Future Female Leaders: embracing diversity to support performance

Watching my colleague Sarah Bissessar give an impassioned talk to a full auditorium without the aid of notes, prompts or a lectern, about how we can make the construction industry more inclusive – that has to be one of the inspiring feats I’ve ever seen, writes Graham Shaw. It must have been a nerve-racking experience to give a talk on this important subject with assured confidence in what for many of us was our first major “live” event since the outbreak of Covid-19.  The accomplished way that she and her fellow Future Female Leaders colleagues delivered their talks with such conviction and confidence is an experience I won’t forget for a long time. I was fortunate to be joined by many colleagues from Willmott Dixon Interiors who, like me, watched in awe as each of the FFLs spoke with fluency about subjects they felt passionate about. What is clear is that the construction and property industries have come a long way in 20 years. When I started as a management trainee, terms such as “diversity” or “gender balanced teams” did not figure much on sites or in the general vocabulary. Things are so different now. Sarah’s talk about her experience of workplace inclusion, and what more can be done to improve as an industry, eloquently highlighted that change is happening, and embracing this will make us a better, more sustainable sector for our people and customers. Watching Sarah, it reinforced my own contribution as a senior leader to ensure our next generation of leaders represent all parts of our society. We have a huge role in supporting a culture that encourages the right behaviours, mindset and understanding among our colleagues for embracing and nurturing a diverse and inclusive working environment that promotes higher levels of performance as well as making the office or site a more enjoyable place for teams to thrive. FFL has highlighted again the very many talented people that work in property; it underlined just what an exciting and dynamic place it is to enjoy a career of a lifetime. Graham Shaw is managing director of Willmott Dixon Interiors Photos: Ed Telling