Inclusive Leadership Toolkit
Inclusive Leadership Toolkit
Toolkit collated by Hannah Wilson
What Is Inclusive Leadership?
- Individuals
- Teams
- Organisation as a whole
What Are the Individual Benefits of Inclusive Leadership?
Inclusive leaders help organisations attract the best talent from talent pools that have not yet fully been tapped. This is crucial, not simply because it engages more high-quality talent for your business, but bringing in perspectives and experiences from traditionally underrepresented talent groups provides insight into the perspectives and experiences of underrepresented customer groups as well. This can also help shed light on problems that more homogenous teams have been stuck on and unable to resolve.
But attracting diverse talent is only the start. The biggest advantage of inclusive leadership is that inclusive leaders know how to unleash individual potential and create an environment where all talent can thrive and grow.
How Do Inclusive Leaders Unlock Individual Potential?
- They enable individuals to feel free to bring their authentic selves to work
- They provide individuals with a sense of empowerment to take risks
- They reassure individuals that there is equity and fairness and that they will be challenged with job stretch opportunities
What Does the Research Tell Us About Inclusive Leadership?
Research shows that leaders who are seen as fair and respectful, encourage collaboration, and value different ideas and opinions are 2.5 times more likely to have effective employees on their teams. In other words, the ability to unlock individual potential benefits everyone that is led by an inclusive leader, but it benefits underrepresented talent even more. Why?
Individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups face additional biases and barriers to their professional development. If they do not feel included in an organisation, they are unlikely to reach their full potential. Inclusive leaders help underrepresented people understand that they have the power to take ownership of their own careers and equip them with the specific insights, strategies, and tools they need to drive their development forward.
They do this through mentoring, sponsorship and coaching, and they are advocates for individuals who they think are being treated unfairly. They also help individuals develop greater self-agency, encouraging them to speak up, be heard, and optimise their contributions.
What Are the Benefits of Inclusive Leadership?
- Team benefits of inclusive leadership = unlocking collective intelligence
- Organisational benefits of inclusive leadership = driving innovation and growth
What Are the Core Traits of an Inclusive Leader?
- Authenticity: Inclusive leaders are humble and set aside their ego. They authentically establish trust in the face of opposing beliefs, values, or perspectives.
- Emotional resilience: Inclusive leaders have the ability to remain composed in the face of adversity or any difficulty around differences.
- Self-assurance: Inclusive leaders take a stance of confidence and optimism.
- Inquisitiveness: Inclusive leaders are open to differences, curiosity, and empathy.
- Flexibility: Inclusive leaders can tolerate ambiguity and adapt to diverse needs.
What Are the Core Competencies of an Inclusive Leader?
- Builds interpersonal trust: Inclusive leaders are honest, and they follow through. They establish rapport by finding common ground while simultaneously valuing perspectives that differ from their own.
- Integrates diverse perspectives: Inclusive leaders consider all points of view and the needs of others, and skillfully navigate conflict situations.
- Optimises talent: Inclusive leaders motivate others and support their growth. They join forces for collective success across differences.
- Applies an adaptive mindset: Inclusive leaders take a broad worldview, adapt their approach to suit the situation, and innovate by leveraging differences.
- Achieves transformation: Inclusive leaders are willing to confront difficult topics. They bring people of all backgrounds along in order to achieve results.
What Are the Personal and Professional Experiences that May Enhance Your Capacity to Be an Inclusive Leader?
- Growing up in a different country or region from the one you live and work in today
- Having parents who have done an overseas stint in business, not-for-profit, government, military, or missionary organisations
- Experiencing being in the minority or majority or in a fully racially or ethnically mixed environment
- Studying abroad or participating in a service program while in school
- Undertaking an extended stay in a different culture, inside or outside your native country
- Taking on expatriate work assignments or cross-functional, cross-divisional or cross-market work assignments that push you outside your comfort zone
The Diverse Educators’ Anti-Racism Toolkit
- How do you take a collaborative approach as opposed to a command and control approach?
- How do you operate transparently rather than behind closed doors?
- How culturally agile instead of being tied to your own worldview are you?
- How do you fully embrace the vast diversity of today’s workforce?
- How do you create a safe space for people to give the best of their talents?
Articles
Books
Sunny, D. and Jocelyn, A. (2022)
Onboard As Inclusive Leaders: Increase Job Readiness; Improve Performance & Innovation, and Profit by Learning Inclusive Leadership Skills. Identify … & Productivity (Clear Career Inclusive).
Sweeney, C. and Bothwick, F. (2016)
Inclusive Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Developing and Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: – Locally and Globally.
Unerman, S., Jacob, K. and Edwards, M. (2022)
Belonging: The Key to Transforming and Maintaining Diversity, Inclusion and Equality at Work.