Challenging the Status Quo with Dai Le, Storyteller, Councillor & Founder of DAWN Media
Dai Le is an Advisory Board Member to Multicultural NSW, a councillor on Fairfield City Council, one of the most the Founder of DAWN Media. Her mission is to build an inclusive society where the leadership of mainstream institutions and organizations genuinely reflect the diverse community we live in.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Dai spent many years in refugee camps in South East Asia before being accepted for resettlement in Australia. Her childhood experiences and growing up with a dual identity – being a Vietnamese in an Australian and western cultural surroundings, helped to shape her perception of life. It has also made her a passionate advocate for refugees and migrant communities.
A former award-winning journalist, film-maker and broadcaster with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Dai was named one of AFR-Westpac's Top 100 Influential Women in Australia in 2014. With over 20 years of change making experience, Dai is a strong believer in the use of storytelling to inspire, educate and inform.
Diversity brings a variety of perspectives and experiences to a team. While hiring staff from a range of backgrounds is a great place to start, if you’re working to make your culture more inclusive, the first place to look is your leadership team because actions speak louder than words – and employees will always notice who you promote into positions of power.
If you need a ‘business case’ for building a diverse leadership team, the potential performance boost to your business is the best angle, and here’s a few reasons why..
Diverse leadership teams have a larger pool of experience and unique points of view to draw from, which can help with finding solutions to problems and generating new ideas.
Seeing people ‘like me’ in powerful positions can inspire employees to stay longer and strive for promotions themselves (i.e. increasing staff retention and motivation).
By having a leadership team that reflects a commitment to diversity, you’ll find it easier to attract great talent because high-performing people will be more eager to work with you.
People from different groups and backgrounds often bring unique connections with them, which can lead to more networking opportunities for your company.
Download and listen to Dai’s interview with Kylee Stone, Founder and Host of The Uncharted Leader Podcast - inspirational stories of leaders challenging the status quo and taking action in direct accordance with their Vision, Values, Mission and Goals.