The essence of inclusive leadership

A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.

- Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google

A high salary package, incentives, and additional perks do increase the attractiveness of a workplace. However, a workplace that doesn’t value the opinions of its people loses even its top performers despite these benefits.

Often, we talk about the freedom of creativity so as to enable innovation. This ability to try, test, make errors, mend them, and execute an original idea, remains incomplete unless someone can truly be themselves. Only authentic power can bring innovative ideas to the forefront.

Moreover, psychological safety at work or a lack of it can directly impact employees’ happiness at work. According to the BCG Diversity and Inclusion Assessment for Leadership Global Survey, 2022, the chances of happy and motivated employees quitting are 2.7 times less than their counterparts.

Although inclusion has found its place alongside diversity and equity, the responsibility to ensure that it does not remain a mere policy change remains on the shoulders of leaders. Now everyone is aware that soft skills are not non-technical strengths but actually differentiators in making work and the world a better place. This is also the reason why the demand is not for candidates who have reputed degrees but for those who have the drive to serve others.

The same is true for leadership.

Recruitment and retention rates are higher in organizations where the leadership pays heed to the social issues that matter to a diverse workforce. When leaders take a neutral stand, it impedes trust between them and their people. Employees want to work for an organization they can take pride in under a leader who views them beyond their professional identities.

How can leaders become more inclusive?

Compassion translates empathy into inclusive actions, but that’s just the beginning. Center for Creative Leadership emphasizes that self-awareness enables an individual to identify their own unconscious biases, strengths, and weaknesses. This reflection on their journey of progress and setbacks allows them to understand other people’s different perspectives. The cognizance of the existence of diverse social identities improves their communication and relationships with other people, which are essential to leading a team.

What else helps a leader make their organization more inclusive?

Being a change-maker: Many times, in order to advocate for inclusion, you need to take difficult decisions. Inclusive leaders are unafraid to make tough calls, ruffle a few feathers, and stand for what’s right and what’s for the greater good. They call out the discrimination, defy the odds, and stay true to their values.

Believing in bringing about affirmative change, they go against the norms and introduce a new structure, whether it is through policies or practice. They do not ignore the age-old traditions of othering that have become a part of the colloquial language or culture. Rather, upon detection, they involve people and honor their feedback by addressing and resolving these acts of microagressions.

Making DEI a mutual responsibility: For inclusive leaders, DEI is not confined to one department. They lead by example and also ensure that inclusion becomes ingrained in every domain of the organization. From recruitment, engagement, retention, and promotion, they make it clear that whether it is conveying information or giving raises, every playing field will be equal and fair. ?

By creating learning and development opportunities that are accessible to all, every individual gets a chance to expand their skills and climb up the growth ladder. In all these efforts, a representative of every underrepresented group is involved from the beginning because there is no inclusion without the involvement of those who have experienced it.

When your objective is to take your people along the path to success, transformation cannot exclude anyone. Positive reform happens when a shift in the culture is to safeguard all the voices, especially those who have persisted without one for long.

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