Over the past few months, I have been involved in two Arbitral Women events on the topic of unconscious bias. Louise Barrington, an international arbitrator, brought together a diverse panel to create the events, which included arbitral counsel and diversity experts.

The ultimate goal of the events was to increase the diversity of arbitrators – both in terms of availability and selection. The more immediate goal, especially for the second event, was to create a practical toolkit that could be used globally to promote and create increased diversity.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, these events and those attending clearly demonstrated all six signature traits of highly inclusive leaders. Here is how.

1. Cognizance of Bias. Inclusive leaders are aware of their own, organizational and other’s blind spots, and are vigilant to ensure fair play. Both events started with information about implicit bias. Essentially the message was – “If you have a brain, you have bias”.  A slide presentation, based on Understanding Gender at Work, showed how bias arises from associations created through fast processing in childhood; associations such as women and family, men and work. Studies of the Implicit Association Test show that everyone is biased, with 75% of men and 80% of women showing these unconscious associations.
2. Commitment. Highly inclusive leaders are committed to diversity and inclusion because these objectives align with their personal values, and because they believe in the strong business case for diversity. Everyone, upon registration, received questions that included: “I confront others who uses terms that demean or diminish others” “I support those who challenge stereotypes” and “I speak up if I observe bias or stereotypical assumptions at work.” The questions allowed for self-reflection on individual commitment. By attending the events, participants clearly showed their commitment to inclusion and diversity.
3. Cultural Intelligence. Highly inclusive leaders are confident and effective in cross-cultural interactions. This trait involves being knowledgeable about other cultures, as well as understanding how one’s own culture can impact personal worldviews. There were people from all over the world who attended the seminar, and the respectful but effective discussions clearly showed this group’s cultural intelligence.
4. Courage. Highly inclusive leaders speak up and challenge the status quo. The majority of arbitrators are white, older males. Louise Barrington is a role model for inclusive leadership as she has challenged for decades the lack of women arbitrators and continues to advocate for greater diversity.
5. Curiosity. Highly inclusive leaders have an open mindset, a desire to understand how others view and experience the world, and a tolerance for ambiguity. This trait was shown over and over by the audience through their questions for the panel. They were very keen to learn more about how to deal with and move past unconscious bias. And given the equal number of men and women attending, this curiosity combined with motivation to solve this issue was very encouraging.
6. Collaboration. Highly inclusive leaders empower individuals as well as create and leverage the thinking of diverse groups. Small group discussions and brainstorming formed a large part of the second event. Ideas for increasing diversity and inclusion were solicited from participants in different roles (as arbitrators, arbitral counsel, and members of arbitral institutions.)

These two events included a wide mix of individuals, and their participation and perspectives wonderfully enlarged and enriched the discussion. For me, it was the collaborative piece that was the most memorable. I learned many new things in our small group discussion, discussion that was carried into the larger group. The frankness and honesty of the members of my group demonstrated the courage and commitment that is needed for change.

These events reinforced for me that we can only achieve greater inclusion and diversity through talking and listening and acting. We need to start the conversation, listen to others and then act. The moment for change is now and inclusive leadership is the key.