3 Ideas on inclusive leadership

***Disclaimer: The information on this newsletter does not substitute for professional and qualified advice and is intended to be general in nature. Always seek advice from a qualified and certified psychologist first.

We have one of the greatest gifts - and that is self-agency and autonomy. There are multiple perspectives on the below, and not all will be applicable to all contexts. Exercise your agency and autonomy on what is helpful to you and throw out the rest ;) ?

Here are three kinds of "Inclusive Leaders", as well as three ways to uproot and discard limiting beliefs.

1. Comfortable disturbance

When it comes to implementing and driving inclusion in the business, most leaders can feel overwhelmed, confused, lost, frustrated, and downright fearful. What drives these emotions underneath the surface? It's shame. Shame of getting it "wrong".

Leaders can often deal with a project failing?or a task going wrong. And when it comes to inclusion? Leaders often?want zero "failure" probability.

Because "getting it wrong" can mean?being seen or labelled as a?"bad person".?

My first job is to take fear and shame off the table. Literally.? We do this by voicing our concerns, worries and fears before we get started on any DEI work or training; we discuss what fear and shame?looks and sounds like,?what we would do if we were to "get DEI?wrong"?and?I write the emotional states on a whiteboard.

This exercise takes a little time and most executives and leaders are not "comfortable" voicing their concerns, worries and fears about DEI let alone any emotions with each other; and that's ok, because that is the real purpose of the exercise.?

This exercise creates a little "comfortable disturbance" with me in the room holding the space and facilitating?an activity that creates a little agitation and friction?to start building their antifragility muscle.?

We get to practice being?comfortable with feeling uncomfortable by voicing and naming what we are feeling?as a group, writing it down (to remove it's power and take it off the table) and reflecting on if we were "to get it wrong" that we actually have the resources and capability to make it "right" (certainty).?

I then share with them a research study that shows that 85% of what we worry about?doesn't actually become a reality and the 15% that do, we learn (gain) something from it or it shows us that we have the skills and strength to get through it (antifragility).?

In my experience, the same is true for DEI and leaders, provided they have expert support and guidance.?

2. Humility

If leadership is about serving then serving is about humility.? Humility is knowing that we don't have all the answers.

Humility is asking people for help and ideas.? Humility is not pretending like we do.?

Humility is not taking other peoples ideas as our own.?

Humility is asking for consent before providing feedback.? Humility is 100% owning our part to pay in what went "wrong".?

Humility is using what we do have and what is in our control to better the lives of others.? Humility is knowing that regardless of role title, income, education or experience we don't "know it all".?

3. Looking back to move forward

When it comes to DEI the answers come from looking back. By looking back I don't mean oppression, conflict or dysfunction. I mean ways of human-ing. Ways of connecting to one another and ways of leading.? In this individualistic driven and self-obsessed society we need to get back to being a collective.

Ibasho

What I know to be true, is that we have a desire to fit in as well as stand out.? The Japanese have a word - ibasho: a place were you feel like yourself.?? When we no longer sacrifice our?identity for acceptance, we find relief.? Don't expect people, places, or things to create ibasho for you. And don't expect to 'find it'. Create it within yourself.? Stand out to fit in.?

The myth of "working hard"

Working hard is not about how you work. It's about what you work on.? I.e you can spend 80hrs a week building your business.

Or you can spend 5hrs a day selling your product/service.?

For most people selling their product/service "feels" like "hard work" and so they avoid it.

Instead they do everything except sell their product/services feeling?like they are 'working hard' and how they are burnt out from being so busy building or growing their business.

The real "hard work" is selling.?

Often the real hard work is in what we are avoiding.? ?

Passive income is not passive

Creating?"passive income" requires work to set it up, get it running, (and?the real work of) creating that?magic mix where "passive" money is unlocked and starts flowing into our bank account. It's going to require "work" and a whole bunch of work to get that machine going.

So it's actually not "passive" income is it?....

Inclusive?Leadership and Psychological Safety Training

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