Inclusive leadership, often defined as a leadership style that values and respects every team member’s unique perspectives and experiences, and creates an environment where everyone feels welcomed. That is why I interviewed Marissa Fernandez, who works with leaders to build inclusive workplaces. She started her career at Procter & Gamble 20 years ago and remembers what it was like to be the first in her family to work in a corporate environment.
“As a second-generation Latina, it was important for me to feel like I belonged,” Fernandez said. “At P&G, they found that women of color early in their career reporting to a dominant group member (white males) were leaving at a higher rate than members of dominant groups. They launched a development program designed to support people in that exact situation, to strengthen the bond and collaboration between early career women of color and their white male bosses. My boss and I enrolled in the program, and it helped me stay longer, feeling very supported by my boss and armed with the tools to work together effectively..”
Fernandez also cited the Hispanic Employee Resource Group. “It was powerful to have a community. It was the first time I heard about nuances of our culture and talked about how to use them as a strength. For example, we tend to be more extroverted and enthusiastic in our communication. As a community, we discussed how to use that as a strength and to be seen as an energizing leader versus ‘too emotional.’”
Pivoting forward to Fernandez’s work with leaders today, she notices that leaders who are serious about inclusion see it as a competitive advantage. They regularly analyze data on hiring, promotions and leadership representation and are committed to improvement. Inclusive teams leverage their ERGs, have relevant speakers and topics tailored to their culture and encourage allies to attend and are swift in addressing non-inclusive behaviors.
Fernandez also likes this exercise when working with leadership teams on inclusion. She asks what inclusive leadership means and then asks leaders to share what gets in their way of being inclusive 100% of the time. Often, leaders have really good intentions to be inclusive, but obstacles or barriers get in the way.
In response to the question, “What does inclusive leadership mean to you?” Fernandez often hears:
- Everyone’s voice is welcomed and valued
- Psychological safety, people don’t fear the consequences of “ getting it wrong”
- Being a good human
- High trust
- A feeling that we have each other’s backs
Contrasted with the follow-up, ”What gets in your way of being inclusive more consistently?” leaders lament:
- Stress
- Speed
- Lack of mindfulness
Start with a Mindset Shift
Fernandez suggests that leaders make inclusion practical and focus on micro-behaviors, starting with a mindset shift. She offers, “In the next meeting you go to, how could you be a more inclusive leader?” Simply asking yourself this question before a meeting can put you in a mindset where we’re likely to map your behaviors to inclusion. For example, if you go into a meeting thinking, “I want everyone to participate and commit to next steps,” you are more likely to show up in a way that encourages people to participate and commit.
Inclusion Baby Steps
According to James Clear, author of bestselling Atomic Habits, “Every action is a vote for the type of person you want to become.” Simply put, our behavior is a signal of our character. As Clear’s research shows, starting with small changes is more likely to result in bigger changes. If you’re working on becoming a more inclusive leader, start with some small actions that do not take tremendous effort.
If you desire to be a more inclusive leader, for example, think about what behaviors you want to model to demonstrate inclusivity today, this week or this month. You can add an emotional check-in to meetings, rotate note-taking responsibilities, have a norm that everyone shares before someone shares again and ensure active commitment to the next steps at the end of the meeting.
Circle Back to What Matters
Inclusive leaders hold their teams accountable. That means inclusion is rarely facilitated in one meeting or one experience. It’s the accumulation of meetings and experiences that builds inclusive leaders. Once leaders have demonstrated inclusive behavior over time, people buy in, perform at a higher rate, are more engaged and are likely to stay longer at an organization.
Inclusive leadership involves creating an environment where everyone’s voice is valued and respected, despite obstacles such as stress, speed and lack of mindfulness. By focusing on micro-behaviors and starting with small changes, leaders can foster a more inclusive workplace culture.