Director & Co-Founder, Leanne Carling on #IWD23

What is your role at The Carling Group?

Director and Co-Founder

 

What does equity mean to you?

I believe that most of the conversation focusses on equality, but this can miss the point that each person has different circumstances and support needs, therefore by focussing on this through this year’s IWD theme #embracingequity, businesses can allocate the exact resources needed to reach proper equity.

I have never believed in a one-size-fits-all approach to people management and make sure that I tailor my approach to the needs of each individual on my team. Only by understanding that everyone is different, can we start to focus on getting everyone the support and access to opportunities they need. Once this is achieved, we can deploy the people in our business to the most suitable role for them, where they can develop and grow and thrive to their full potential.

I think it is important to make sure everyone in my teams know what is expected of them in their roles, and a big part of that is not only supporting each other, but also understanding everyone’s strengths and weaknesses so we can all support each other.

 

Have you experienced positive change over the past 5 years?

Working in male-dominated environments since leaving school I have experienced positive change, in particular with regards to better female representation and senior management and boards level positions.

Running multiple businesses, I believe there is a better culture in businesses with a mix of females and males sitting on the board as experience creates ideas and thinking, hence a broad mix of experiences will create broad thinking, leading to more complete consideration of options and ideas.

When running a business, you always want the best team possible, and sometimes there can be a lack of qualified or properly experienced candidates of a particular gender (in certain industries). By encouraging equity at all levels, we should see more females exploring careers in some typically male-dominated industries (and vice-versa), leading to a more evenly split pool of candidates for senior positions.

For me personally, working in a male-dominated environment has encouraged me to be very, very competitive, determined to succeed not scared to share my views and or ask questions. It is important that we recognise our own individual role in balancing any imbalances.

What is your hope for the future?

As a firm believer in meritocracy, I hope we continue to create a more inclusive world for all, actively supporting each other, understanding the needs of the individual to achieve their potential, and that we all embrace equity within our own world of influence, making changes where we can.