Walking The Talk: Inclusive Leadership In The Real World

Oblivious to rational and logical thought, leaders may believe that they are using processes efficiently and intuitively. However, our intuition is only a result of the unconscious distinctions we use to categorize people. Without knowing, we rely on stereotypes – or groups – as shortcuts to help us make faster judgments. They are illogical and perhaps, in some cases, even unethical.

Here’s a noteworthy example - while "height" isn't a criterion for choosing a company's CEO (and only around 15% of American males are above six feet tall), over 60% of male executives in the US are over six feet tall. Coincidence? I think not.

The problem with removing bias

With the global call of justice, inclusion and equity, many organizations have turned to diversity and implicit bias training as the answer.

Their core message? All humans have biases. Bias is ingrained into our minds. If left uncontrolled, it may have a detrimental influence on social experiences and decisions, particularly in the workplace.

Easy.

However, while it is easy to teach individuals how to reply appropriately to a bias questionnaire, it is not easy to make them remember the answers in the long term and what’s even more difficult is to get them to internalize the knowledge.

Diversity training 's potential benefits rarely last more than a day or two, and several studies suggest that it can even activate a bias or cause a backlash. Despite this, almost half of small businesses and nearly all of the Fortune 500 utilize it.

Plus, just acknowledging that we all have prejudices does not absolve us of responsibility.

In the ever-expanding global, diversified, intergenerational, and hyper-connected ecosystem of work, every worker?brings their own set of needs and expectations, as well as their own methods of thinking, working, and conducting business.

What they want isn't just an acknowledgement of bias laced with a defeatist sense that there's nothing they can do about it. They need awareness to be backed by concrete change and action.

The challenges facing leaders who want to lead inclusively

Successful companies understand the need of cultivating an inclusive workplace culture in order to recruit top talent, promote employee engagement and job happiness, encourage innovation and creativity, and improve customer service.

And only via a deliberate and ongoing process of inclusive leadership development can this be done.

While everyone is responsible for culture, leaders are the ones to set the stage. The onus of controlling the environment and the conversations that their employees are exposed to lies on them.

Being an inclusive leader, however, is not as simple as it appears. Inclusive leadership entails much more than simply being nice, giving a hug or a pat on the back, and having a generally pleasant demeanour.

Many leaders lack fundamental knowledge about inclusive leadership. In fact, they are often way off the mark in recognising what today's workforces demand from their leaders. Blow this up to the organisational level and an inclusion-focused change management process becomes a huge hurdle – both for organisations with legacy cultures and for those that have been around for more than a century.

What inclusive leadership needs in the current scenario is a paradigm change, a receptivity to new ways of doing things, a willingness to face some inconvenience, and the confidence to explore the unknown.

How can leaders go from talk to walk?

Employees demands are simple, if you look at it empathetically.

They just want workplaces to be more inviting, inclusive, and considerate, to foster a feeling of community, and to be free from discrimination and harassment.

The duty of every leader, then, should be to upskill and acquire new skills that actually bridge the gap between what they believe they know and what they actually bring into practice when they lead.

The intentional approach

Listening to understand employees’ thoughts and points of view, as well as establishing open and safe environments for employees to share their ideas without fear of reprisal, are examples of intentionality.

It entails not only bringing greater diversity to the board, but also actively seeking out different viewpoints and ideas.

For example, leaders can start to delegate work more mindfully rather than going to the same person for required tasks. They can also begin to openly call out behaviour and aggressions they identify as inappropriate and out of line.

The cultural approach

Change begins at home. A deeper understanding of diverse cultures that begins first with self-awareness and self-learning can help leaders improve their cultural sensitivity.

When they have a thorough grasp of their own culture, they can unhesitatingly delegate tasks and collaborate on projects with individuals who come from different backgrounds.

They can also find exposure to a range of cultural learning experiences by finding mentors, joining diverse networks, and participate in events and training programmes with a multicultural focus.

The organizational approach

Employers can incorporate inclusive leadership behaviours into their company values and achievement goals.

Asking employees how they are experiencing the culture through their leaders on a regular basis, and keeping track of employee grievances, retention, and levels of engagement and job performance increases accountability throughout the organization – in company leaders as well as mid-level managers and employees. ?

The responsibility of the modern leaders goes beyond just getting the work done. As the age of empathetic, compassionate, and human leadership dawns upon the corporate world, aspects like inclusion, equity and fairness cannot stay outside the field of operation.

The faster leaders prepare themselves for shifting from theory to practice, the more at advantage they will be – both in terms of bringing out the best in their workers as well as building business success and long-term sustainability.