Are You an Inclusive Leader?

There has been considerable discussion in the news about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) recently. Unfortunately, these discussions are often politically motivated, leading to a significant amount of misinformation and disinformation concerning DE&I. Regardless of differing narratives or personal beliefs, one fundamental principle remains clear: Inspirational leaders are inclusive. This is due to the numerous benefits that inclusion provides.

Early in my career, I worked as a junior engineer at one of our company’s manufacturing plants. John (not his real name) was the Plant Manager. He invited three Technicians, and three lower-level managers, including me, to join his leadership team for a visioning exercise. During the session, many of us who were not part of the Plant Leadership Team contributed ideas that John and his leadership team had not considered. They acknowledged we had unique perspectives they did not have and that our input was crucial for achieving a high-quality outcome.

What I did not anticipate was how proud the Technicians felt to be part of the process. They became enthusiastic ambassadors of the new vision among their fellow Technicians. Their influence helped drive rapid acceptance and alignment among the staff, as everyone saw themselves in the vision. That event and its outcome contributed to my understanding of the significance of inclusive leadership.

DE&I is a business strategy that offers huge benefits to organizations.  These benefits include reduced time to market, increased innovation, better problem-solving, and a healthy organizational culture.  The effectiveness of that strategy lies not just in diversity itself, but in ensuring that every member feels valued, and has a seat at the table. Leaders have a crucial role in creating an inclusive workplace.

What is an Inclusive Leader? This is a leader who makes others feel valued, respected, heard, and included, regardless of their differences such as age, race, gender, social status, or other visible or hidden characteristics.

Benefits of Inclusive Leadership

The benefits of inclusion are numerous. However, here are four key areas to consider.

Business: Companies gain a competitive advantage through increased innovation, and reduced time to market for new products. They also achieve stronger penetration into new markets by leveraging the diverse experiences of their workforce, which helps them better understand the customers they serve.

Organization: Core to the success of a company is the culture of its organization. Inclusion creates a culture with improved employee morale and retention. This, in turn, attracts more high-performing talent.

Teams: Inclusive leaders create teams with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This results in enhanced collaboration, greater trust among team members, and increased productivity.

Individuals: Inclusion fosters an environment where individuals feel seen, heard, and empowered to share diverse perspectives.

In a nutshell, inclusive leaders develop empowered individuals, who form diverse teams within organizations that have healthy cultures, ultimately delivering outstanding results for their companies.

Challenges in Promoting Inclusion

As many of you can attest, leadership can be quite challenging, particularly in today’s sociopolitical environment.  While the benefits of inclusive leadership are well-documented, practicing inclusion is not always easy. Here are some challenges you can face as you work to strengthen your inclusion muscle.

• Lack of Accountability. Failing to hold yourself and others accountable for inclusive behaviors can lead to unsatisfactory results.

• Unconscious Bias. Personal and organizational biases can obscure the objective of achieving success.

• Systemic Barriers. Adhering to policies and procedures that disadvantage underrepresented groups will hinder inclusion.

• Misunderstanding the intent of inclusion. It is crucial to clearly understand what inclusion means and its significance.

Fortunately, there are always individuals willing to step forward and … well, lead in the face of adversity, to cultivate an inclusive leadership style.

Cultivating an Inclusive Leadership Style

Developing a habit of inclusion in leadership requires intentional effort. We often gravitate towards people who behave, and think like us, which makes inclusion a conscious choice rather than a natural instinct.

If we want to strengthen our inclusive leadership styles, here are a few tips worth considering.

1. Intentionality

It starts with an internal desire and personal commitment to fostering an inclusive environment that drives the best possible results for our organizations. This commitment involves ensuring everyone has equal opportunities to succeed.

2. Cultural Competence

Demonstrate awareness, knowledge, and acceptance of diverse cultures, whether related to race, gender, age, religion, or other differences. We must be willing to understand, appreciate, and value various cultures, and influence our organizations to do the same.

3. Courageous Leadership

Develop the courage to confront unconscious bias – beginning with ourselves. We must champion equitable policies by addressing biases within our organizations. Take decisive action to challenge the negative aspects of the status quo and outdated practices.

4. Valuing Differences

Actively seek out diverse perspectives in decision-making. We should advocate for and support marginalized individuals, ensuring their voices are heard and considered.

Anyone can, and should, develop an inclusive leadership style.  It requires intentionality, cultural competence, courageous leadership, and a commitment to valuing differences. There’s no shortcut to achieving this.

Inspirational leaders know and leverage the power of inclusion to drive superior results within their teams, organizations, and companies.  Inclusion works because every member feels valued, and has a voice in the decision-making process. Inclusive leaders are essential to business success.

Empowered Leader Reflection

Based on the above principles, do you consider yourself an inclusive leader?

If this resonated with you, would you share your perspective with us by leaving a reply below?

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