of itself may tick a box, but is it truly effective?

- What could be done to optimise the use of valuable resources in this area?

- Are you really serving the unique and specific characteristics within your team?

There’s also great potential in tailoring career programmes to women of colour, especially given that the report shows they tend to get less career advice and access to senior leaders. This is where mentorship and sponsorship programmes really come into their own. They’re a powerful way to get specific about support and provide women of colour with networks and role models they resonate with, minimising the impact of imposter syndrome most keenly felt within this group. Similarly, setting up ERGs (Employee Resource Group) in order to centre their experience and obstacles can do a world of good.

There are also more personalised actions to consider. Perhaps there is a speaking opportunity or project you need to staff - you might consider offering it to a woman of colour first. Perhaps you take the time to reach out and let them know you appreciate their work more often. Perhaps you hold a regular space for discussion with the women of colour in your team, talk about their ambitions and brainstorm together. These thoughtful actions all serve to cultivate an environment of psychological safety, where marginalised groups can talk about their concerns candidly, without fear of retribution.

The qualities of great leadership are changing. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report details this evolution, citing the top skills for a successful future leader as empathy, emotional intelligence, listening skills, coaching and mentoring, innovation, and creativity. Not only can we cultivate these traits within ourselves to become better leaders, but use them to encourage a more diverse set of potential leaders to stand in their authentic power and lead in a way that may have been dismissed traditionally.

There’s plenty to worry about when the world is in flux, but this is perhaps the ideal time to encourage new talent to stop playing by archaic rules and harness their uniqueness. This is how we drive forward in times of uncertainty instead of winding back the clock to a ‘safer’ time.