Leadership is shaped and developed through various life experiences and learnings. Some pay attention to the vision, mission, and targets, working towards achieving the goals. Others pay importance to the human aspects of grooming their teams and nurturing them along with the organizational goals. However, rarely do we find ‘inclusive leaders’.
Well, what’s the difference? A leader has to be inclusive to become a leader. Inclusive leaders are aware of their biases; they actively seek and consider different perspectives for informed decision-making and collaborate more effectively with others. Such leaders commit to ensuring all team members:
- Are treated equitably
- Feel a sense of belonging and value
- Have the resources and support they need to achieve their fullest potential
Here are a few traits that the leaders can adapt– the 6Cs of leadership:
- Commitment: Highly-inclusive leaders are committed to their diversity and inclusion goals. These objectives also align with their values, and they believe that these values make a strong business case. As a result, they treat the team members with fairness and respect for their uniqueness. They make sure that each team member feels connected to the organization. They take proactive steps to adapt to the working style and treat diversity and inclusion as a priority, taking responsibility for the outcomes.
- Courage: Highly-inclusive leaders speak up and challenge the circumstances. Talking about imperfections requires a lot of courage and involves personal risk-taking. They are comfortable in acknowledging their limitations and admit to making mistakes. They actively seek the contribution of others to overcome their limitations and approach diversity and inclusion wholeheartedly. As a result, they challenge the organizational attitudes and promote uniformity, while holding others accountable for their non-inclusive behavior.
- Cognizance of bias: This means being aware of one’s behavior and how one lands on others. the leaders are mindful of personal and organizational blind spots and know the art of self-regulating themselves ensuring fair play. They make sure that their personal biases do not influence their decision about others. they ensure that the decision-making process is fair and transparent and they also give an explanation about the decisions made.
- Curiosity: Amid a sea of ideas and experiences, curiosity holds the key to understanding and adapting these ideas. Highly-inclusive leaders know that an open mind is a curious mind. Curiosity is not doubting; it is an appreciative inquiry made to know your people. It prevents quick judgments, makes you listen attentively and ensures respectful questioning while engaging with diverse colleagues.
- Cultural intelligence: The leaders demonstrate an active interest in others’ cultures seeking information on the local context. They seek opportunities to experience culturally diverse environments and can change their style appropriately when the cross-cultural encounter requires it. They also use appropriate verbal and non-verbal behavior in cultural and non-cultural behaviors.
- Collaboration: Highly-inclusive leaders empower individuals and allow team members to handle difficult situations. They can assemble teams that are diverse in thinking. Most importantly, they create a safe space where people feel comfortable speaking up.
Some are born with these traits. However, with the help of the organizations and a series of actions, they can be developed to demonstrate inclusive leadership capabilities and build a culture of inclusion.
