Get on board or get left behind

We are so proud to have launched the Women's Indigenous Network at the AICC Diversity lunch on Monday. Narelle Hooper moderated a panel that included our vice president, Lani Blanco-Francis, Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas and Diane Smith-Gander, CEO of Chief Executive Women.

Charles Nightingale, CEO of the AICC,  presented us with our first cheque and urged the hundreds of business leaders in the room to do the same.

The theme of the lunch, "Diversity as a competitive advantage," was fitting. The research overwhelmingly supports the fact that for organizations to remain competitive in today's marketplace they must increase their level of diversity.

The challenges to increasing diversity in the workplace include people's natural tendency to hire people they feel comfortable with. Rather than being an intuitive eye for talent, it actually is more about our relationship to certainty.

As Lani pointed out though, you need to allow yourself to be uncomfortable and work with others who will challenge your ideas. This takes a conscious effort to push past and out of your comfort level and allow a bit of adversity that may come with diversity. But it's the only way organizations will ever truly innovate.

Sameness breeds more of the same.

Diane busted the myth of how hard it is to increase diversity or that it takes a long time. When you shine a spotlight on something, measure and track it, business responds - in weeks and months, not years.

At the end of the day the message coming from the global workplace, research and science is all the same - get on board the diversity bandwagon or get left behind - fast.

As for WIN? We a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and men who are all about expanding the opportunities for all Australians through working with large organizations to increase the number of Indigenous women in leadership roles. We are called WIN Australia because that is our vision and intent - that everyone involved WINS.

Get on board and join us. This bandwagon is moving fast.