{"id":9761,"date":"2022-05-19T11:26:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T11:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=9761"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:11:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:11:37","slug":"four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n 19 May 2022 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
Category<\/div>\n Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
\n
Share<\/div>\n Facebook<\/a>\n Twitter<\/a>\n Email<\/a>\n Copy Link<\/a>\n
https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \n \n \n
\n

By John Portch<\/h6>\n
\n

One thing is clear: diversity is a competitive edge and EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] is an area where all teams can be doing better.<\/h4>\n

Kevin Yusuf Coleman, the former Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Brentford FC [now the Diversity & Inclusion Lead at the BBC Studios], is speaking at November\u2019s Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London. The English Premier League club have been noted for their work in delivering upon their EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] goals.<\/p>\n

At the top of the conversation, he highlights the findings of some research conducted by management consultancy firm McKinsey. \u201cIf you\u2019re in the top quartile of gender and ethnicity you\u2019re about 25-30 percent [more profitable],\u201d says Yusuf Coleman. \u201cJust in terms of pure cash, if you\u2019re a more diverse and inclusive organisation you do better, as well as it being the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this chapter, through Yusuf Coleman\u2019s words, we highlight four factors to consider when trying to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.<\/p>\n

1. EDI must be intrinsic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yusuf Coleman emphasises that EDI must be part of your cultural identity, not just some add-on, which is all too common. \u201cI\u2019ve spent most of my life in sport trying to justify why EDI was a good idea and it was really refreshing to come to an organisation where it was already front and centre,\u201d he says of a club situated in one of London\u2019s most diverse areas. \u201cIt was already one of our two biggest priorities and it was more how<\/em> we do it than why.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes logical sense for us to have an understanding of having an inclusive environment for staff to work in, an inclusive offer for our fans and players and wider communities. It makes perfect business sense as well as being the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Accountability is key<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Yusuf Coleman says, every staff appraisal at Brentford includes a section on EDI accountability. \u201cIf everyone is accountable then they will make it relevant to them.\u201d Equally, your staff and athletes can play a fundamental role in bringing EDI to life. \u201cYou never design a programme, or anything that\u2019s supposed to help any particular community without them being part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

EDI can also be tracked. \u201cIt has to be something physically practical that you can measure so it means something to everyone, otherwise it is a slogan and when the next CEO comes in there will be another slogan and another acronym.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yusuf Coleman recalls his time as Equality & Diversity Manager at the Football Association [FA]. \u201cWe had monthly poll surveys where you had lots of questions around inclusion and belonging and you looked at how much people strongly believed in them or slightly believed in them and how that changed every month. And actually, over a period of two years, you saw the change in how people feel about the organisation. You have to be clever about things you normally can\u2019t measure and it can feel like fluffy clouds, but you have to find a way to try and measure them.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Create experiential learning opportunities for staff <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEDI, to really get it, you have to understand it and feel it,\u201d says Yusuf Coleman. \u201cPeople from diverse communities, from under-represented communities who might have experienced discrimination, for example, will understand it more because of life experience. And if you\u2019re from the majority, if you\u2019re a white middle-aged man like me, you don\u2019t have those experiences to inform you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experiential learning is a crucial tool. \u201cWe all talk about the \u201870:20:10 rule\u2019 where if you experience something it\u2019s much more impactful, especially around EDI,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n

During his time at the FA, Yusuf Coleman arranged for a staff visit to the Neasden Temple, which is about 2km from Wembley Stadium but not a place most staff had visited. \u201c[It\u2019s about] being creative and helping people to experience diversity and inclusion for themselves is going to be more impactful than paying for corporate trainer a lot of money to come in with a white board for a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. You never succeed at EDI<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yusuf Coleman clear on that point. \u201cYou never succeed at EDI \u2013 no one is ever successful,\u201d he says, adding that organisations should revisit their EDI strategy every two to three years. \u201cYou might be more ambitious in three years\u2019 time or you might revisit the same thing. Never think of it as something you\u2019re going to achieve. It\u2019s \u2018are our indicators good? Are we ahead of society? Are we leading society? Can we be seen as good practice or are we flagging behind?\u2019 That\u2019s really your only two litmus tests. As businesses, you don\u2019t have to be more diverse than society, you don\u2019t have to hit every target, one thing that\u2019s really key is being humble and knowing where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n

