A gender-inclusive talent review process is essential for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within an organisation. Without careful consideration, unconscious biases can seep into evaluations and decisions, hindering progress toward gender equality in leadership. Our ten practical tips are designed to ensure your talent reviews are gender-inclusive and aligned with the goal of creating a balanced and diverse leadership pipeline.
Our 10 practical tips
1. Review the Criteria for 'Potential': Assess whether your criteria for potential are fair and unbiased. Are they tied to concrete, measurable behaviours, or based on subjective perceptions? For example, one legal firm we advised recognised that when people envisioned a ‘partner,’ they often defaulted to traditionally male behaviours to define how they should conduct themselves. Consider whether your criteria may inadvertently favour traits typically associated with male leadership styles.
2. Include Gender & Bias Training for Managers: It's essential for managers to recognise their own unconscious biases when assessing talent. Incorporating regular gender and bias training can lead to more objective evaluations. For example, our ‘Leading Diverse Teams’ program helped individuals at one banking client realise they consistently selected project team members who shared similar thought processes, highlighting the importance of diverse perspectives. This approach not only benefits individual evaluations but also fosters a more inclusive team dynamic.
3. Audit Your 9-Box Grids: Examine the distribution of talent across your 9-box grids, paying attention to the representation of all genders. If individuals from underrepresented groups are consistently rated lower on potential, it’s time to reassess the criteria being used. Additionally, consider who is making the nominations. If employees are highlighted as high potential by individuals other than their direct manager, it raises questions about why their manager may be overlooking them.
4. Review Employee Engagement Data: Examine data from employee engagement surveys or lived experience workshops to identify whether women in your organisation feel they have equal opportunities for career progression.
5. Create Clear Paths for Advancement: Ensure all employees have visible, attainable pathways to leadership. Talent often drops off between middle and senior management, especially if senior leaders are predominantly male and don’t model flexible working arrangements. This can signal to women that flexibility isn’t supported at higher levels.
6. Ensure Equal Access to Sponsorship Opportunities: Provide equal access to sponsorship programs for all individuals. Sponsorship is personal; sponsors often choose those who will reflect positively on them. If you find yourself consistently sponsoring white men, actively seek out diverse candidates, such as women of colour, to enrich leadership pipelines and ensure equitable access to critical development opportunities.
7. Track & Analyse Gender Data Regularly: Implement ongoing tracking and analysis of gender-related data in your talent processes, such as hiring, promotions, and performance evaluations. Clearly communicate how long it will take to have a woman in key positions and assess the succession plan for gender representation. If there are no women in the next two tiers, explore the reasons and take proactive steps to address this disparity.
8. Implement Structured & Democratic Talent Review Frameworks: Move beyond subjective assessments like the 9-box grid by introducing structured frameworks that prioritise objective criteria over personal impressions. Consider democratising talent by allowing all potential leaders to put themselves forward, as this visibility can indicate the breadth of your leadership pool. Develop a competency-based model to measure skills, experience, and contributions against predefined standards, thereby reducing bias and stereotypical leadership traits.
9. Conduct Regular Calibration Sessions: Host regular calibration meetings where managers and leaders review their ratings and decisions collectively. This helps to identify any biases that might emerge across different managers or departments. By comparing assessments in a group setting, outliers, inconsistencies, or patterns of gender bias can be spotted and corrected early in the process.
10. Review Nominations Thoughtfully: Focus on the nominators, not just the nominees. If a candidate receives ratings from other colleagues but their line manager hasn’t nominated them, investigate why. Are women being recognised by their peers but overlooked by their managers?
Final thoughts
Achieving a gender-inclusive talent review requires continuous reflection and action. By reassessing criteria for potential, providing bias training for managers, and creating structured, data-driven frameworks, organisations can remove barriers that hinder gender equity. Regular calibration sessions and thoughtful review of both nominees and nominators are equally important to ensure fairness at every step. When talent reviews prioritise inclusivity, organisations unlock the full potential of their diverse workforce, paving the way for more innovative and effective leadership.
Ben Eason, as the Digital Lead of The Pipeline, is a prominent advocate for gender diversity and focused on fostering diversity in leadership roles. He strives to break down barriers and promote the advancement of women in the corporate world.
