Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace - A Guide to Maximising ROI Through Internal and External Impact

At a client event in South Africa, something revealing happened.

Between two breakout sessions, a local business owner turned to the CEO’s personal assistant—a Black woman—and asked a simple but powerful question: “Do you feel respected here?” The question wasn’t idle. It was loaded with intent. Because in that moment, the prospect—also a woman of African descent—wasn’t just observing the leadership team’s message. She was watching how people were treated. Her willingness to enter negotiations depended on the answer.

That conversation never made it into the event debrief. But it shaped the prospect’s decision—and the company’s future relationship in the region.

Diversity and inclusion aren’t soft topics. They’re hard factors in how deals close, how teams perform, and how trust is built.

Many organisations focus on the intent to be inclusive. Fewer are brave enough to investigate whether that intent is actually felt on the ground. Because here’s the truth: inclusion isn’t always visible from the top. And water doesn’t run uphill. When something’s off, leadership is often the last to know.

Inclusion Gaps Are Business Risks

New hires and external partners spot cultural cracks faster than anyone. Why? Because they’re not acclimatised. They haven’t learned what’s “okay to say” or what’s safer to withhold. They pick up on exclusion, tokenism, unspoken discomfort—and they notice who gets to speak freely, and who stays silent.

These signals influence how quickly people settle, whether they stay, and how clients perceive your brand. Especially in hybrid or cross-border teams, where cultural nuance isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the context for trust.

The Role of External Coaches: What You Don’t Hear Matters

One of the most underused tools in diversity strategy? External facilitation. In safe, non-hierarchical coaching sessions, people say things they would never raise in structured feedback forms or team meetings.

They talk about the quiet sidelining that happens in meetings. About who gets second chances—and who doesn’t. About neurodivergent talent that’s undervalued, or global voices that get filtered through a single corporate lens.

Coaching reveals patterns that aren’t captured by metrics. And once surfaced, these patterns can be translated into concrete action: better onboarding, fairer processes, real allyship, and culture shifts that stick.

Inclusion as a Strategic Lever

Let’s be practical. Inclusion drives business outcomes. It reduces attrition, improves problem-solving, and strengthens client relationships. But only if it’s real—and recognised by those who live it every day.

That’s why diversity strategies can’t just be internal checklists. They need external mirrors. Because when the same people always assess the culture, blind spots go unchallenged. And when discomfort is avoided, innovation stalls.

Ask the Harder Question

Leaders often ask: “Are we inclusive enough?” But the better question is:“What evidence do we have that people experience this place as inclusive—and who’s brave enough to tell us when we’re getting it wrong?”

If you don’t create the space for that feedback, someone else will—usually a departing employee or a lost client. External facilitators don’t replace your D&I efforts. They make them real.

Final Thought

Inclusion isn’t a campaign. It’s a signal—felt in small moments, in who speaks, in who gets interrupted, and in whether people feel they belong.

If you want to know whether your organisation is truly inclusive, don’t just ask your leadership team.

Ask someone new. Or bring in someone neutral. And listen carefully to what they notice first.

Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace