Over 33 years ago I started my journey working in Information Technology (I.T.), and it is probably fair to say that I have worked my way slowly up from the absolute bottom of the pile to the modest heights of today.

The problem with I.T.

As I look back over the years I cannot help but feel a sense of disappointment that during my long and arduous journey to the “top” I never really found someone of seniority (or power) who went out of their way to selflessly help me climb the greasy ladder of success in any of the organisations I worked at. I don’t think my experiences are particularly unique either.

The reasons why I think this has been my experience in I.T. so far is perhaps a topic for another (lengthy) post sometime, but there is one that I feel provides the best explanation…

I.T. is a highly competitive industry and the people that work within it are often insular enough that their entire focus is often centered around their own success (and possible failures) and less so on the growth of others around them. I think there is often an irrational fear in the workplace that helping others rise through the ranks will somehow prevent you and your achievements from getting noticed and rewarded.

These kinds of environments are usually very difficult for people (like myself) who like to help others succeed but ultimately find their own efforts unreciprocated.

What has this got to do with diversity?

If someone like myself has struggled to be successful in I.T. then I can only imagine how difficult it might be for people from disadvantaged backgrounds or even disabilities to work their way up in an organisation.

Imagine entering the industry only to find that you are on your own and that the only person that is going to help you is yourself!

What do you do?

Now that I am in a position of influence and with these thoughts in mind I actively make sure that I regularly reach out to people within my teams (and beyond) to help support their growth and to start thinking about their future careers. I actively help support deserving team members to look towards putting together their promotion cases and provide (where necessary) reassurances that they are deserving of it.

How does this help?

There are differences in the way we all operate in the workplace and many of these behaviours displayed by different groups can have a detrimental effect on the diversity within the senior leadership of many companies. For example, there are gender differences in the way men and women self-promote themselves (see The Harvard Business Review article Why Don’t Women Self-Promote As Much As Men?) and these kinds of behaviours can make a big difference to an individual’s promotion prospects.

Therefore by actively (and indiscriminately) approaching and encouraging people who are worthy to seek promotion (and supporting them in this process), we are therefore improving the chances that our leadership becomes as diverse and deserving as possible.

Does it work?

In recent years I have encouraged and supported five different (deserving) people for promotion, and out of these, three have said that they would not have put themselves forward without my support and encouragement. Four out of these people have been successful so far, and it’s my belief that the remaining person will be successful on the next attempt. Either way, they have gained the confidence that they are worth it and someone has their back.

Summary

If you are truly serious about encouraging diversity in your organisation (and leadership) then it is important that you take a more altruistic approach in your workplace and actively look towards helping and supporting others’ growth in their roles.

By doing this you will achieve a sense of pride and pleasure in playing a part in their advancement within your organisation. This might end up being life-changing for them but will also provide you with a lasting legacy.

Congratulations, you made a difference!