WABChats Readables, Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell
Our recent conversation with Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell Founder and CEO of The 10,000 Interns Foundation, offered a candid look into the practicalities and profound importance of building a truly diverse workforce.
From her own extraordinary journey as a world-leading athlete and social impact leader to her tireless work championing underrepresented talent, Rebecca’s insights provide invaluable lessons for business leaders who are committed to moving beyond rhetoric and ‘box ticking’ and enacting meaningful change.
Rebecca’s experiences underscore that achieving genuine diversity is not a passive aspiration but an active and ongoing process requiring a fundamental shift in mindset and tangible changes to organisational systems. Her perspective offers several key takeaways that will resonate with any business leader looking to cultivate a more inclusive and ultimately more successful organisation. Below are just two to give a flavour of the conversation.
Challenging the Status Quo: Moving Beyond Performative Action to Systemic Change
Many businesses harbour the desire to develop a more diverse workforce but struggle to know where to start. Rebecca takes the stance that “diversity is a verb” – it demands proactive effort and a willingness to challenge ingrained assumptions. Rebecca explained that superficial gestures are insufficient. If businesses want to make real progress in their diversity, they must take a deep dive into their existing systems and structures and assess whether they are inadvertently creating homogeneity.
Examples of this might include questioning traditional competency frameworks, potentially biased towards more familiar profiles, and actively listening to the experiences of diverse applicants and employees to identify pain points in the recruitment and retention processes. Much like an entrepreneur will identify and disrupt inefficiencies in their chosen market, business leaders must be willing to disrupt their own internal processes to foster genuine inclusivity. The critical challenge for many business leaders is not a lack of desire, but often a lack of understanding of how to approach the sometimes-uncomfortable work of transformation.
Embracing Difference as Strength: Practical Steps for Inclusive Recruitment and Retention
Rebecca offered several, concrete, examples of proactive steps that businesses can take immediately to help them in their attempt to create a more diverse workforce. This includes ensuring representation and visibility of diverse individuals throughout the recruitment process, normalising conversations about any necessary workplace adjustments early in the recruitment process, and actively seeking feedback from diverse candidates about their experiences.
By recognising that talent manifests in different ways and that perceived “competency gaps” may simply reflect unfamiliarity, organisations can broaden their talent pool significantly. Businesses must adopt innovative and inclusive recruitment practices to access the full spectrum of available talent. This shift in approach, focusing on potential and adaptability rather than rigid adherence to narrow criteria, can unlock a wealth of diverse perspectives that will ultimately strengthen any organisation.
Rebecca’s insights offer a practical call to action for businesses to move beyond aspirational statements and embrace the tangible work of building truly diverse and inclusive workplaces.
You can listen to the full conversation and hear more about Rebecca’s incredible journey now.
We are an independent, people-first organisation. Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We believe in fair opportunity and inclusion for every individual that walks through our doors. The difference in cultures, backgrounds and previous life experiences is exactly what makes White & Black the place it is today.