Inclusive leadership

Inclusive leadership is a style of leadership that fosters an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and included.

Inclusive leaders actively seek out and welcome diverse perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and recognise the unique strengths and contributions that each of their people have to offer.

3 areas that can make a real difference have been highlighted below.

Be champions for being the last to speak

We all hear that we need to learn to listen, I prefer to share what Simon Sinek said, “We need to learn to be the last to speak”.

These are very different and create a very different workplace culture.

Active listening, I mean truly engaging with the other party and fully understanding the message and emotions of what is being shared is important, but it is more important to keep your views and opinions to yourself.

“Asking first “opens a whole new world of knowledge and solutions.

When we do listen, we need to be inclusive, empathetic, and confirm the message sent is the same as the message received.

Dr Benjamin Symon, a paediatric emergency physician at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, described active listening as “giving people the space to reveal what matters to them most”.

“There’s a generosity of spirit in genuinely and compassionately giving someone else the time to express what they need to without intervening,”

It is said there are 4 key styles of listening.

• Analytical listening – This is when you’re trying to listen to a problem or a conflict with an open mind, and working to avoid any initial prejudices or taking a particular side.
• Task-focused listening – This style prioritises efficiency and is about listening with a clear goal in mind and is very effective in emergency situations.
• Relational listening – This is when the listener is trying to understand the emotions behind the speaker to form a meaningful connection.
• Critical listening – This is when the listener is assessing both the content of the conversation but also the reliability of the speaker themselves.

Accept conflict as an opportunity to learn

A difference of opinion is not a conflict.

Great leaders create an environment for their people where they feel safe sharing a different opinion or challenging their colleagues on a certain perspective.

Our role as a leader is not to resolve the conflict but to help our people have healthy debate and agreeing the right solution for the company and themselves.

Create unity

As leaders we need to ensure there are no formal or informal barriers that contradict our drive of creating an inclusive workforce.

Ensure your company structure, policies, procedures, communication channels, and frequency of sharing information all reinforce the sense of unity.

Ensure there are no actual or perceived silo’s within the company that draw away from the intent of an inclusive workforce.

It is not hard, but it does take focus. Learn to be the last to speak and spend 70% of your time as a leader coaching, guiding, and developing your people whilst building an inclusive workplace culture.