\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kevin Yusuf Coleman, the former Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Brentford FC [now the Diversity & Inclusion Lead at the BBC Studios], is speaking at November\u2019s Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London. The English Premier League club have been noted for their work in delivering upon their EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] goals.<\/p>\n

At the top of the conversation, he highlights the findings of some research conducted by management consultancy firm McKinsey. \u201cIf you\u2019re in the top quartile of gender and ethnicity you\u2019re about 25-30 percent [more profitable],\u201d says Yusuf Coleman. \u201cJust in terms of pure cash, if you\u2019re a more diverse and inclusive organisation you do better, as well as it being the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this chapter, through Yusuf Coleman\u2019s words, we highlight four factors to consider when trying to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9763,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[20],"pathway":[295],"topic":[309,296,308,299],"sport":[303],"class_list":["post-9761","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership-culture-performance","pathway-leadership-development","topic-collaboration","topic-culture","topic-influence","topic-team-building","sport-football"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFour Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team - Performance Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team - Performance Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kevin Yusuf Coleman, the former Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Brentford FC [now the Diversity & Inclusion Lead at the BBC Studios], is speaking at November\u2019s Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London. The English Premier League club have been noted for their work in delivering upon their EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] goals. At the top of the conversation, he highlights the findings of some research conducted by management consultancy firm McKinsey. \u201cIf you\u2019re in the top quartile of gender and ethnicity you\u2019re about 25-30 percent [more profitable],\u201d says Yusuf Coleman. \u201cJust in terms of pure cash, if you\u2019re a more diverse and inclusive organisation you do better, as well as it being the right thing to do.\u201d In this chapter, through Yusuf Coleman\u2019s words, we highlight four factors to consider when trying to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Performance Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T05:11:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2040\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1093\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/\",\"name\":\"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team - Performance Institute\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-19T11:26:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-15T05:11:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg\",\"width\":2040,\"height\":1093,\"caption\":\"MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 09: Brentford players form a huddle before the Premier League match between Manchester City and Brentford at Etihad Stadium on February 9, 2022 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus\/Getty Images)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/\",\"name\":\"Performance Institute\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team - Performance Institute","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team - Performance Institute","og_description":"Kevin Yusuf Coleman, the former Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Brentford FC [now the Diversity & Inclusion Lead at the BBC Studios], is speaking at November\u2019s Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London. The English Premier League club have been noted for their work in delivering upon their EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] goals. At the top of the conversation, he highlights the findings of some research conducted by management consultancy firm McKinsey. \u201cIf you\u2019re in the top quartile of gender and ethnicity you\u2019re about 25-30 percent [more profitable],\u201d says Yusuf Coleman. \u201cJust in terms of pure cash, if you\u2019re a more diverse and inclusive organisation you do better, as well as it being the right thing to do.\u201d In this chapter, through Yusuf Coleman\u2019s words, we highlight four factors to consider when trying to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.","og_url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/","og_site_name":"Performance Institute","article_modified_time":"2025-12-15T05:11:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2040,"height":1093,"url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/","name":"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team - Performance Institute","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg","datePublished":"2022-05-19T11:26:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-15T05:11:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/GettyImages-1370846077.jpg","width":2040,"height":1093,"caption":"MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 09: Brentford players form a huddle before the Premier League match between Manchester City and Brentford at Etihad Stadium on February 9, 2022 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus\/Getty Images)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/four-factors-when-making-diversity-work-for-your-team\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Four Factors when Making Diversity Work for your Team"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/","name":"Performance Institute","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/9761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/9761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9765,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/9761\/revisions\/9765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9761"},{"taxonomy":"pathway","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pathway?post=9761"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=9761"},{"taxonomy":"sport","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sport?post=9761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}