At Maytree and Civic Action, when we talk about diversity in leadership, we often argue that we need to “collapse natural timelines.” Why would we say this knowing that change is inevitable, and, with time, it will happen regardless?

Because there is nothing natural about these natural timelines.

In 1991, 26% of the Toronto CMA’s population were visible minorities. What would be natural is to expect that twenty years later at least a quarter of our leadership would be visible minorities. But this is not the case. According to our DiverseCity Counts research, in 2011 only 14.5% of leaders in the most diverse areas of the GTA were visible minorities.

The slow pace of change is shocking. It is unnatural. A lack of networks, old-fashioned hiring criteria, and racism (whether intended or not) are barriers to leadership for visible minorities.

To encourage organizations to make diversity a priority, we often emphasize the economic reasons to take action. Research has found that leadership diversity is linked to enhanced financial performance, better access to new markets, and innovation.

But leadership diversity is important for many reasons that have nothing to do with the bottom line.

In Toronto, racialized minorities are three times more likely to live in poverty than other groups, and between 1980 and 2000 the poverty rate among racialized families rose by 361%. Equal representation at all levels, including the most senior and best paying positions in the GTA, would improve the incomes of visible minorities in the GTA.

Diversity in leadership will also encourage the next generation of visible minorities to aspire to higher education and professional success. When they see their peers as leaders in mainstream institutions, they are more likely to see those institutions as their own, and want to contribute to making them – and our city – stronger. Institutions that fail to become diverse risk being perceived as exclusionary or, worse, as irrelevant.

Diversity in the voluntary sector, where only 12.5% of leaders are visible minorities, would enhance the sector’s ability to address the needs of a diverse and often marginalized population.

On June 6, we will release new research on how voluntary sector organizations can diversify their organizations, and how they can maximize the benefits of the diversity they already have. The research has been prepared by Chris Fredette, Assistant Professor at Carleton University.

Related links:

• Most recent DiverseCity Counts report: The Diversity Gap: The Electoral Under-Representation of Visible Minorities (PDF)
• The business case for diverse leadership
• Toronto Star op-ed: Visible minorities shut out of leadership positions

Listen to Julia Moulden’s original full interview with Tammy Ward, Board President, and Patrick Lake, Executive Director, York Region Children’s Aid Society:

Since 2007, Patrick Lake has been the Executive Director of York Region Children’s Aid Society, a recognized leader in the child welfare sector. With more than 31 years experience, Patrick himself is a recognized leader in this sector.

A changing region

In the past decade York Region has rapidly diversified, and continues to grow and evolve. Patrick believes that being aware of and responsive to changing demographics is important for any organization. This is especially the case for a community organization: “York has undergone some pretty dramatic changes as a community over the last decade…. As a result, there was a recognition that we needed to better reflect our community, in both its operations and its governance.”

How best can an organization strengthen its capacity to work with increasingly diverse communities?

According to Patrick, communities change, shift and adapt to the world in which we live, and new communities continue to come to York Region, creating an ever-changing environment. “Diverse communities are not museum pieces. You don’t take one look at a community and say ‘Now we understand it.’” At the same time, the community is rich with knowledge about itself and interested in working with local organizations. Recognizing and taking advantage of that fact, combined with a real commitment to being culturally competent and being open to the changes happening in the Region, means that York Region Children’s Aid Society better serves its entire community.

“I don’t know anyone in an organization who’s gone down the road of broadening their representation, brodening the scope of the people they have at the table, who would ever want to take a step back.”

Related links:

• DiverseCity onBoard – Find board members
• DiverseCity onBoard – Join a board

Congratulations to CBC’s Managing Director Susan Marjetti who received the 2012 Outstanding Leadership Achievement Award at the Innoversity Creative Summit for her vision in transforming the face of the CBC to be more reflective of its audiences’ diversity. The transformation of CBC Radio’s Metro Morning began in 2001 when Susan asked the audience and her own staff if the show reflected the fact that Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world. The answer was a resounding “no.”

