Today, we spotlight the inclusive leader. Companies can have inclusive teams within their organization, but the example starts with the leader. In most situations, it is the leader who sets the tone and the pulse of the climate within an organization.
What is an inclusive leader?
An inclusive leader is someone who enables individuals to feel free to bring their authentic selves to work, provides individuals with a sense of empowerment to take risks, and reassures individuals that there is equity and fairness and that they will be challenged with job stretch opportunities.
What is inclusive leadership?
Inclusive leadership is a leadership approach that promotes diversity, equity, and belonging within an organization. Inclusive leaders embrace the differences between their team members, and work to create an environment where everyone feels accepted and valued.
How does being an inclusive leader benefit their direct team?
Here are ways inclusive leaders foster diversity: recognizing and respecting differences, prioritizing equity, and inclusion, actively listening and seeking out different perspectives, considering how decisions will be perceived by their employees, and gathering input from others to clarify thinking.
How does being an inclusive leader develop the leader?
Inclusive leaders are better able to acknowledge their own biases, put different processes in place to ensure they do not influence decisions about other people, and implement quality decision-making processes that are informed, transparent, and consistent.
How does being an inclusive leader affect the overall organization?
Inclusive leaders positively impact their organizations by fostering the culture in ways where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives, leading to increased employee engagement, innovation, creativity, and overall improved performance and productivity within the company; essentially, it creates a more positive and productive work environment for everyone involved.
How does being an inclusive leader increase the bottom line?
An inclusive leader increases the bottom line by fostering a workplace where employees feel valued and respected, leading to much higher engagement, productivity, innovation, and retention, which translates to better financial performance through increased revenue and reduced costs associated with turnover; essentially, diverse perspectives and ideas contribute to better decision-making and a more adaptable organization, ultimately boosting profitability.
Inclusive leadership has numerous benefits within any organization. The most successful organizations fully recognize the value of inclusion in their workplaces. Noted philosopher Alfie Kohn stated the following “People will typically be more enthusiastic where they feel a sense of belonging and see themselves as part of a community than they will in a workplace in which each person is left to his own devices.” The inclusive leader in most cases is the glue who keeps the organization on the same accord. The leader who fails to demonstrate inclusive leadership could also be the leader ensuring their organization will never perform at its optimum potential.
The inclusive leader! This leadership style is imperative for the new business environment of today and beyond. Implementation for more creativity in the workplace will be critical for our future. Wonderful article. Adaptation, diversification with visualization is the key.