Blog #182: Why inclusive leadership is not a niche

"Why are you focusing on a niche like diversity and inclusion?" a senior professional I look up to asked me the other day. The short answer is that it is not a niche, although it is treated as such.

Every decision you make, every process you set up, every solution you build, every product or service you design and every communication you send can be inclusive or not.

Not being aware of what is inclusive or not can damage your business, neglect customers you want to serve, exclude a talent pool, impact your employer brand etc.

Diversity is not new, it has just become more important as the spectrum of diversity widens and diversity becomes super-diversity with more complex intersectionalities.

Inclusion is not new either. Any great leadership, at any time, I would call inclusive leadership by nature.

By calling it inclusive leadership, we emphasise the importance of inclusion and therefore call it inclusive leadership, but any great leadership is by definition inclusive.

Let's have a look.

What is great leadership for you? How would you define it?

According to McKinsey's analysis of academic literature as well as a survey of nearly 200,000 people in 81 organizations all over the world, there are four types of behaviour that account for 89 per cent of leadership effectiveness:

• Being supportive
• Operating with a strong results orientation
• Seeking different perspectives
• Solving problems effectively

Let's do the Inclusive Check: supporting all team members is what an inclusive leader does, inclusive leaders are definitely result-oriented and even get better results financially, in innovation, etc. Seeking different perspectives is at the heart of what inclusive leaders do. And like any leader, they solve problems effectively, taking into account the different options and the impact they might have on the team.

Forbes lists eight characteristics great leaders have: 1. sincere enthusiasm 2. integrity 3. great communication skills 4. loyalty 5. decisiveness 6. managerial competence 7. empowerment 8. charisma. All these traits can be found in inclusive leaders as well.

According to Gallup, 'the best leaders lead with their followers in mind.' Inclusive leaders will be leading with the diversity amongst their followers not only in their minds but also in their hearts.

Robert K.Greenleaf defines servant leadership as 'a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organisation, and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.' This could also be the definition of inclusive leadership. It just adds emphasis to the fact that inclusive leaders make diversity, in all its aspects, work, and that this is a conscious act.

Harvard Business Review did research on Inclusive Leadership and they have found six specific traits inclusive leaders have:

1. Visible commitment: They voice their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
2. Humility: They know they have blind spots and ask for feedback to continuously learn and grow while showing their vulnerability to others.
3. Awareness of bias: They know they have biases and work hard on becoming more and more aware of them.
4. Curiosity about others: They listen without judgment and with curiosity and an open mind, empathy is their middle name.
5. Cultural intelligence: it is even more than cultural intelligence, it is human and emotional intelligence, they are attentive to others’ cultures, backgrounds, beliefs, needs, etc and adapt as required.
6. Effective collaboration: They know how to empower others, by creating a sense of belonging, and a safe space for everybody to feel part of the team.

The focus might be slightly different, but commitment, curiosity, active listening, emotional intelligence, collaboration, etc are all traits we expect from any great leader, regardless of the fact if (s)he calls him/herself an inclusive leader or not.

In short, any great leader is by definition an inclusive leader.

This is my 182nd blog to inspire you, decision-maker, to create an inclusive and sustainable work environment that is welcoming to all and aware of its impact on our world.

Do you agree that any great leadership is per definition inclusive?

If you want to work on leading inclusively. Let's talk. You can book an intake meeting directly on our agenda using this link.

Thank you for reading to the end and I look forward to reading your reactions 🙏.

Sharing is caring, so if you think this newsletter might be useful to others in your network, please feel free to share it with them or tag them below. I appreciate it🙏.

Cheers to your great (inclusive) leadership, cheers to you,

Katherina

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Katherina Swings

I am on a mission to transform HR into People & Culture, where inclusion and sustainability are no-brainers.

Through strategic learning experiences and coaching, I empower my clients to embed the growing practices that put heart and soul into their corporate culture: impact entrepreneurship, belonging, inclusion, sustainability, purpose,... just to name a few.

Creation is one of my driving forces, along with connection and contribution. For me, co-creation is the culmination of all stakeholders' energy, wisdom and magic. 

My name is Swings, with an extra pair of wings, using everyone's wings to fly 🐦🦅🦋'.

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👉🏻👉🏼👉🏽👉🏾👉🏿 Check out my 181 previous blogs. Let me know what you think after you read them.