Inclusive Leadership: Taking the First Steps
Inclusive leadership is the ability to successfully lead a diverse group of individuals without bias and ensure all employees have equal opportunity to thrive.
Inclusive leaders value uniqueness and empathize with all employees despite differences in culture, language, ability, sexuality, religion and the like. They provide group members with a sense of belonging by emphasizing the importance of varying perspectives.
How Does Inclusive Leadership Benefit the Workplace?
Inclusive leadership attracts extremely talented individuals from diverse backgrounds that may have otherwise been overlooked. It disrupts the homogeneity of a workplace and spotlights individuals with valuable insight and the ability to solve complex issues with innovative solutions.
Inclusive leadership allows marginalized individuals to bring their authentic selves to work. Instead of having to change who they are in order to succeed, marginalized individuals are given the opportunity to succeed because of who they are. Inclusive leadership creates equal and equitable opportunities for every employee regardless of their background.
This leadership style shows employees that their diverse perspectives are valued and that the success of a company is built on teamwork. Inclusive leaders have the ability to create an environment that cultivates individual potential and encourages high performance by promoting productivity, collaboration and innovation.
Facts and Statistics About Inclusive Leadership
The following facts and statistics were introduced by Deloitte and Harvard Business Review in a series of articles about inclusive leadership and its impact on individuals and organizations.
A leader’s behavior can impact the feeling of inclusivity in the workplace by up to 70%
The perception of inclusion increases work attendance, decreasing the cost associated with absenteeism
Inclusive leadership produces higher rates of collaboration than non-inclusive leadership
Teams guided by inclusive leadership are 17% more likely to rate themselves as high performing
Employees with inclusive leaders are 20% more likely to make quality decisions
Six Key Qualities of an Inclusive Leader
Inclusive leaders may have a plethora of desirable qualities, but there are six in particular that truly contribute to their success.
Commitment It takes a fair amount of time and energy to cultivate a diverse and inclusive workplace. Inclusive leaders are willing to devote themselves completely in order to achieve this outcome. They understand that they are responsible for an employee’s sense of belonging, and they work to ensure that feeling.
Courage In order to challenge outdated organizational practices that discourage diversity and inclusion, a leader must demonstrate courage. Not only do inclusive leaders challenge the status quo, they understand and communicate their limitations in order to benefit their team members.
Self-Awareness In order to be inclusive, one must understand and address their biases. Biases obstruct innovation, inclusion, productivity and diversity. They marginalize individuals and devalue them, leading to missed opportunities on both ends. Inclusive leaders understand and address their biases while working to implement policies that command equity and equality in the workplace.
Curiosity With curiosity comes an open mind, which is essential when putting together a diverse and inclusive team. Inclusive leaders are excited to hear the perspectives and viewpoints of others in order to fill their blindspots. They demonstrate active listening, ask respectful and thought provoking questions, while encouraging creativity and change.
Cultural Awareness Inclusive leaders demonstrate cultural intelligence and awareness in order to show respect for others. They are able to adapt their speech and behavior to accommodate cultural norms and refuse to indulge in cultural stereotypes. They understand that their own culture influences the way they handle themselves and their expectations of others.
Collaborative In order for a team to collaborate effectively, leaders and team members must value different world views and abilities. An inclusive leader creates an atmosphere in which all team members feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and ideas without the fear of judgement. They circumvent conflict by reaffirming oneness and the value of having all hands on deck.
Practices for Inclusive Leadership
In addition to improving upon the aforementioned qualities, there are several other methods that will foster an inclusive leadership style.
Share your journey with explicit and implicit bias, and how you’re working to overcome your biases. This will demonstrate vulnerability and encourage your team to share their journey with bias. You may want to share the results of your implicit bias assessment, review your strengths and share your plan for improvement. These actions show your team that you welcome diversity and inclusion and you refuse to allow discrimination to run rampant in the workplace.
Embrace your discomfort by engaging in difficult discourse, attending employee resource group (ERG) meetings and interacting with new or unfamiliar employees. Inclusive leadership requires broad horizons and zero preconceived notions.
Establish a board of peers that you trust and communicate with regularly. Allow these peers to provide you with feedback on speech and behavior that exhibits or inhibits inclusion. This feedback will allow you to correct your speech and behavior to create a more welcoming atmosphere for all employees.
e-Courses and Workshops for Inclusive Leadership
Adapt Your Leadership Style
Offered by Macquarie University through Coursera, this beginner level e-Course will teach you “how transformational, authentic and inclusive leadership styles offer an alternative to the more autocratic, job-centered and controlling leadership styles of the past.” The course is 4 weeks in length with a flexible schedule. Upon completion you’ll receive a shareable certificate.
The Power of Workplace Diversity
Offered by the University of Colorado through Coursera, this beginner level e-Course will teach you how to cultivate inclusion and lead diverse individuals in order to achieve success. The course is 4 weeks in length with a flexible schedule. Upon completion you’ll receive a shareable certificate.
UofM - Inclusive Leadership
Offered by the University of Minnesota, this e-Course for all levels will teach you the importance of diversity and inclusion, inclusive communication skills and your responsibilities as an inclusive leader. The course is 3 weeks in length with a flexible schedule.
Empowering the Diverse Workforce
Offered by the University of California Los Angeles, this e-Course will teach you how to foster an inclusive learning space and how to work inclusively across differences. The course is 4 days in length with a firm schedule.
Addressing Unconscious Bias to Build Stronger, Diverse Teams
Offered by New York University, this mid-high level e-Course will teach you how to understand differences and how to develop a 6-month inclusive leadership action plan. The course is 4 days in length with a firm schedule. Upon completion you’ll receive a certificate of achievement.
Inclusive Leadership & DEI for Leaders
Offered by CultureAlly, Inclusive Leadership and DEI for Leaders training is designed for leaders, managers, board members and other executives that want to expand their skillset. Organizations can invest in their leaders with this one-hour online workshop and leave with the concrete skills to implement action in their workplace.
More Resources on Being an Inclusive Leader
Articles
Videos
Podcasts
Inclusivity: The Gateway to Diversity
Today’s leaders are trying to learn from past leadership styles and grow into new practices that create an inclusive culture. As a leader, you may not know where to begin, and that’s okay. It’s important to understand the pillars of inclusive leadership and how to implement those pillars in your office.
Take the time to discover articles, videos and podcasts that discuss the benefit of inclusive leadership for individuals and organizations. Follow the path of inclusion and you’ll end up with a diverse and highly motivated team.