David Atkin, managing director of travel risk, safety and crisis management consultancy Sanderson Phillips and a mentor in the Women in Travel CIC Male Allyship Network, says more diverse and equitable businesses are more successful
I’ve officially been a member of Women in Travel’s Male Allyship Network for three years now and the reason I feel so passionate about allyship is that once you take part, learn about it, embrace it, it’s one of those “penny drop” moments.
A “Why isn’t everyone doing this?!” feeling.
When I have conversations about what allyship means, people can be reticent to get involved, citing concerns about how they can practise allyship, not fully understanding how it could benefit a business or individual’s development, or concern about the resources required.
Firstly, I should start with the nuanced difference between mentoring and allyship. Allyship refers to the active and intentional practice of supporting and advocating for members of marginalised groups.
Allyship can be practised in various ways, one of which is mentoring.
Mentoring is the act or process of giving support to a less experienced person, who in turn provides opportunities for learning and development to the mentor/ally through sharing their challenges and giving a different point of view, meaning we all learn and progress in the relationship!
Questioning what you have to offer is common, but everyone has something to offer. Often the things you find routine can be gold dust to someone who hasn’t had the same experiences.
Taking a look at your P&L or sales forecasts might be a day-to-day occurrence for you but guaranteed there’s a start-up tour operator desperate for someone to bounce ideas off about the financials of their business.
Stuck with a problem? Plenty of others will have been through a similar situation and can help by giving a new, objective point of view.
I’ve always found the travel industry to be collaborative, so allyship is likely already happening in many businesses.
However, being part of a structured programme such as Women in Travel’s Male Allyship Network or its more recent Corporate Allyship Programme ensures time and space is given to practise allyship regularly, meaning it becomes second-nature without realising.
It doesn’t have to take up a lot of time, especially if you get involved with an established programme, and making it a formalised part of your teams’ development plans will pay dividends.
As a recently certified B Corporation, I’m keen that the business I lead is diverse, equitable and one that truly supports people – both inside and outside our own organisation.
Having seen the benefits first-hand, we recently signed up as a Women in Travel Corporate Ally too.
We now have two team members acting as mentors and four female-identifying team members taking part as mentees.
I can’t speak directly on anyone’s behalf, but from feedback I’ve had it is proving transformative for all involved.
The matching process is exceptional. Founder Alessandra Alonso’s ability to pair allies with the most appropriate mentees means that mutually beneficial, long-term relationships are fostered, creating space for the sharing of experiences and knowledge which in turn promotes reverse mentoring (where the mentor gets back just as much – or often more – than the person being mentored).
In terms of benefits for travel agents, tour operators and everyone in between, I genuinely don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t benefit from being involved.
Our industry is wonderfully far-reaching and incredibly diverse, and allyship is an amazing way to embrace and elevate that, harnessing it to drive forward even more successful businesses for all.
Because more diverse and equitable businesses are proven to be more successful ones.
Being an ally is extremely rewarding. It’s helped me to develop positive leadership and management skills that I’ve been able to use both in business and in everyday life – skills I’ve even found handy while co-parenting two teenagers!