Leading with Pride: How to Integrate Allyship in Leadership for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion

It's Pride Month! What better time to delve into the theme of allyship within leadership? 

By Joanna McCrae, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Client Services Director

We all have a general notion of what allyship is as a concept, but setting in motion the policies, cultures, and behaviours needed for an inclusive environment takes more than good intentions. For the LGBTQIA+ community, having allies in leadership positions is crucial for creating safe, supportive and equitable environments. Leaders have the power to set the tone and culture within their organisations. Their actions and words can lead to significant change, promoting a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

So, in this article, we’re going to explore how leaders can embody allyship through the three lenses of acceptance, action and humility. No leader can claim to be an ally if they aren’t accepting of every individual in their team. There’s no room for symbolic, one-off initiatives; you need to adopt a mentality that lives and breathes acceptance.

Create a culture of psychological safety

Ask yourself if you’ve created a culture where people can realistically share concerns from discrimination to burnout with their line managers. Without that trust, issues go unaired and a wellbeing vacuum emerges. 

Remember to really listen, be persistent and don’t shy away from difficult conversations. As a general rule, you need to ask three times for someone to feel safe opening up to you. 

Feedback is essential to creating a psychologically safe workplace. Rather than simply imposing policies, open up a dialogue to understand what LGBTQIA+ employees really want.

Change your recruitment and organisational processes

Leaders should adopt flexible and inclusive recruitment practices, such as task-based assessments and diverse hiring panels. As standard, performance evaluations and career progression should be transparent and unbiased, with equal opportunities for all. 

Inclusive policies must extend to benefits, ensuring gender-neutral facilities, employee resource groups and support for diverse family structures. Physical spaces should be accepting, accessible and inclusive for all gender identities. Continuous feedback mechanisms lead to ongoing improvement, fostering a workplace culture where inclusivity is integral and everyone feels valued and respected.

Being active involves taking that mindset of acceptance and enacting policies and initiatives that improve the environment around them. It’s a visible blend of speaking out against anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination and normalising the inclusion of diverse profiles at all levels of the company.

Practise what you preach with authentic allyship

Authentic allyship goes beyond mere lip service. In leadership, this means using your privilege to support and uplift marginalised communities, even when it feels uncomfortable. You need to take action by embracing vulnerability, acknowledging your own biases, and being open to continuous learning. 

The most obvious indicator of authentic allyship is being willing to challenge discriminatory behaviour. Calling out inappropriate comments, addressing inequities in the workplace and advocating for inclusive policies all set the standards for a safe working culture.

Support individual growth with sponsorship and mentorship

Sponsorship and mentorship are vital for fostering the career growth of diverse employees who have fewer role models to look up to. The two concepts are quite similar: Sponsorship involves senior leaders advocating for high-potential individuals, while mentorship provides advice and skill development.

Effective programmes pair talented employees with leaders, who run regular check-ins rather than one-off interactions. These initiatives not only help employees overcome challenges and advance but also enable leaders to tap into diverse talent, aiding succession planning.

Clearly announcing equitable, flexible training options tailored to individual needs is a great way of attracting ambitious talent and creating a workplace that promotes LGBTQIA+ inclusion. 

Being humble is perhaps not as obvious as the more expressive traits of being accepting and active, but it is still a critical pillar of allyship. In essence, it’s about taking a back seat in discussions around LGBTQIA+ issues and offering the floor to their LGBTQIA+ colleagues.

This involves showing a great deal of empathy and understanding. However, empathy and understanding aren’t inherent values. They result from listening to people’s stories and perspectives and keeping an open mind when faced with new ideas. 

Leaders show empathy and understanding by checking in with employees, showing appreciation for their contributions and being present during difficult times. There’s no need to make elaborate displays of empathy; it’s the little things that count. For example, adding your pronouns to a LinkedIn page or email signature may seem inconsequential. However, it sends a strong message to the LGBTQIA+ community that they can feel like they’re in a safe space when speaking to you.

Educate yourself to stay ahead of the curve

Education is at the core of effective allyship, and there’s plenty of material to dig into. Books, diverse voices on social media, workshops and listening to individuals from marginalised communities all combine to provide crucial insights into the historical and contemporary struggles faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals. 

Of course, education is an ongoing process. We’re constantly exploring new and better diversity practices, so a commitment to lifelong learning is vital. Staying up-to-date on allyship isn’t just a moral advantage, it unlocks the potential of new perspectives and innovations.

Empower your hiring managers to onboard and retain diverse teams

Recruitment is, of course, one of the most consequential areas for you to practise allyship, and it starts with training hiring managers. Regular sessions on psychological safety, microaggressions and DE&I policies all help managers grow and promote inclusive practices. 

However, in our experience, leaders and hiring teams often struggle to see the benefits, so focus on why diverse recruitment is important, instead of simply how to implement it. Varied perspectives lead to innovation, diverse profiles span a broader skill set and inclusive hiring practices create a more welcoming environment which leads to higher job satisfaction and reduced turnover.

Discover the power of allyship with Page Executive

We’re in an exciting time in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion. A lot of best practices are becoming industry standards, anti-discrimination laws are now commonplace and an increasing number of decision-makers are seeing the far-reaching value of diverse workforces. 

Of course, there’s still a long way to go before inclusive workplaces are the norm. So if you’d like your company to face the challenge with expert advice, reach out to us now.