Inclusive leaders actively seek out and consider different perspectives to inform their decision-making and collaborate more effectively with others. They are also fairly self-aware and understand their own biases. Inclusive leaders create an environment where people are treated fairly, feel that they belong, and that their opinion is valued.
Certainly this topic has been discussed in terms of diversity, equity, and justice conversations, but I argue that being inclusive doesn’t stop there. The act of being inclusive is much broader and touches all aspects of how a leader shows up.
The Center for Creative Leadership recently outlined 7 Acts of Inclusive Leadership. All the behaviors stem from a leader’s ability to show empathy and connect with others on an emotional level. Here’s a brief summary:
- Deepen Your Self-Awareness: Start by exploring your own self-awareness; understand your own biases, strengths, and weaknesses; be comfortable in your own skin.
- Foster Social Awareness: Pay attention to what’s happening around you, how others are communicating, and how they respond when you communicate.
- Reveal Blind Spots: Take stock of your own individual opportunities for development or filling your knowledge gaps through feedback and feedforward.
- Listen to Understand: Listen at a deeper level, where you are listening not only for facts, but feelings and values as well.
- Create Connections: Be intentional about diversifying your social networks because it makes you a more flexible, resilient, and agile leader.
- Lead with Courageous Vulnerability: Identify and speak candidly about your own limitations. Also, be willing to speak up to challenge assumptions or decisions made by others, even if it’s not the popular thing to do.
- Invest Resources in Inclusion: How you invest in inclusive leadership matters — be intentional in terms of where you spend energy and financial resources to support employee engagement and development.
To read more in depth about the seven acts of inclusive leadership, check out the entire CCL article here.