When it comes to executive recruiting, diversity in leadership is one consideration that remains at the forefront. While leadership roles have grown increasingly diverse, we’re still far from true equity — considerations for intersections of identity, such as both gender and race, are often where organizations fall flat.

Women are dramatically underrepresented in leadership, with women of color still only making up 5% of the C-suite. Multi-faceted leadership diversity gives way to new perspectives and improved outcomes — discover how diverse women impact the organizations they lead. 

It’s well-known that women and minorities experience systematic barriers in the workplace — making it difficult for them to achieve top positions. Though some candidates break past bias, diversity in leadership still seems to take more time than hiring homogenous groups. According to an analysis of the S&P100, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and women leaders have less opportunity to demonstrate their performance in business-critical areas.

Organizations must make a conscious decision to incorporate equity in their hiring processes. By recognizing and installing diverse women into leadership roles now, you create a robust succession plan centered around diversity of ideas and experiences. 

Organizations must strive to reflect those they serve, including employee and audience bases. When they fail to foster leadership diversity in the C-suite, they may run into problems. Analysis shows that a lack of diverse role models who can inspire others often creates recruitment and retention challenges for leading organizations. 

Diversity in leadership shows your employee base that your organization values input from all communities. Furthermore, the presence of diverse women in the C-suite reveals that joining your organization will not be a dead end — the opportunity to advance is represented by the people at the top. 

Diverse leadership showcases that your organizational culture is progressive, inclusive, and equitable. This perception weaves trust throughout your employee base — encouraging higher efficiency and success long-term. Working with an executive search firm to bolster your leadership diversity is a stepping stone to positive outcomes. 

Gartner reports that 75% of organizations with frontline decision-making teams reflecting a diverse and inclusive culture will exceed their financial targets. Furthermore, gender-diverse and inclusive teams outperformed gender-homogenous, less inclusive teams by 50% on average. By promoting or outsourcing exceptional diverse women, it’s likely that your organization will outperform expectations — regardless of your industry. 

As a firm founded by women, K² Search is dedicated to building a balanced yet diverse C-suite for your organization. We see the unique perspective that leadership diversity brings, providing opportunities to learn from and connect with the community. We present each of our partners with diverse slates of candidates that include a range of genders, ethnicities, races, and abilities.
Increase diversity in your leadership by partnering with K² Search — contact our team to start your search.