'What' Does Inclusive Leadership Require?
Inclusive leadership…what does it look like when a leader is committed to leveraging the diversity of the organization, and ensuring that diverse perspectives are brought into problem-solving discussions? I’ve been thinking quite a bit about this of late, because the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) journey at the company I work for is starting to move into a place where we need to talk about what tangible behaviors are needed to make ours a more inclusive workplace.
We’ve defined and refined a business case that attempts to lay out how exactly an investment in D&I makes our workplace better, and our business more successful. We’ve defined what exactly we mean (and don’t mean) when we talk about “diversity” and “inclusion”. And we’ve positioned it, correctly, as a continuous improvement opportunity for the company. In the coming days, I expect that Joy Global will publish our first global Diversity & Inclusion policy. In other words, we’ve defined the “what” and “why” of D&I at the company.
Inclusive leadership is all about “how”, and it involves a set of behaviors that employees at all levels can adopt and demonstrate. For all employees, inclusive leadership means valuing the differences in background, experience, and perspective that we each bring to the workplace each day. Given the current and increasing opportunities for Joy Global employees to work together across geographic boundaries, it means respecting and being curious about other cultures.
For employees who lead teams or larger organizations within the business, more is expected. I’ve long contended that creating an inclusive environment requires an even stronger emphasis on the leadership skills that we’ve always talked about – coaching, developing others, resolving conflict, managing accountability, and encouraging collaboration. Inclusive leadership requires all of these core leadership abilities, and then some.
Recently, in a post on the Catalyst Group’s blog, Elizabeth R. Salib, PhD wrote about the qualities that characterize an inclusive leader. She utilizes an acronym – EACH – to talk about four traits that inclusive leaders demonstrate:
Empowerment – Inclusive leaders work actively to empower the people that work with them, providing opportunities for everyone to be involved in problem-solving, decision-making, and innovation. This requires trust, and a willingness to delegate. And, of course, it requires good coaching to ensure that those empowered employees are working together toward common goals.
Accountability – Inclusive leaders hold direct reports, peers, senior leaders, and themselves accountable for results. They demonstrate a commitment to fairness and equal treatment, regardless of background, experience, perspective, or any other aspect of diversity. And accountability isn’t just about consequences when things go wrong. It’s also about heartfelt recognition when things go well.
Courage – Inclusive leaders set expectations that everyone in the organization will, at a minimum, be respectful to one another, and act with integrity. They do not tolerate language and behaviors that undermine the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. When they see unacceptable behavior, they address it quickly and decisively, sending a message across the organization about what inclusion means.
Humility – Inclusive leaders recognize that inclusion is not always easy, or natural. And when they make a mistake, or unintentionally offend another based on their background or experience, they own up to it. They hold themselves accountable and demonstrate a commitment to the journey that is D&I.
That last point, I think, is particularly important. This is a journey, and there’s much to learn for so many of us. For me, this last year has been a time of immense learning and (I believe) personal growth. And saying that we have an opportunity to increase diversity and enhance inclusiveness doesn’t mean that we’re not already diverse and inclusive. It just means that we can continue to get better – to be better.
In his farewell address this week, U.S. President Barack Obama talked about change, and the opportunity to improve and build upon the good work of others who’ve come before. He challenged U.S. citizens, saying:
“I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours. I am asking you to hold fast to the faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes We Can.”
To me, this message is non-partisan – even apolitical. And I think that the spirit of this message stretches beyond the shores of the U.S.A., to all who desire a better, more equitable world. Those of us who would lead inclusively need to empower those around us, hold them (and ourselves) accountable, demonstrate courage, and display the humility that allows us to stretch, learn and grow. And change our workplaces, and our corners of the world, in the process.
That said, there is one other level of expectation that our organization has when it comes to inclusive leadership. At the senior levels of the organization, we need to optimize our diversity and inclusion efforts, and institutionalize processes that address and minimize bias. Senior leaders need to think about legacy and sustainability and stability in the work that they do. Inclusive leadership is no exception. We’re on a journey to implement D&I as a way of doing business.
And if we do that right, then the “how” of D&I brings us right back to the “what” and the “why”. The way that conduct ourselves as inclusive leaders should create the workforce, policies, and processes that bring about the results that we committed to in our business case.
All of this is work, no doubt. But we can undertake the work of inclusive leadership with the same mindset and same goal that we undertake any work – because it leads us to better results, better organizations and, hopefully, to our best selves.
