Further Thoughts on Inclusive Leadership

Following publication of my recent blog on elements of inclusive leadership, I had the opportunity to visit Southcentral Foundation in June with the Baldrige Executive Fellows. At that meeting, we learned the impact of sharing personal stories in building an inclusive organization. We were essentially walking in each other's shoes through life stories, as we went through a storytelling exercise facilitated by Southcentral leaders and managers. It was an emotional and powerful learning experience.

At the conclusion of the meeting in Alaska, the Baldrige Fellows were challenged to take personal actions to improve their abilities as inclusive leaders.

That challenge was addressed during a recent videoconference with the Fellows. Some themes and observations I gleaned from the discussion provide valuable lessons in what each of us might do to improve our abilities to be inclusive leaders.

Really Listen

While expressed in many different ways, the Fellows demonstrated the importance of really listening to colleagues at all levels of the organization to learn what the organization could do to improve inclusion.

The Greek philosopher Epictetus is credited with the expression, "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak." This quote is even more relevant today in an environment where leaders are expected to speak out and often forget to listen first. Of course, to get honest input from employees you must already have established an environment of honesty and open communication.

Address Your Biases

While personal biases can be discerned by listening and then honestly looking in the mirror to confront them, making a change in the way we act requires effort, dedication, and a true desire to rethink ingrained patterns of thought and behavior.

Organizational biases are frequently a more difficult challenge. They are often hidden in policies that go back to founding or building the organization. Addressing those biases requires commitment of the full leadership team, then communication to the whole organization and leadership actions/behaviors that demonstrate the organizational change. It means parting company with leaders and employees who are intolerant of the change needed.

Attend to Mission, Vision, and Values

Inclusivity begins with a reexamination of the organization's mission, vision, and values. Do the values represent the organization you are espousing? Are the mission and vision consistent with your current philosophy and direction? If not, that will be an important starting point to building an inclusive organization. Once reaffirmed, the mission, vision, and values become important guideposts in discussions and actions related to inclusivity. They are bedrock to who you are and how you will behave.

Where to Begin?

While I heard additional messages from our Fellows about actions they were taking, there was a lot of agreement about beginning with these three: actively listen to colleagues; understand and address unconscious personal and organizational biases; and focus on your mission, vision, and values. It's time to begin!
 

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