The Sports Governance Code published in 2016 by UK Sport outlines what needs to be done, including recommendations on board representation, and why progress has been so slow. My last job was in financial services. Supported the 30% Club, which aims to increase female representation on boards from 12% to 30% in 2010. The campaign is global, reaching 40% of FTSE companies in the UK. McKinsey; Credit Suisse Although the moral argument is clear, studies from Deloitte and the Harvard Business Review show that diverse businesses outperform their diverse competitors.
From personal experience, Recruiting people with a wide and diverse background makes workplaces more interesting and enjoyable. “We hire the best candidate” is often used as an excuse for hiring or debating the available pipeline of female or diverse candidates, but these are lazy ways to avoid bias.
It’s important to create an environment where every candidate can see and envision themselves in senior roles. Women in Football has put 600 women through its leadership course to prepare candidates for its roles. Polly Bancroft was one of them. When Polly was appointed to succeed Debbie Cook as CEO at Grimsby in February; We discussed the importance of role models in our personal and professional lives. Polly said: “A little over a year ago I heard Debbie Cook speak at the Women in Football Conference. Before that, I had no idea that being the CEO of a football club was a possible role for me.
I sowed a seed and started looking for what to take. If I don’t go to the conference, Or if you didn’t attend her talk or liked what she said. I cannot be here today. When thinking about a major tournament, people don’t rationally think that even the best teams are always far more likely to win. England are favorites for Euro 2024, but have only a 17% chance of winning according to Twenty First Group data.
Fans forget that the most likely outcome for any team is failure, built into the unpredictable nature of the game. That’s why we love it. We can’t do better than Southgate unless we try something radically different. So I hope the Football Association seriously considers leaders like Sarina Wiegman or Emma Hayes as head coach and cultural architect of the national team.
Pulling from talent makes sense, and Wiegman and Hayes are world-class leaders. Whether through a position or Whether or not they see a role is debatable, but someone like them would have the benefit of inspiring an entire generation to see that leadership is broader and more interesting than it was in Homer’s day.
