By Tess Singer, Consultant
Diversity is more than just hiring the right people and staffing the right committees.
Diverse teams are only as good as the culture that promotes their belonging, values their contributions, and is sensitive to biases and barriers team members face.
When leaders lead with inclusivity, diverse teams thrive, workplace culture blooms, and the whole team reaps the benefits.
Let’s explore the traits of the inclusive leader, why it’s important, and how leaders can commit themselves to continuous learning and implementation.
What Does an Inclusive Leader Look Like?
Most leaders aim to be fair and equitable in their actions. So, what sets truly inclusive leaders apart? First and foremost, self-awareness.
Inclusive leaders commit themselves to understanding their role in encouraging and valuing diverse perspectives.
This self-awareness helps them identify strengths and areas for improvement in their leadership.
By doing so, inclusive leaders build cultural competence and ensure that diverse perspectives guide the culture on their teams.
Why is Inclusive Leadership Important?
Beyond the moral imperative to treat people from all identities fairly, inclusive leadership makes organizations more competitive and enhances performance.
When organizations reflect their team members in culture, priorities, and decision-making, they work better together. Inclusive leadership fosters psychological safety, deepens trust among team members, and leads to higher employee engagement and retention.
These factors reflect positively on your organization’s brand and its relationship with stakeholders, prospective hires, and clients. Inclusive leadership is the gift that keeps giving, and the investment that compounds over time.
How Do I Set Inclusive Leadership Principles into Action?
Inclusive teams aren’t a monolith, so there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, honest reflection on the following topics guide actions that strengthen inclusivity:
Am I communicating inclusively?
Communication goes beyond spoken interactions, especially in remote and virtual workspaces. Consider touchpoints big and small—from email signatures to job postings. How do your communications reflect the culture of your organization?
Am I leading by example?
Leaders face pressures that can make it tempting to de-prioritize inclusivity. However, your actions model expectations for your team and reflect your commitment to inclusion.
Breaking commitments, such as sending emails after hours or mispronouncing a team member’s name, undermines trust. Conversely, prioritizing inclusivity consistently fosters morale and credibility.
Am I celebrating differences?
Recognizing the diverse identities, perspectives, and contributions of your team makes work more rewarding for everyone.
This can look like acknowledging cultural milestones, observing holidays from various traditions, or creating opportunities to bring culture into the workplace. Engaging team members in shaping authentic moments of celebration fosters a meaningful sense of belonging.
Am I facilitating equitable opportunities for growth on my team?
Each team member has unique needs and goals, with those from underrepresented groups often facing greater barriers.
Inclusive leaders ensure equitable access to opportunities by monitoring workload distribution, fostering learning, and promoting visibility in key projects. Creating a culture where everyone can thrive empowers individuals and inspires the entire team.
How am I measuring my impact?
Real inclusion isn’t possible without transparency and accountability. Regularly assess whether your efforts are achieving the desired outcomes and remain open to adjustments.
Seeking honest feedback from your team—through surveys, one-on-one conversations, or anonymous suggestions—demonstrates that their input is valued and acted upon.
Sharing progress and setbacks openly fosters trust and reinforces your commitment to inclusion. A balanced approach, combining both quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback, offers a fuller picture of inclusivity.
Moving Inclusive Leadership Forward
Inclusive leadership is an ongoing process of growth, self-awareness, and action. A commitment to inclusivity unlocks the potential of teams, strengthening collaboration, innovation, and engagement. It also takes continuous and rigorous effort from leaders to overcome biases, navigate resistance, and foster cultural change.
Fortunately, access to coaching and resources from industry-leading thinkers on this topic can help support this continuous effort. Some good places to start include:
- LinkedIn Learning: Courses on Unconscious Bias and Inclusive Leadership
- Catalyst: Actionable toolkits and resources for inclusive leadership
- Jennifer Brown: Insights from her books The Inclusive Leader and How to Be an Inclusive Leader
- The Global Inclusion Index: Benchmarks for inclusion efforts across industries and regions
- Deloitte’s Inclusion Framework: Tools for assessing and improving inclusive practices