Hans Honig | CEO of Deloitte Netherlands
"Board policy needs feedback to know if our actions actually land and have impact."
Reverse Mentoring Program
start the conversation to create and increase awareness
This march we kicked of the second edition of our so-called Reverse Mentoring Program. An initiative in which Deloitte leaders are mentored by a colleague with a different background. The executive board started the program last year which then focused on cultural diversity. This year’s edition focuses on four different diversity groups: gender balance, LGBTIQ+, Neurodiversity and Cultural Diversity. The goal of the Program? To improve knowledge and sensitivity to these challenges.
Reverse mentorship allows you to better understand the personal and business case for diversity, equity & inclusion and empathize with underrepresented employees via personal storytelling and dilemma sharing. Therefore, Hans Honig, CEO of Deloitte Netherlands, and Fatima El Barkani, Senior Consultant, Tax & Legal, were matched. Liesbeth Mol, CQO at Deloitte Netherlands, was linked to Shaju Basheer, Senior Manager Technology Strategy and Transformation. Oscar Snijders, COO at Deloitte Netherlands, was matched with Koon-Sang Tsang, Manager Privacy & Digital Ethics, Risk Advisory.
Once every few weeks Fatima and Hans meet and take a one-hour walk around The Edge. ‘When I check my calendar, I always get energy when I see our meeting noted’, Hans says. ‘Diversity, equity & inclusion is one of our top priorities. But as an executive board, we are mainly working on it in a policy-related way. Feedback on how things are experienced is critical to know whether what we are doing actually lands. That is why I am very enthusiastic about the Reverse Mentoring Program. And with Fatima I had a lucky match. Not only can she teach me a lot about cultural biases, but taking a walk and talk is just fun.’
Everybody is biased
‘We both learn from our conversations’, Fatima continues. ‘Often, I realize I have biases too. Everybody does. Me and my siblings were almost the only ones that had a different cultural background at school. I never had any bad experiences in school or at work. But this is unfortunately not the case for everyone with a non-Western background. Therefore, making jokes or remarks can be sensitive for some people. My team at Deloitte has been very warm and welcoming. I truly feel part of the team. It’s the little things that make people feel part of their team, or not. For instance, with a team activity, little adjustments can make it more inclusive for all colleagues. Just have open conversations about it.’
Thinking independently together
I had no specific goal in mind when we started the program and you can’t make a schedule for this’, Shaju explains. Liesbeth: ‘Our conversations gave me a clear insight into many different things, such as the culture of India, the importance of children and parents, and what it’s like to move to another country. What is needed for someone to feel at home in our organization? Because that is of course what you want. You want that everybody feel a sense of belongingness.’ ‘The world is changing and Deloitte is one of the highly reputed firms in consultancy. If we are not representing the world, it does not make sense’, Shaju says. ‘We have taken our time for each diversity topic, and that is a good thing’.
Shaju Basheer | Director Technology Strategy & Transformation
"The world is changing and if we are not representing the world, it does not make sense."
Actively start the conversation
‘Another important insight I got is that you actively need to start the conversation’, Liesbeth says. ‘I always thought people would simply speak up when you create a safe environment and have the right processes. But when someone is from a different culture, it is not always easy to speak up. Especially when how you present yourself is different for someone who is not originally from the Netherlands. This also applies to promotion and evaluation processes, because if something is not part of your default behavior, it is difficult to be authentic at it.’ ‘I struggled with that a bit myself’, Shaju nods. ‘Do I become one among the Dutch or should I hold my authentic personality?’
A real understanding for each other
‘What is going on in the workplace sometimes does not reach all the layers above and vice versa. By narrowing the gap, you increase mutual understanding and you can identify blind spots’, Koon says. Oscar agrees: ‘Diversity can be achieved by pursuing a certain percentage of people from a cultural background for our company. But inclusion is a lot harder to reach. You need to have a real understanding for each other. Having a conversation together is a good start, if you are willing to really listen. That is why the Reverse Mentoring Program got me excited.’
Struggling with the same issue
Koon and Oscar were curious how other companies looked at diversity, equity & inclusion. And so it happened that Koon togheter with another organization organized a round table meeting in which several clients took part. Koon: ‘It was a very valuable afternoon. We discussed our challenges and the things we are proud of. And the funny thing is, everybody seems to be struggling with the same issues.’ ‘We are all making such an effort to attract diverse talent. But it proves difficult to let them thrive. We shouldn’t expect squares to become circles, while we were specifically looking for squares!’, Oscar says. ‘Our Reverse Mentoring Program is a strong and personal program. And the thing is, talking about diversity, equity & inclusion should be personal.’ ‘Exactly’, Koon agrees. ‘Someone with a Chinese background encounters very different challenges than someone from Moroccan origin. Every experience is personal. Talking about these experiences together is very powerful to create and increase awareness.’
Oscar Snijders | Partner Sustainability
"We shouldn’t expect squares to become circles, while we were specifically looking for squares!"
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