International Women's Day 2024

What does great leadership look like to you?

Lucia, Manager in Consulting: Great leadership should be characterized by several key traits including vision, integrity, inclusivity, and resilience. Great leaders can share their vision with the team and inspire them to seek it and work towards it. By serving with integrity, they create an environment where all team members feel valued and respected, regardless of their background. They actively seek out diverse perspectives and can foster a culture of openness, collaboration, and innovation, creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.

Kishwar, Partner in Risk Advisory across Life Sciences: Great leadership embraces a combination of empathy, integrity, humility, vision, strong communication, and most importantly empowers others to succeed. A great leader is inspirational and motivates their team and individuals to challenge themselves to achieve their full potential and team goals. They lead by example and foster a strong culture of trust that encourages open feedback, ideation and inclusive collaboration.

Xueting, Senior Manager in Tax & Legal: Great leaders always listen, set clear goals, and lead by example. It's about empowering and supporting your team to allow them to reach their full potential, while also being firm and making difficult decisions when needed. It is also about creating a culture of trust, where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas, and where constructive feedback is welcomed and acted upon. In my experience, great leaders also prioritize the growth and development of their team members and recognize and leverage their diverse perspectives and skills to drive innovation and success.

Martyna, Senior Executive Assistant: I find honesty, directness, and the creation of a safe environment to be inspiring. Also, approaching people and work with a positive attitude and showing kindness to colleagues can have a profound impact on team dynamics. A positive approach can also be contagious; kindness can lead to a ripple effect. Smiles and kindness foster emotional connections. Great leaders promote a sense of belonging and ensure that everyone has a voice that is heard. I value clearly communicated expectations too. Lastly, when my judgment and competencies are trusted, and I am allowed to lead and take ownership in my work, I feel empowered and appreciated.

Why should we place importance on inclusive leadership?

Lucia: As a Digital Lead at Deloitte, I see inclusive leadership as a driving force for positive change and innovation. Diversity should be seen as a team’s strength rather than a challenge. By fostering an inclusive environment and sharing diverse perspectives, we can: find more creative and “out of the box” solutions, have higher levels of engagement and motivation among team members, as well as promote a culture of collaboration and trust. By embracing and prioritizing inclusive leadership, we create a workplace that is not only more equitable but also more dynamic, resilient, and successful.

Kishwar: Inclusive leadership creates an environment where all views are heard, valued and respected. It’s about encouraging and seeking diverse viewpoints, working collaboratively and ensuring there is equity in opportunities for all. Inclusive leaders empower others, build a sense of community and leverage the strengths of individuals in the team to drive success and more importantly innovation.

Inclusive leadership at Deloitte has had a positive impact on my career progression. I have a strong senior female Partner as a role model and mentor. She supports me to elevate my presence in the industry I work in and has actively supported my career progression to Partner.

Xueting: It’s about creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and included. It is about recognizing and leveraging the diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds of individuals to drive innovation and growth.

When I returned to work after having my second baby, my team at Deloitte were extremely supportive. The skills and abilities that I developed while raising my children were recognised and utilised, including multitasking, problem solving, and time management. This recognition contributed to my career development. I've also observed a number of working parents at Deloitte, which helps build a flexible and understanding working culture. The policies around flexible work arrangements have made all the difference in allowing me to balance my personal and professional roles.

Martyna: We all have a fundamental desire to connect with others, feel a sense of belonging, and be seen and valued for who we are, regardless of our grade, role, origin, gender, age, or experience. Inclusive leaders understand the importance of fostering this approach. When I joined Deloitte, my leaders welcomed me with kindness, respect, and a genuine curiosity about my cultural background and experience. This made me feel instantly valued and empowered to contribute my unique perspective as a woman, mother, and non-Swiss citizen. Now, I strive to pay forward the same kindness and respect to everyone on my team, especially our new joiners, to help them feel seen, heard, and valued in the same way that I did.

What are your recommendations to current and aspiring leaders?

Lucia: Here are some recommendations I was given or learned during my journey:

• Find your own unique leadership style: get to know your powers, embrace and leverage them.
• Be confident and grateful: don’t doubt yourself or your strength, you made it here.
• Stay open-minded: you would be amazed by what others can teach you. Lead with integrity and enable an open and safe space for others to share their views.
• Find your own Board: Build a strong network that can support you along the way.

Kishwar: Be curious and continuously develop your skills and your leadership capabilities. Embrace new challenges with an open mindset and as an opportunity to grow, learn and innovate. Being adaptable and agile is key. Get a mentor – find someone who can offer guidance, support and share their leadership experiences, especially when challenges arise. Be a role model of your values and act with integrity, equity and empathy. Build your network and strong trusted relationships to foster collaboration and support your career. Develop your resilience - it's not always easy being a leader so stay positive.

Xueting: Focus on developing both your technical skills and soft skills, such as communication, collaboration, and leadership. Being a good leader involves more than just managing tasks; it involves building trust, empowering others, and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. Additionally, I would advise aspiring leaders to be open-minded and curious, always seeking opportunities to learn and grow, and to be passionate and committed to making a positive impact in their work. Finally, I would emphasize the importance of being inclusive and leveraging diversity to drive collective success, and of creating an environment where everyone feels valued and included.

Martyna: Encourage yourself and your colleagues, regardless of their grade, to embrace learning and view mistakes as opportunities for growth, rather than fearing failure. Support those who take risks and think outside the box. Allow yourself and others to take risks, explore new opportunities, and learn from the journey. Seeing my leaders' commitment to their own personal and professional growth motivates me to go the extra mile in my own development.

Building the skills and culture that will enable employees to thrive while working, managing or leading is critical. Learn more about what a career at Deloitte could mean for you.