Not seeing yourself and people who share your identity -- however you define your identity -- reflected in any leadership roles at the company you work in can cause pain, frustration and ultimately, disengagement on the part of employees who long to see themselves and their identities in positions of leadership. I can’t overstate the impact leadership-to-workforce representation has.
Representation matters. Actress and activist Geena Davis, in speaking about the staggering underrepresentation of women in feature films, has said about young women, “If she can’t see it, she can’t be it.” Promising employees who look at the org chart and don’t see themselves wonder whether there is a path to leadership for them. When a high-profile or executive level leader leaves -- and if that person is diverse in ethnicity, a woman, an “out” LGBTQ executive -- I have seen fast and broad ripple events through the employee population. They imagine the worst and