Effective Allyship is hard: Here’s the work leaders need to do

The work of effective allyship is hard for leaders and for organisations.

In recent years, our conversations with clients about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) have been insightful and transformative. While much of our focus has been on women’s experiences, we’ve also explored the unique challenges faced by various marginalised groups, including those related to race, disability, and sexuality.

As many of you have observed, DE&I initiatives have faced increasing scrutiny and resistance in some sectors. Media coverage has highlighted contentious remarks, such as Esther McVey’s ill-advised comments about banning rainbow lanyards, which she framed as political statements. Furthermore, debates about “woke ideology” have become more pronounced. In the United States, the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions marks another significant development, reflecting the complex landscape of DE&I efforts.

Despite these challenges, there have been notable strides in DE&I. A recent report by Women on Boards revealed that 37% of respondents believe there has been significant positive change in DE&I goals over the past five years. However, it also highlighted a critical gap: 34% of respondents felt that the resources allocated to achieving these goals were insufficient.

The Power and Potential of Effective Allyship

Recognising this gap, we have turned our focus to allyship as a powerful catalyst for advancing DE&I. The untapped potential of our leaders, right under our noses, can be the driving force behind meaningful progress. However, for allyship to be truly impactful, it requires more than just surface-level actions. Leaders must engage in deep, personal work and collaborate effectively to foster a culture of genuine inclusion.

Allyship is not easy

If we had all nailed allyship, DEI teams would be sitting back with their feet on the desks right now. 

So why aren’t they? 

Because allyship is work. This work is deep, personal and challenging. Simply making symbolic gestures without committing to substantial systemic changes in  themselves and in their business is too easy and not enough. Effective allyship requires leaders to engage in the personal work and effort it takes to make a real difference to those marginalised and less powerful.

Stages of Effective Allyship

Performing

As we see it, if we start from someone who is not an ally at all, the first step they take is to start to perform allyship – these leaders know something is expected and they do the things they are told are important.

Of course, leaders are busy, and DE&I is just one of their priorities. They are happy to ‘help,’ but it needs to be quick, easy things to do – turn up and introduce a speaker, come along and be on a panel, record a sponsor video, etc. We teach these allies to say the right things and assume someone else will solve the problem if they see something.

Taking Action

Most of you will, I am sure, say that your leaders are doing more than performative allyship. You have got them on side. You are likely to have leaders who are taking action as allies. They have learned a bit more and engaged a bit more. These leaders act for themselves. They come to you with the problems they’ve identified and want to solve the problems.

Allies operating at this level use some of the leadership tools available to them. They:

• Impose their views– e.g., tell people what the values are and what behaviours are acceptable in this organisation
• Ensure people are informed– e.g., make sure there is training around the key skills of allyship such as speaking out or inclusive recruitment
• Involve people – e.g., engage ERGs  and volunteers in redesigning policies

But how much are they personally engaged in this? Are they doing the personal and collective work? Or is it delegated to you? Do they sponsor it from afar?

In most cases that we see, and clients that we talk to, we would argue that this is where most allies stop. Most leaders are still holding allyship at arm’s length. They want it to be easy and comfortable. But unfortunately, it isn’t.

The Deep Work of Allyship

And it is not that we just need them to try harder. It takes more personal work (about who they are) and a clear understanding of the complexity of organisational life (because allyship is done in the context of a political, power-laden organisation). Doing allyship is work that each leader needs to do on and for themselves. And really doing allyship is not easy work. It requires a continuous personal commitment to internal change. It’s uncomfortable, seeing the bigger truths, co-creating an alternative story with other people. And it takes a lifetime.

Example of Effective Allyship

Let’s bring this to life with an example of two allies doing this work: Sam Alexander and Sandra Smith. Sam’s day job as Cultural Intelligence Lead in policing began 23 years ago in police forensics. Sandra is strategically placed as a Sergeant Staff Officer to a Chief Officer. But they also lead Women of Colour in Policing (WoCiP) in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Although both are leaders. Neither are the Chief Officer of their organisation. But their allyship is making a real impact.

Performing

If their allyship stopped at the level of performing allyship, they would simply put their name to the initiative, report on it to the Board, and create a logo and merchandise. Whilst these are necessary actions, that impact is minimal in creating change.

Taking Action

Sam and Sandra have moved beyond performing allyship to taking action as allies. Their commitment to changing the experiences and landscape for women of colour has included attending committee meetings, influencing policy change, introducing ideas, speakers and approaches with a cross-cultural intersectional lens, and working with the Head of D&I to create workshops to embed cultural learning. The impact is on everyone.

Yet their allyship has not stopped there.

Deep Work

Both women have done the hard internal deep work to shift their own mindset and built the tree trunk of who they are (and are not) as a leader and as an ally. They have engaged in relentless personal work and walked alongside other women, creating coalitions with the diversity and learning and development teams to secure resources to effect change. The deep work of allyship has involved

• Collaborating with external agencies and businesses
• Enlisting other women to strengthen the movement
• Gathering attendees for the flagship development programme for minority women
• And engaging senior police officers and the Chief Constable

Sam and Sandra work with courage across culturally diverse settings, situating their efforts within the bigger picture, like the hub of a wheel.   They spread ripples out to national organisations, building coalitions with fire departments and other police forces, and seek to build cohesion beyond the Black community, including young people and those with English as a second language.

Allyship is not work the HRD or the D&I lead can do for Sam and Sandra. It is their work to do. And it has rewarded the police force, with 14 women promoted and 22 retained (who would otherwise have left) in the last 18 months.

Conclusion

The journey towards effective allyship is ongoing, requiring honesty, authenticity, dedication, humility, and collaboration. By working on themselves and together with that self-efficacy, leaders can harness their potential to create truly inclusive, equitable and sustainable workplaces. Let’s move beyond performative gestures and actions and commit to the personal internal work required to drive real change. Together, we can build a future where everyone is heard, valued and belongs.