Increasing Diversity in Leadership with Insights Discovery
Denmark likes to think of itself as a country that leads by example. Or at least, it’s the story we often tell ourselves.
However, the truth is that when it comes to creating equal opportunities for men and women in the workforce, the work is far from complete. Denmark has taken a significant tumble down the World Economic Forum’s global gender equality list. Lagging far behind our Nordic neighbours, who are all firmly seated in the top five.1
As of the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report, Denmark now holds the 23rd spot in the overall rankings.
If we narrow our focus to the number of female managers, officials, and legislators, Denmark takes a staggering dive to the 102nd position.2
Out of the 193,000 board positions registered in Denmark, a staggering 8 out of 10 are held by men.3 A statistic which has remained unchanged since 2014.
Female Leadership Academy opens doors for tomorrow’s female leaders
This is where Female Leadership Academy comes in. "Female Leadership Academy is an organisation dedicated to bringing more diversity to top-level management," explains our co-founder, Maria Anker Andersen.
The academy educates and fosters a strong network of ambitious young women, all striving to elevate Denmark on the equality rankings. Amalie Hald, a participant in our Student Academy for fall 2023, enthusiastically describes Female Leadership Academy and our workshops as "truly inspiring and a confidence booster."
Through a series of relevant workshops, our academy participants gain tools that can empower them on their journey towards future leadership positions.
One of these tools is the Insights Discovery Personal Profile, which enhances both heightened self- awareness and a better understanding of the people around them.
Insights Discovery accelerates the understanding of oneself and others alike
Maria Anker Andersen is convinced of the importance of including the Insights Discovery workshop in the program to strengthen participants' career development:
"It is undoubtedly an accelerator for us to start early and shape the development of these young people in terms of where they should focus but also how to understand their own motivational factors, values, and strengths. You have to be able to lead yourself before you can lead others."
At Insights, they also experience that greater diversity within teams leads to increased creativity, innovation, better problem-solving, and decision-making. Dive into Insight’s blog [link: https://blog.insights.com/en/blog/want-to-dance-follow-these-steps] for a deeper understanding of how diversity and inclusion go hand in hand, and why a strong sense of belonging is necessary for people to feel confident enough to leverage their unique strengths effectively to achieve their goals.
Putting personal development into words
According to a post-workshop survey sent to our participants, 79% reported that they had experienced a shift in their self-understanding to a ‘high degree’. Moreover, 22 out of the 24 respondents felt that the workshop had been 'very relevant' to them on both a personal and professional level.
Participants in the Insights workshop found that they acquired a new language, which they can now use to better communicate personal needs and preferences in a work context.
For instance, workshop participant Anne Kathrine Hartvig realized that as a bright green Supporter, she highly values clear information regarding the day's tasks at her workplace. This self-awareness provided a better understanding of the needs she sought, which could be used in further dialogues on the subject with her manager:
"It just means a lot that you can say; these are my actual needs. This is how I work best within these frameworks, so you can accommodate that and collaborate with each other – I think that's really smart."
Ambassadors for change
At Female Leadership Academy, we adopt a pragmatic approach to achieving our goals. During our workshops, participants build not only their leadership skills but also their self-confidence and belief that they can achieve their ambitious goals.
With a focus on talent development, our participants gain access to tools such as Insights Discovery, providing them with greater self-awareness and understanding of their teams. These are competencies that Maria Anker Andersen sees as essential to assembling diverse teams when stepping into leadership roles 5-10 years in the future.
Equipped with these tools early on, our participants become ambassadors for the cultural change needed to once again join our Nordic neighbors in the top 5 of the equality list.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for greater equality and diversity in leadership just as there's no one-size-fits-all solution for becoming a successful leader.
However, there is one strategy that both Insights and our participants believe can contribute to the necessary change:
To strengthen the understanding of oneself and others so we can better appreciate our differences and bring out the best in ourselves and each other.
