Five signs inclusion is taking a backseat for leaders in your organisation
When inclusion is not at the forefront of your leadership strategy, your organisational culture and employee engagement can suffer the consequences. We’ve outlined our five telltale signs that you could be heading in the wrong direction, and the proactive steps to take to reaffirm the importance of an inclusive workplace, ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard.
Referring to the organisation as somebody to blame, or potentially even as a saviour. Your organisation is not four walls and a ceiling – whether that’s an office or your own home, depending on your set up. Your real organisation is its people, its processes and the interaction between departments. It is therefore critical to understand peoples’ working styles, their habits, their cultural norms as well as acknowledging their different lived experiences. Your leaders must have the ability and the agility to be flexible; one size certainly does not fit all.
Not referencing DEI in your strategy or investing in any type of inclusive leadership development. There is a massive lack of inclusion confidence amongst leaders, which results in an inability to champion an inclusive culture. Do your leaders understand the difference between inclusion and belonging? Do they use equity and equality interchangeably? Are they well informed about protected characteristics under local law?
A tendency to default to HR policy. HR policy is of course important - it's there to safeguard the organisation - but it's not the solution to all of our employees’ problems. Leaders need to develop strong listening skills and an equity mindset to problem solving. We may all have similar challenges but that doesn’t mean the same solution is going to work for us all.
Not considering how to bring DEI to life in the workplace. Attending a session on bias may be enlightening, but how are you putting your learning into practice once you’re back to your hectic workday schedule? We often talk to clients about having somebody to act as their mirror and sounding board, helping to spot their triggers of a particular bias. This supports leaders in embedding their knowledge, allowing them to check in with themselves before defaulting.
Talking the talk but not walking the walk. Nothing extinguishes an effort for improved DEI faster than a lack of buy in from senior leaders. It’s vital that your key stakeholders not only endorse, but fundamentally understand the importance and benefit, of inclusive leadership. As leaders, the shadow we cast extends further than we can see - what does your shadow say about you?
Ready to upskill and empower inclusive leaders in your organisation? Our experts are ready to help, get in touch today for a no-obligation discussion.