Inclusive Leadership an Imperative for today's 21st Century?Leader

Have you ever walked into a meeting, classroom, or even a social event and wondered why everyone looks the same?

When you look at the world that’s evolving around us, one can easily see that pretty much no matter where we go in public, whether it’s to the supermarket, shopping mall, or buying a cup of coffee, you can see that the individuals around us are diverse.

So why then aren’t our boards, social groups, and workplaces as diverse as the world around us?

As human beings, we have tendencies to repeat behaviors over and over, these are commonly referred to as unconscious behaviors, and because we repeat them over and over, our behaviors often yield the same outcomes.

It’s like selecting a book to read, typically, we gravitate towards the same genres of reading material each time, for example, if you tend to read mystery or romance novels, you are likely not going to choose an astronomy book the next time you select your next novel.

Our patterns of behavior can sometimes block or exclude others even when we’re not consciously trying to and consequently, we end up in a room full of people who all look the same.

So, the question becomes, "What can be done to change this unconscious behavior and become more conscious about the decisions that we make and implement?"

Before, I answer that question, let me begin by saying, today’s 21st century leader must do more than simply understand, that to modernize and transform an organization, you need diversity. However, diversity, by itself is not enough, today’s 21st century leaders also must understand that ‘inclusion’ is needed to activate diversity.

To be inclusive, is to ensure that everyone has a seat and a voice at the table. It is to be conscious and aware of our behaviors and to work within them, to prevent each of us from unconsciously or consciously differentiating against individuals’ due to their age, culture, gender, ethnicity, religion, or anything that we notice makes others different than ourselves.

It’s when we recognize that everyone has a voice and include a variety of different ideas, opinions, viewpoints, and perspectives. But, we can’t do that if we don’t know what biases we have that might be sabotaging our good intentions of being a fair and inclusive leader.

Every person needs to have a sense of belonging and without this we will never realize the collaboration that is necessary to create an inclusive environment. To create this environment, we need inclusive leaders who will step up and lead in today’s everchanging marketplace.

These individuals and structures also understand that the business case relies on change from a “traditional” leadership model to an “inclusive leadership” model, as organizations are being impacted more and more by:

• Global Markets and Emerging Markets
• Increasingly Diverse Customers and Talent Pools
• Doing more with less and increasing Productivity and Performance
• Values, Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility and Legal Framework
• New ways of working improving Quality and Innovation

“Traditional” leaders typically rely on bridging differences by searching for similarities, their mantra is, “Let’s agree to disagree,” however inclusive leaders support uncovering differences that initially may cause conflict. They also get that by working through these problems, seeing each perspective for its own unique value, is just one of the ways that inclusive leaders help their teams and organizations manage through conflict.

Whether differences are related to political issues, religion, work and communication styles, generational influences, or socioeconomic concerns, inclusive leaders understand that key fundamental traits must be present, to properly manage and lead individuals through these multifaceted conversations.

So how then do we begin to create this culture that is welcoming to all?

The inclusive leader understands that for environments to be successful, individuals must be willing to share their diverse perspectives and experiences. However, most individuals are not eager to share their diverse perspectives and experiences because they do not feel as though they will be understood or accepted.

Inclusive leaders also realize that differences cannot be considered unless a trusting, open environment is established. But trust is earned and before we can begin to change our environment or others, we must begin to change ourselves.

Leading Self

“Before one can lead others, he or she must be able to lead himself.”

Strong, self-awareness, and social expression are the foundation of effective leadership. Cultivating your personal and professional relationships, interpersonal skills, and communicating in an effective and often empathetic manner while mastering the nuances of your online presence and networking capabilities are critical to enriching an inclusive leadership style.

Self-aware inclusive leaders do not hide behind their faults, but instead acknowledge them through integrity and truthfulness. They recognize that while none of us are perfect each of us can strengthen our strengths and learn to outsource our weaknesses through enlisting the help of others.

Inclusive leaders know how to direct and put personal interest aside to achieve what needs to be done in the best interest of all, they have:

Courage

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” ~ JK Rowling

Inclusive leaders act on guiding principles and use their moral compass even when it means taking a chance or a risk.

As a leader you must know how to stand up for what is right rather than hiding in fear. It doesn’t always mean you won’t be afraid, but you refuse to allow that fear to stop you from making decisions that will impact others positively.

It takes courage to think outside of the box and invite someone who you traditionally wouldn’t invite to have a seat at the table. It takes courage to begin to have dialogues about touchy subjects such as race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, politics, and socioeconomic issues. It takes courage to intentionally step outside of your comfort zone. But all of this is what inclusive leaders do to begin to open themselves up for change and a bit of uncomfortable conflict. But I am convinced that it’s through this discomfort that we often grow and begin to have substantial impact on the world around us.

Accountability:

“Leaders inspire accountability through their ability to accept responsibility before they place blame.” ~ Courtney Lynch

As a leader one must hold himself accountable and enforce the same rules that he or she would expect from his or her employees. The best leaders always do, but in today’s workplace this behavior must be more deliberate and visible.

Inclusive leaders must demonstrate that they are accountable and take personal responsibility for the outcomes of their behaviors and choices, they recognize that when things go wrong and are not working, they admit to this and do not blame others.

They begin to employ solutions that work, this often can mean enlisting the help of others, because as we know, ‘no man is an island’ and getting the work done can mean getting others on board to support. Accountable leaders find the best answer to the problems and work inside and outside of their ecosystem to find the best possible solutions.

Self-Awareness, Courage and Accountability are but a few of the traits that inclusive leaders demonstrate, these along with several others, help an organization grow and move to the next level in an increasingly diverse and competitive global marketplace.

Inclusive leaders practice the art of leadership that carefully includes the contributions, thoughts, views, and opinions of all stakeholders in the organization or community.

So, the next time you are making that decision about who to invite to the table, think about the things above and apply some of the tactics mentioned, but at the same time know it takes more than just knowing the traits and behaviors, it takes commitment, and requires comprehensive business solutions, plans and strategies. Learning to apply the concepts and models in your daily business operations to build a more inclusive leadership culture is key to growth in the 21st Century.

MiShon Landry is CEO/founder of Culture Consultants and Inclusive Leadership Institute

Culture Consultants is a Women Owned Business {MWBE} Diversity & Inclusion Practice Focused on Leading Inclusive Change in Today’s Organizational Culture