Aubrey Blanche, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Atlassian, joins TC Currie to talk about the difference between diversity and inclusion and why anyone should care. “Diversity is being invited to the party,” she said. “Inclusion is being glad you’re there.” It turns out, Blanche explains, that when you create an inclusive culture, business thrives. Employees who feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work perform better, are happier at work which leads to less turnover which all leads to profits.

Blanche comes from a political science background and is all about measurable outcomes. After a brilliant flash of insight, she realized that teams are the unit of measure for all of her inclusion initiatives, because teams are where all the work happens. Once the focus for diversity was on teams, she started making changes and measuring outcomes, leading to changes in the way Atlassian does business and looks at hiring. Empathy is the most important criteria for hiring at Atlassian, she said, even more than technical skills, which are likely to be out of date in a few years. In this conversation, she breaks down what specific steps Atlassian has taken to create an inclusive culture.