“Through my experience of disability in both a family and work context, I know that with the right environment, employees with disabilities can thrive. To create that environment, executive sponsors must use every facet of our leadership to address the deep-seated human resistors to making the required change.” Tancy Tan, Chief Operating Officer, HSBC Singapore and executive sponsor of the HSBC Ability ERG

Last year, we published our refreshed Purple Champion Leadership Model (sponsored by HSBC) to showcase the essential leadership attributes that are required to drive disability cultural change within the workplace and demonstrate the importance of these attributes in creating, building and sustaining high- performing ERG/Networks.

At PurpleSpace we have seen as many different types of disability executive sponsors as there are ERG/Networks across the globe. 

The best have a style of leadership that leads to meaningful cultural change and real buy-in from different parts of the organisation, and externally. They use their role and influence to create an inclusive workplace culture and they support disability ERG/Network leaders through their words and stories, their behaviour and by example. 

This month we invite executive disability sponsors to consider:

• Your role in ensuring that a high impact disability ERG/Network is a central component of your organisation’s disability inclusion strategy. 
• How can you advance the personal and professional development of your ERG/Network leaders?
• What difficult questions do you need to ask of your own organisation when it comes to the lived experience of disabled employees?
• How can you incorporate sharing stories about yourself or loved ones, or colleagues with disabilities as part of your personal brand?
• Which skills and knowledge would enhance your effectiveness as a sponsor?

Peer Leadership Roundtables

One of the most valuable aspects of PurpleSpace membership is the opportunity to build your leadership capacity via quality conversation with peers. This month, our sessions are exclusively for executive sponsors, to explore leadership lessons from the Purple Champion Leadership Model.

These interactive one-hour sessions are a great way for executive sponsors to meet their peers, share good practice and challenges, swap ideas and build leadership capacity. 

We have two sessions to choose from in April:

• 9 April 08:00 GMT/13:30 IST/19:00 ACT
• 18 April 16:00 BST / 11:00 EDT

If your executive sponsor does not have access to the PurpleSpace Member Zone, please direct booking enquiries to kirstie@purplespace.org.

ERG Global Strategic Forum 

The ERG Global Strategic Forum is Chaired by PurpleSpace Ambassador International ERG leader at Eli Lilly and Company, Darren Rowan.

The Forum supports PurpleSpace’s strategic goal to drive the global growth of the disability ERG movement and meets on 16 April at 16:00 GMT / 11:00 EDT.

For more information contact kirstie@purplespace.org.

PurpleSpace and External Useful Resources

Tap into our Networkology know-how and check out some of the external learning that links to this month’s leadership lesson:

• Purple Champion Leadership Model (sponsored by HSBC)
• The Magic Trio – explores what good practice looks like within the collaborative relationship between executive sponsor, DEI leader and ERG/Network leader
• Diary of a CEO – The hugely popular series, hosted by Steven Bartlett reveals the vulnerable side of leadership with honest insight from entrepreneurs, actors, authors and business leaders.