Since then, Susan has been committed to developing and implementing a diversity strategy that has made CBC an example for other institutions. The success of her vision and leadership is in the numbers: CBC’s Metro Morning has been the number one morning radio program in Toronto 43 times. She has also made CBC News: Toronto the first anchor team of colour on a flagship newscast in a major Canadian market.

Watch this video to find out why this diversity strategy is so important to the CBC.

We know that who’s in charge and who’s seen in the media do not reflect the diversity of the population of the GTA. We counted. The success of the CBC strategy is well documented. The question remains why others aren’t following.

In addition to Susan’s award, Innoversity “Angel Awards” were presented to four other individuals for their outstanding work supporting diversity in media, including:

• Sarah Crawford, Media Consultant; former VP of CHUM-CTV
• Karen Clout, Manager, Regulatory Affairs, Shaw Media
• Rita Deverell, Theatre and TV Creator, Co-Founder of VisionTV
• Tim Knight, Media Columnist, Huffington Post

The awards ceremony ended with touching remarks from Susan who cited her work on diversity to be the most rewarding of her illustrious career. Most poignantly, she quoted her late mother as the person who gifted her with a lesson that continues to inspire her: “Everyone counts or no one counts.”

Related link:

• CBC’s Susan Marjetti wins Leadership Award
• Listen Up! Making a Business Case for Diversity
• Webinar: Listen up! Media Strategies for Diverse Cities
• CBC Toronto’s Metro Morning – Building a Case for Diversity and Delivering Results
• Soccer Nation – How Sports Can Bridge and Connect to Diverse Communities
• Bringing Hip Hop to the CBC – New Audience, New Music and a New CBC Identity

Have you heard? May 21 is a special day for diversity – it’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

We’ve joined the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), its partner UNESCO and many other corporations and nonprofit organizations in a global campaign to “Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion.” Through this campaign we want to engage as many people as possible around the world to Do One Thing to support cultural diversity and inclusion.

Join us in the campaign

We want you to join this global campaign and think about why diversity matters to you.

But don’t stop there. Tell us, tell the United Nations. Add your voice to a global collection of voices celebrating diversity and inclusion.

In fact, they’d love it if you added a short video about why diversity is important to you on their Facebook page.

You’ve probably got a smart phone. Create a quick video, upload it to YouTube, share it on their site. We’ll be making a video soon. Join us!

Need to be inspired? What better place to start than with this video of David Barrow, the Mayor of the Town of Richmond Hill. Not only does he talk about the importance of diversity (the Town of Richmond Hill is one of the most diverse municipalities in Canada), he gives some interesting examples of what they’ve done to ensure that the community’s voice continues to be heard loud and clear.

Ten more ideas to celebrate diversity

If you’re not sure what else you can do, here are ten simple ideas to celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21, 2012.

1. Visit an art exhibit or a museum dedicated to other cultures.
2. Invite a family or people in the neighborhood from another culture or religion to share a meal with you and exchange views on life.
3. Rent a movie or read a book from another country or religion than your own.
4. Invite people from a different culture to share your customs
5. Read about the great thinkers of other cultures than yours (e.g. Confucius, Socrates, Avicenna, Ibn Khaldun, Aristotle, Ganesh, Rumi)
6. Go next week-end to visit a place of worship different than yours and participate in the celebration.
7. Play the “stereotypes game.” Stick a post-it on your forehead with the name of a country. Ask people to tell you stereotypes associated with people from that country. You win if you find out where you are from.
8. Learn about traditional celebrations from other cultures; learn more about Hanukkah or Ramadan or about amazing celebrations of New Year’s Eve in Spain or Qingming festival in China.
9. Spread your own culture around the world through our Facebook page and learn about other cultures
10. Explore music of a different culture

There are thousands of things that you can do. So, will you join us and take part in celebrating diversity and inclusion?

Related links:

• CBC Metro Morning series: Beyond Diversity
• DiverseCity Knowledge Centre – Research
• DiverseCity Leadership Stories
• DiverseCity Knowledge Centre – Why Diversity Matters

Eric Rawlinson has been with Ernst & Young for over 20 years. During this time he has applied his skills and talents to various departments, always with an open ear, commitment to facilitating debate and openness to new ways of doing things. For him, business is about innovation – critical to that is differentiating yourself from your competitors.

