Five Fundamental Characteristics of Inclusive Leaders: The Mindset & Skillset to Build a Cohesive Corporate Culture

What is the one word that you think makes the concept of leadership effective?

Inclusion - of people, perspectives, place, processes, policies and programs.

Leadership, we hope everyone knows, is not about holding a position of authority, but rather fostering the mindset of speaking up for others, standing up for social justice and being a beacon of hope for those around you.

While inclusive leadership may be one of the buzzwords and concepts that have become quite common after the murder of George Floyd, inclusion has always been implied in the definition of leadership.

The sad thing is that for far too long, leadership has been everything but inclusive and equitable, devoid of the fundamentals of social justice.

Even in the instance when there was some diversity in the corridors of power, leadership was made out to be exclusive instead of inclusive – with the board of directors and management teams often made up of people who look alike, talk alike, think alike, act alike, love alike, pray alike, and play alike.

For some na?ve reason, reflective of low self-awareness and pitiable social consciousness, some people think that leadership is more effective when those in a position of authority are “likeminded”, therefore oblivious to the fact that creativity and effectiveness can only be enabled by inclusive diversity.

To avoid being challenged in their thought process, they put systemic barriers in place to keep people who look different away from the corridors of power, thereby limiting the progress of the organization.

INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM

In my book, The Mystique of Leadership , I indicated that inclusive leadership is to foster a mindset that embraces and leverages the diversity of people, perspectives, and places to achieve a common vision that advances humanity.

To be an inclusive leader, therefore, you must possess a higher awareness of yourself, a deeper consciousness of social justice and be highly empathetic towards everyone, with an open mind that is remarkably inviting and welcoming of people who are different from you in all ramifications.

-- Is your management team reflective of balanced representation?

-- Do the people in your organization feel that your strategic directions are reflective of their opinions, perspective, challenges, and desires?

-- Do you actively seek to engage and encourage those who look differently, talk differently, think differently, act differently, love differently, pray differently, and play differently?

-- Is your corporate culture indicative of a safe and even brave space for people to be authentic, energetic, and informative without the fear of reprisal, reprimand, or repercussion for contrary perspectives?

-- How comfortable are people in your workplace with discussing sensitive and even controversial issues that matter most to them and others to support and advance the quest for social justice?

-- Are topics relating to equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism and discrimination standing agenda items in senior management and Board of Directors’ meetings?

Inclusive leaders lay more emphasis on people than projects or profit and they make every effort to learn more about their staff while creating a work environment that fosters inclusive diversity and workplace equity.

Inclusive leaders are intentional about attracting and retaining a remarkably diverse workforce while implementing tips, tools, and techniques to foster a cohesive, inclusive, and equitable corporate culture.

The video below proposes the types of intelligence people should develop to foster inclusive leadership, which is the ability to ensure everyone in your team and organization feels valued, respected, and appreciated.

To register for our Inclusive Leadership Transformational Program, click here .

LEARNING OUTCOMES OF INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP TRANSFORMATIONAL PROGRAM – A CERTIFICATE BY THE CANADIAN CONGRESS ON INCLUSIVE DIVERSITY & WORKPLACE EQUITY: TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE .

#1 - You will become more aware of your thought process and natural prejudicial tendencies while aligning your mentality with the behavioural attributes to make your leadership more inclusive, equitable and transformational

#2 - You will become acquainted with your role in the corporate objective of eliminating systemic racism and creating a work environment that is safe, inclusive, equitable and cohesive enough for open dialogue.

#3 - You will become more courageous yet tactful to initiate and sustain sensitive conversations in the workplace and how to leverage them to build allyship, strengthen leadership effectiveness, energize your team, and increase value propositions.

#4 - You will be equipped with strategic tips, tools, and techniques to overcome prejudicial tendencies like unconscious bias, microaggressions and others that hinder inclusive diversity and workplace equity.

#5 - You will be empowered with the mindset, skillset, and toolset to constantly increase your willingness, capacity, and abilities to diplomatically challenge the status quo and assess systems, culture, and policies through an EDI lens.

To register for this program, click here .

If you require corporate training, executive coaching, strategic planning, review and audit of policies, development of performance reporting and dashboard or other strategic support, email [email protected] .