Do you have the skills to lead a diversely-composed board?

If you are the chairman of a listed company board which is composed of people who are representative of many dimensions of diversity - age, gender, nationality, educational background and geographic location - you are in the minority.

Many of your peers will be leading boards which are homogeneous; some will chair boards with one or two female directors. In governance jargon a board of men and one or two women translates as being "diverse".

But gender isn't a synonym for diversity.

Chairmen of truly diverse boards are rare. I have talked in depth to many of this select group of men and women. Their experiences of managing the views and contributions of people who are quite different to one another formed part of my research for "leading for diversity in the boardroom".

The skills that a chairman of a diversely-composed board requires fall into the catagory of "soft" skills.

In the report of my research, "The Chairman of the Future: Leading for Diversity in the Boardroom", (Keeping Good Companies, February 2011), I write:

"The ability to chair a diversely composed board will require a range of what are often called “soft” skills that have traditionally been considered the domain of women. The most significant of these is being able to listen closely. In all probability, someone who is different to you – because of gender, age, nationality, work and education background, religion – will not think the same way. But that doesn’t mean you both aren’t working towards the same solution.Therefore, the leadership skills required for a diverse group will also include patience, understanding, and the ability to put aside ego in order to accept that there may be another way of doing something. Finally, a tolerance for dissent is critical."

The leadership skills of patience, understanding, the ability to accept other viewpoints, the ability to listen and a tolerance for dissent are in addition to the traditional skills that a good chairman will bring to board leadership.
As more companies in Australia and globally continue to pursue diversity as a critical strategic goal, the people who are chosen to lead boards may well be selected based on their demonstrated ability to "lead for diversity".