Inclusive Leadership in Challenging Times: Embracing Vulnerability.

October is my favorite month, for a variety of reasons. The leaves are starting to turn on the trees here in Vancouver, and I love the cooler weather. It's also my birthday month, and this year is a big one - I will be turning 60 on October 30th! Rather than focusing on my age, however, I'm focused on what I can do to make this world a better place in these challenging times. I'm still full of energy and will be doing a lot of work on my research topics, but I also have to be willing to be vulnerable and focus on staying healthy as I look towards the future.

Over the summer I thought long and hard about how I could continue to help individuals and organizations to understand the importance of inclusive leadership while making important changes to my own life. In this day and age, we are all challenged to find time to do the professional development we need to become better leaders. This is why I worked with Earl Coleman to create the Inclusive Leadership Assessment so that I could share what I have developed through my work on Radical Empathy more effectively.

For me, being vulnerable meant admitting to myself that I couldn't always be there in person for folks who wanted to work with me. It's also important to understand that people need different levels of help and that much of what they need can be provided through my books and a variety of materials that are already available online. So we have created a curated list of resources that are tailored to where you are at on your journey to inclusive leadership.

As I look back on the last few months, it has been an important time for inclusive leadership and vulnerability. Many of my friends in higher education have commented on the fact that their students are struggling during these difficult times and I see it in my own family as well. There is so much upheaval in the world with both man-made and natural disasters. We all need to ensure that we are creating supportive environments for our employees, colleagues, students and friends. Where are you at on your journey? What questions do you have as you navigate these difficult times?

I hope this space is one where we can share what has and hasn't worked. Leave a comment below if you have thoughts or ideas. I there are several articles from Harvard Business Review that I use as resources, and I include a quote below from Janice Omadeke's article, "The Best Leaders Aren’t Afraid to Be Vulnerable."

"leaders who create the space for true vulnerability build psychologically safe work environments in which people feel welcome to be themselves. We’ve learned that when people are willing to be authentic at work, they’re also more willing to take creative risks, share their perspectives without fear of a consequence, and make valuable contributions that can only be expressed within a culture that values trust and inclusion."

Inclusive leadership starts with vulnerability - I work on this every day, and the most important type of vulnerability starts with the willingness to be vulnerable with yourself. Take stock, and make sure that you aren't being too hard on yourself, that you are taking time to ensure that you are getting what you need to stay healthy mentally and physically. Being vulnerable is hard work and we all need to nourish the various aspects of our lives that are important to us.

So I will leave you with some photos are that I took on a recent walk and that I have found inspiring. Take a deep breath and enjoy.