Being an effective ally for the 5%

A recent FE Week report found that only 5 per cent of FE college principals come from culturally diverse backgrounds. This raises a crucial question for leaders: Are you enabling or blocking talent from progressing when it comes to diversity?

This issue extends beyond education; football, for instance, sees diverse talent on the field but not in management, where swift dismissals are common.

In leadership, progress often requires allyship. The rise of female leaders wasn’t accidental; male allies advocated for them, challenged biases, and amplified their voices. Allyship isn’t passive; it demands action. Declaring inclusivity isn’t enough. It must be demonstrated.

I have been in meetings where people claim to be inclusive, yet the room lacks diversity. True allyship means breaking these patterns and ensuring real representation. If you are truly interested in becoming an effective ally, reflect on whether you practice the following:

Seen, but not heard in meetings

In a meeting or conversation, how inclusive are your actions?

• Do you ensure that everyone has a voice or are some voices ignored?
• Do you engage in on-the-side conversations that exclude others?
• Do you invite underrepresented colleagues to key meetings where decisions are made, providing them opportunities to grow or do you leave them out, limiting their ability to contribute?
• Ask your staff privately whether they feel celebrated or isolated in meetings.

Silence speaks volumes

Silence can be powerful in the right moment, but it is dangerous when it allows discrimination or unfair treatment to go unchallenged. Consider how you respond in critical moments:

• When people of colour are affected by major events, such as racial injustice protests, do you check in on colleagues to see how they’re feeling or do you remain silent, unsure of what to say?
• Some argue that they don’t know the right words, but saying nothing can be more harmful. Often, people just want to be heard and know that their colleagues stand against discrimination.

Encouragement and support matters with diversity

In education, there has been a noticeable lack of encouragement for certain individuals. In many cases, subtle discouragement is expressed through phrases like, “I know you want to progress, but…” even when an individual is fully qualified for the role. Conversely, individuals who share similar backgrounds to their leaders are continually encouraged or informally approached to apply for leadership roles.

When expressing interest or applying for senior roles some candidates are met with surprise, indicating they are not considered for progression. Even after applying, feedback following an unsuccessful attempt is often vague and unconstructive, frequently using generic phrases like, “It was close, but the other candidate had the edge” or “You made it a tough decision for us.” This pattern suggests a need for more transparent and equitable processes in leadership progression.

Be aware of ‘disguised compliance’ in diversity

Originally a safeguarding term, disguised compliance also applies to inclusivity in the workplace. Some leaders claim to champion diversity. They highlight their international travels, their diversity-related accreditations, or presenting impressive equality, diversity and inclusion plans—yet their daily actions contradict these claims.

Ask yourself:

• When providing feedback, do you do so to help someone improve, or are you planting seeds of doubt that will frame them negatively in future discussions?
• Do you genuinely include underrepresented staff in career advancement opportunities?
• Are some underrepresented staff hyper-visible when things go wrong, but invisible when things go well?

Be brave and use your privilege to do things differently

`Ask yourself:

• How actively do you support underrepresented staff in progressing?
• Have you mentored or sponsored employees from diverse backgrounds?
• Have you engaged in reverse mentoring to understand their experiences?
• Do you talk to your staff about their potential, or do you only talk about them negatively in passing to other people?

Leaders should ask themselves whether they are setting up individuals to succeed or to fail through their expectations. All too often unrealistic demands are placed on aspiring managers which lead to fatigue and burnout.

 If you want to drive real change and challenge the status quo, start today. Take intentional steps to support, advocate for, and uplift diverse talent within your team. Because the benefits are clear; your staff will feel valued and motivated, retention will improve, and over time, leadership teams will better reflect the diversity of the student population.

By making these changes, we can move beyond the 5 per cent statistic and ensure that talent from all backgrounds has a fair chance to thrive.