The Case for Inclusive Leadership
Organizations with inclusive cultures are:
- 3 times more likely to be high-performing.
- 6 times more likely to be agile and innovative.
- 8 times more likely to achieve better business outcomes
- 2 times more likely to meet or exceed financial goals.
A leader’s behavior has a major (up to 70%) influence on whether employees feel highly included at work.
An increase in employees’ feelings of inclusion leads to:
- 17% increase in perceived team performance
- 20% increase in decisionmaking quality
- 29% increase in collaboration
Sources: Deloitte Review, Issue 29, January 2018
70 percent of senior leaders feel very included within their organization’s culture. In contrast, 56 percent of those in Vice-Presidential or junior roles do not feel included.
39 percent of employees say they have turned down or decided not to pursue a job because of a perceived lack of inclusion at an organization.
7 out of 10 employees say their organization fails to inform them of opportunities to promote inclusion in their daily work.
Sources: McKinsey 2020, Gartner
Behaviors Learned
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Become more inclusive in the way you, your team, and your organization operate -
Foster unconditional respect for everyone -
See people for the highest potential that resides within them -
Attune yourself to each person’s personal journey -
Overcome limiting perceptions and stereotypes about others -
Create a comfortable space for uncomfortable conversations -
Constructively address breakdowns in inclusion -
Overcome inclusion barriers and help others do the same
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Become an agent of positive change
Core Ideas
We are much more likely to energize people to take on the cause of creating an inclusive workplace when we reframe Inclusion from “giving everyone an equal seat at the table” to “bringing out the best in everyone in the pursuit of a common purpose.”
Mentora’s Inclusive Leadership program is based on four principles:
Empathize with the Form, Draw out the Core
An individual’s Personal Form is their personality, unique personal journey, and present circumstances, while their Inner Core is the source of highest potential within them. With every individual, we are therefore dealing with two parts of who they are: a pure inner form from where their best self arises, and a personal outer form that influences their current behavior, thoughts, and feelings. We should strive to empathize with their Personal Form while drawing out their Inner Core.
Untwist your Thinking
We all experience mental distortions that cloud our judgements and perceptions. One such distortion is stereotyping — associating a fixed quality with a group of people instead of seeing each person in that group for their personal form. By eliminating our distortions, we start to see people for who they truly are and for who they can be. We become naturally more open and inclusive.
Build the Diamond of Truth
When people disagree, it is quite possible that each of them is holding some facet of truth. Our goal should be to build the Diamond of Truth by integrating these different facets while letting go of what isn’t true in our collective perspectives.
Be a Lotus in Full Bloom
A culture or group isn’t transformed overnight. Promoting the value of inclusion requires contributions from all of us — to identify moments when inclusion is breaking down, to speak up constructively, to inspire change in others. We’re being invited to be like the lotus flower that blooms in the midst of muddy waters.