Difference can open a window to a unique vantage point.

As a native Anglophone in Quebec, Eric spent his early years as a cultural and linguistic minority. This was the beginning of his understanding of diversity as an advantage.

Ernst & Young: Counting is critical

At Ernst & Young, nearly half of its employees are visible minorities or immigrants. Within the management ranks, 35% are visible minorities. Because they are conscious and counting, they have created a baseline for action and a measure for success.

The qualitative value of these numbers translates to increased networks and innovation. According to Eric, engaging people with a global perspective can lead to increased creativity and problem solving. For him, “diversity is a real strength for Canada, particularly in our increasing globalized marketplace. You need to be conscious of the demographic you live and work in and who your customers are, otherwise you could be missing business opportunities. It is important that diversity is reflected in leadership.”

Ernst & Young: Lessons for other corporations

Even with the best intentions, reflecting the diversity of your customer-base or population can be challenging for any employer.

The publication, The new global mindset: Driving innovation through diverse perspectives (PDF), outlines Ernst & Young’s commitment to diversity. It is a sophisticated account of how “cultural diversity offers the flexibility and creativity we need to recreate the global economy for the 21st century”.

The document reveals “four imperatives for success,” including:

1. Stir the pot. Research shows that diverse viewpoints generate the lively debate that can create new ideas.
2. Anticipate the Next Big Thing — or better yet, drive the Next Big Thing! Diversity powers innovation, helping your business generate new products and services.
3. Nurture a spectrum of talent. Expect to find talent in unexpected places.
4. Get the mindset. Focus on transformational leadership.

Final words of advice

According to Eric, companies need to start their diversity journey by understanding why diversity is important and by establishing practical goals and programs that reinforce key messages. For individuals from diverse communities he suggests understanding what networks are available and getting involved. In brief: Don’t be shy, volunteer your skills. Hard work pays off. Just start.

The political terrain in Ontario looks a little different after the Ontario New Democratic Party Convention held in Hamilton in mid-April. And we’re not talking about Toronto artist K’naan’s address and performance. It was the election of a new party president, Tamil Canadian Neethan Shan, an NDP candidate in the 2011 provincial elections.

Neethan’s election shows how political parties are making efforts to be both relevant to and reflective of a growing diverse population, especially in the Greater Toronto Area.

Such developments across the political spectrum are urgently needed. In the report, The Diversity Gap: The Electoral Under-Representation of Visible Minorities, Ryerson University’s Myer Siemiatycki found that visible minorities accounted for only 11% of elected officials at all levels of government. This, while making up 40% of the population.

Ethnic vote? What ethnic vote?

Siemiatycki also argued that the notion of an “ethnic vote,” to be mobilized for one or another candidate or political party, is a myth. He found that the relative success of the party in an election is what determines the success of visible minority candidates, not the tendency of any one community to vote along ethnic or racial lines.

Last year’s federal and provincial elections produced very different results in terms of the election of visible minority candidates in GTA ridings.

In Ontario, visible minority candidates were evenly distributed among the three main parties. Twenty ran for the NDP, 19 for the Conservatives and 18 for the Liberals. Twelve of 13 visible minorities elected Members of Provincial Parliament were Liberal and one was NDP.

The federal election result was completely different. Six out of eight visible minorities elected Members of Parliament are Conservative, while two are NDP.

More remains to be done

While the bar has been raised in recent elections for diversity among nominated candidates and their success at the ballot box, much work remains to be done behind the scenes. Party officials with important decision-making roles are far less representative of the diversity of our region, when compared to those who put their name on the ballot. Who chairs campaigns, who writes the party platform and who makes key policy decisions is a matter of interest for all Ontarians.

Neethan Shan’s election to helm a provincial party is a significant development on the long road to ensuring the political arena is inclusive. Neethan joins MPP Yasir Naqvi, who is President of the Ontario Liberal Party, as a second visible minority tapped to lead a provincial party in Ontario.

