Written by Emily Goldsack, R&D Consultant
Political and economic shifts and social inequalities have presented challenges to many workers regardless of industry or work environment. At a time when it seems as if our differences – whether it be political views, socioeconomic status, or geographic location – are threatening to tear us apart, there is good news. Common threads, such as compassion and inclusion, can aid in healing, recovery, and finding common ground to help us embrace our differences.
Particularly during periods of uncertainty, employees look to their company’s leaders for messages and actions that express socially responsible organizational values and concern for workers. This is an opportunity for organizations to employ inclusive leadership, a blend of traditional leadership skills and inclusion strategies to ensure the right leaders are in place to navigate current crises and future recovery.
Inclusive leaders are focused on achieving results through people with a specific emphasis on creating teams with a diversity of experience and thought. They also aim to ensure that all individuals actively contribute to the team. At Talogy, we have created a model focused on the behaviors of inclusive leaders, helping organizations and leaders identify areas of strength and opportunities for development in their inclusion efforts.
What is inclusive leadership?
Inclusive leadership is a leadership style or approach that actively seeks to create an environment where diverse perspectives are valued, all team members feel respected and empowered, and collaboration is seen as essential for driving innovation and success. However, to understand what an inclusive leader is, it’s worth recapping the meaning of diversity and inclusion.
The term diversity is often assumed to be related to race or ethnicity. However, it applies to all types of diversity including, but not limited to, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and neurodiversity.
Having a diverse workforce is said to improve many important outcomes including innovation, employee engagement, and productivity. However, the key to fully unlocking the benefits of diversity is inclusion. Inclusion is achieved when employees feel valued for their differences and experience a sense of belonging, allowing them to contribute fully as their authentic selves. Leadership and inclusion go hand in hand, as leaders cast a shadow across the rest of the organization. By demonstrating inclusive behaviors, an organization’s leadership team can set the tone for how employees at all levels should engage with each other, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and understood.
In a previous blog, we discussed how to embrace diversity and the six core behaviors that employees at all levels must focus on to develop inclusion. These behaviors help us work more effectively with others, regardless of how similar or different they may be from us. Inclusive leaders go beyond this by demonstrating additional behaviors that inspire and motivate their employees to create a climate of respect, trust, and empowerment. Inclusive leaders champion change within the organization, while also demonstrating accountability and courage when it comes to issues of fairness and inclusion.
Three core behaviors of inclusive leaders
At Talogy, we wanted to build on our existing model of inclusion that supports employees at all levels and include the behaviors that enable inclusive leaders. In doing so, we conducted extensive research on the topic and identified three additional behaviors that are central to inclusive leadership:
1. Championing change
Inclusive leaders actively push for changes to improve fairness and inclusion within the organization. They are always open to new ideas and are consistently looking for ways to improve the work environment for others. As a result, inclusive leaders tend to be effective at communicating and implementing change. They champion new initiatives and don’t shy away from the effort required to get others on board, recognizing that without doing so, they won’t be able to improve the work environment for underrepresented groups.
Those who demonstrate inclusive leadership often have a positive attitude towards change and engage others in the change process, which helps facilitate meaningful improvements in fairness and inclusion across the organization. Inclusive leaders are proactive and make change happen by putting plans and initiatives into action. They also have processes in place to monitor feedback and track metrics, ensuring they have a real impact on achieving diversity and inclusion goals.
2. Accountability
Accountability is a key characteristic of inclusive leadership, as it ensures that commitments to diversity and inclusion are upheld within the organization. Inclusive leaders hold themselves accountable by consistently behaving in ways that ensure fair and equal treatment of all group members. Their words and actions align, as they demonstrate through their behavior that they truly mean what they say about inclusion. They don’t just talk about inclusion; they follow up with meaningful action.
Inclusive leaders also hold others accountable to the same standards of fairness and inclusion. They ensure that team members follow through on their commitments and address discriminatory behavior when they see it. By holding themselves and others accountable, inclusive leaders foster trust among team members and reinforce the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. This is essential for creating a climate in which all employees take responsibility for inclusion, ensuring that everyone feels respected, valued, and has a sense of belonging.
3. Courage
Inclusive leaders have the courage to model inclusive behaviors and speak out against discrimination when they see it. It can be difficult to address bias with colleagues or even leaders, but inclusive leaders are active allies and champions for diversity. They also have the courage to demonstrate integrity and choose to do the right thing even when it is unpopular. Leaders are often making decisions that can impact certain groups differently, and inclusive leaders keep diversity and inclusion at the forefront of their minds when assessing the pros and cons of these different decisions.
Inclusive leaders who have the courage to act in these ways are likely to experience conflict. They don’t shy away from this challenge and have the skills to manage conflict and maintain relationships within the organization. These displays of courage reinforce the climate that these leaders have created among their team and also communicate their commitment to diversity and inclusion to the organization.
Why is inclusive leadership important?
As previously discussed, inclusive leaders demonstrate the compassion and understanding that many employees desire right now in their workplace. But the benefits of inclusive leadership go well beyond that.
The benefits of inclusive leadership
Decades of research have shown that organizations with greater diversity and inclusion experience the following benefits:
- Decreased employee turnover intentions – For instance, 51% of employees who left their jobs reported not experiencing a sense of belonging (McKinsey, 2022).
- Better reputation – Organizations with gender-inclusive cultures are over 60% more likely to experience enhanced reputation and greater ease in attracting and retaining talent (International Labour Organization, 2019).
- Greater innovation and creativity – Gender-inclusive organizations are also over 60% more likely to experience greater creativity and innovation (International Labour Organization, 2019).
- Higher productivity and financial performance – Organizations in the top quartile for gender and ethnic diversity on leadership teams are 39% more likely to financially outperform those in the bottom quartile (McKinsey, 2023).
Additionally, organizations with effective diversity and inclusion practices are more likely to adapt well to change, engage and retain employees, and satisfy customers (Bersin, 2021). These findings are not only impressive but also highlight the importance of embracing diversity and inclusion at all levels of the organization.
Embed inclusive leadership within your organization
Current societal shifts and uncertainties are providing organizations with a unique opportunity to reimagine their workforce and reassess how they approach leadership and inclusion. Leaders create the climate and values of an organization, so think about the values you want your organization to convey. Candidates are likely to be paying attention to how companies treat their employees as they review organizations and job postings. Be prepared to meet the needs of your new and existing employees and create a climate of inclusion by focusing on inclusive leadership and helping develop inclusive leaders.
By focusing on inclusion at the individual, leadership, and organizational levels, you can ensure a holistic diversity and inclusion strategy throughout the organization. And with inclusive leaders at the helm, you can trust that your employee well-being, and that of your company, will thrive.
