How can you ensure that your servant leadership decisions are inclusive and promote diversity?

1 Understand your biases

One of the first steps to ensure that your servant leadership decisions are inclusive and promote diversity is to recognize and acknowledge your own biases, assumptions, and blind spots. Biases are natural and inevitable, but they can also interfere with your ability to listen, empathize, and appreciate different perspectives and experiences. To overcome your biases, you need to be aware of them, question them, and seek feedback from others. You can also use tools and frameworks, such as the Implicit Association Test, the Ladder of Inference, or the Intercultural Development Inventory, to help you identify and address your biases.

2 Involve others in decision-making

Another way to ensure that your servant leadership decisions are inclusive and promote diversity is to involve others in the decision-making process. By inviting input, feedback, and suggestions from a diverse group of stakeholders, you can gain a broader and deeper understanding of the issues, opportunities, and implications of your decisions. You can also foster a sense of ownership, commitment, and accountability among your followers, as well as build trust and respect. To involve others in decision-making, you need to create a safe and open space for dialogue, encourage participation and dissent, and acknowledge and appreciate different contributions.

5 Monitor and adjust your decisions

A fifth way to ensure that your servant leadership decisions are inclusive and promote diversity is to monitor and adjust your decisions as needed. You need to track the progress, outcomes, and impacts of your decisions, and measure them against your expectations and objectives. You also need to solicit and incorporate feedback, suggestions, and complaints from your followers and other stakeholders, and identify any gaps, issues, or opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, you need to be flexible and adaptable, and willing to modify, revise, or change your decisions if necessary, based on new information, insights, or circumstances.

6 Learn and grow from your decisions

A sixth way to ensure that your servant leadership decisions are inclusive and promote diversity is to learn and grow from your decisions. You need to reflect on your decisions, and evaluate their effectiveness, efficiency, and ethics. You also need to recognize and celebrate your successes, and acknowledge and learn from your failures. Moreover, you need to share your learning and insights with others, and seek feedback and advice on how to improve your decision-making skills and practices. By doing so, you can enhance your servant leadership competencies, and become a more inclusive and diverse leader.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?