The power of one party changing hands, with visible new leaders at the helm, is significant. Two makes a trend.

We celebrate progress towards prosperity

DiverseCity’s School4Civics has seeded this movement by training emerging leaders with affiliations across all party lines.

Neethan Shan is one example. Another School4Civics alumnus is Judith van Veldhuysen, a provincial candidate who is seeking an executive position with the Green Party of Ontario. David Mousavi, now a Liberal riding vice-president, is actively broadening his party’s network among diverse young professionals. Finally, Yasmin Mawani contested a Conservative Party nomination in York Region.

The political arena is enriched by their commitment and dedication. They help bring more diverse communities into political activity and decision-making.

Our region gains from this inclusion. As the best and the brightest rise to senior leadership positions, their expertise and talents fuel our social and economic prosperity.

Related links:

• DiverseCity in Civic Leadership
• DiverseCity Counts
• DiverseCity Advantage

Building Blocks, Building Local Leaders

With a focus on building civic participation, the Mennonite New Life Centre has made community engagement one of its organizational priorities. One key activity has been convening the Latin American Campaign for Civic Participation, which brings together 16 organizations.

Building Blocks leaders Adriana Salazar and Sadia Khan have created an intensive training program to deliver civic literacy training, focused on the Latin American community, at their Keele and Wilson location.

Adriana and Sadia are working together to deliver three three-day sessions in the community to:

• Twenty staff from organizations taking part in the Latin American Campaign for Civic Participation
• Twenty community members served by organizations participating in the campaign
• Twenty promising leaders from across the Greater Toronto Area

Acting as a resource for the training is Leo Zuniga, School4Civics alumnus and 2012 DiverseCity Fellow

Related links:

• Building Blocks - Create possibility where you live
• Building Blocks leader Rezwanul Karim begins community literacy training in Agincourt
• Who are Building Blocks? We are!

From Jamaica to Durham to Scarborough, Mitzie Hunter’s journey has held many experiences that have shaped her into the thoughtfully optimistic leader she is today.

Transforming obstacles to opportunity

Graduating from the University of Toronto in the midst of a recession, Mitzie was not discouraged by the scarcity of jobs. She started a model and talent agency which eventually grew into a marketing and communications company. That was her introduction to the corporate sector.

Seeking experience within a larger company, Mitzie moved on to Bell Canada where she quickly progressed from the direct marketing centre up to a management role in the government relations and economic development department.  She served as an ambassador for Bell in the GTA and in that role became engaged in the community by serving on numerous boards and committees related to communications technologies.

Introducing new thinking

Quickly recognized as a person who brings new thinking to a situation, Mitzie was offered an opportunity to be president of an IT industry association. Jumping at the challenge to promote the GTA as a leader in IT both nationally and internationally, she took on exciting projects which confirmed her passion for the GTA. This included writing the technology chapter for Toronto’s bid for the 2008 Olympics, a project which remains among her most inspiring opportunities.

Networking for change

The people she worked with on the Olympic bid are among the closest in her network.

They were aspirational about the city region and what they could achieve together. Recognizing the power of multi-stakeholder networks made Mitzie’s transition to Goodwill followed by Toronto Community Housing, logical next steps in her leadership journey. She complemented this with an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

Mentoring to success

The first time Mitzie heard David Pecaut talk about his love for Toronto was in 2002 at the Toronto City Summit. She was hooked on his message and put it to action by first co-chairing the Emerging Leaders Network and now as CEO of CivicAction.  To this day, she cites David as one of her most significant mentors.

Taking the pulse on the GTA

In her current role as CEO of CivicAction, Mitzie is taking the pulse on the GTA. She is passionate about city building and economic prosperity and believes that we have the opportunity to rank high on a global scale. For her, critical to realizing this potential is making every obstacle an opportunity and creating pathways to education as well as  opening doors to employment.

Unlocking the potential of leadership

‘Unlocking potential’ is a key phrase in Mitzie’s leadership. She has always worked collaboratively to achieve results that are bigger than one individual. She also understands that how you live your life influences others and she is grateful for having benefited from being both mentee and mentor.