Last month, Covington’s Chris Bracebridge, Sophia Gascoyne, and Antonio Michaelides attended a diversity event hosted by Travers Smith in London. The event formed part of Travers Smith’s “Be a Game Changer” initiative, which is designed to draw upon the experiences of athletes and other people working in the sports sector in order to help foster a culture of collaboration, diversity, and inclusivity in the work place.
The panelists included Lord Chris Holmes, one of Britain's most celebrated Paralympians, Richard Allcroft, Board Director of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, and Claire Harvey, a 2012 London Summer Paralympian. The panelists discussed their unique experiences with sports and disability and shared their thoughts on how businesses can work to facilitate inclusion, increase diversity, and enable all individuals to reach their full potential.
A key thought emerging from the panelists’ discussion was the need to ask people what they require to thrive. Inclusive and proactive communication is the key to harnessing an individual’s full talent potential. This is something that is very much encouraged and expected in the world of sports, but is sometimes difficult to replicate in business. Nevertheless, the panel noted that the business community should not shy away from asking the uncomfortable questions.