Why Inclusion Efforts Must Move Beyond Compliance
Key Highlights & Thoughts of the Week
✅ Inclusion must be about commitment, not just compliance.
✅ DEI should focus on fostering belonging, not just data and metrics.
✅ Inclusive leadership is critical for long-term success.
✅ Empowering employees at all levels is key to sustaining inclusion efforts.
✅ Companies investing in DEI must focus on real change, not just ticking boxes.
Takeaways
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Beyond the Headlines: The Real Story Behind DEI Commitment
I recently read an article from the excellent Fast Company Magazine titled “What happened to companies’ commitment to DEI?”
The author suggested that companies never took their DEI efforts seriously in the first place, and now everything is seen as simply a ‘compliance exercise’.
I’m sure there are some firms who didn’t quite believe in DEI at first. However, having had the privilege of working with many businesses on their inclusion efforts over the last few years, our experience has been quite different.
The businesses we have worked with have all had good intentions when it comes to creating an inclusive culture and have an admirable desire to become an example of inclusive leadership for others to replicate and take inspiration from when honing their own inclusive leadership.
We certainly did see a sharp spike in DEI efforts following the tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020; postings for DEI roles increased by 123% in that summer alone. But now we are seeing Chief Diversity Officers underfunded, overworked, and having the shortest tenure of all C-Suite positions.
Why is Diversity and Inclusion Failing?
The Overemphasis on Data vs. Real Leadership
One of the primary reasons for the reduction in diversity work is an overemphasis on data and numbers.
While it is important to measure progress and set goals, too much focus on metrics can lead to a narrow view of what diversity and inclusion truly means.
When we begin to prioritise numbers and data over our people, we go against inclusive leadership skills and lose sight of the inclusive leadership meaning.
How can DEI succeed when we aren’t giving time to be the inclusive leaders everyone needs? We are losing the art of inclusive leadership.
Beyond the Numbers: Building True Inclusion
Moving Beyond Box-Ticking Exercises
Inclusion is not just about ticking boxes or meeting quotas; it is about creating a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and supported.
It’s about setting examples of inclusive leadership for everyone else to develop inclusive leadership skills.
To achieve this, we need to move beyond the numbers and focus on:
✅ Building relationships
✅ Listening to diverse perspectives
✅ Taking meaningful action
Why Traditional DEI Training Falls Short
There has also been a reliance on universal ‘diversity’ training that fails to make a real impact.
Cultural change can’t happen without first winning the hearts and minds of everyone in the business.
✅ Positive, empowering storytelling is a much more powerful tool to create a culture of empathy and understanding.
Hearing a story of a painful moment puts you straight in the shoes of someone else and gives you a new experience to draw your own conclusion from.
An hour in a diversity seminar is not going to give you the same.
From Management to Inclusive Leadership
Leadership Must Be Visible and Active
Perhaps the biggest challenge faced in businesses is that a lot of the inclusion work being done is all management and not inclusive leadership.
Inclusive leadership needs to be seen and adopted in every workplace.
Exclusion has no place in any workplace, and so for a leader to showcase their inclusive leadership skills, they must understand the inclusive leadership meaning.
Inclusive leadership requires the best leaders—those willing to sacrifice and ready to do whatever it takes for the team to thrive.
Inclusive leadership is a willingness to listen, support, and encourage each team member and colleague the way they need it.
For a leader to be trusted to demonstrate inclusive leadership skills, they must show their desire for inclusion to thrive amongst their team.
Inclusive leaders set the standard and become role models.
The Role of Leadership in True Progress
To truly make progress with an inclusive culture, we need strong inclusive leadership at all levels of the organization.
This means CEOs and executives must get fully behind inclusion, not just paying lip service to it in annual reports or press releases.
It means creating a culture where diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but fundamental values that guide decision-making and behaviour.
And it means empowering employees at all levels to take ownership of inclusion initiatives and hold themselves and others accountable for creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace.
If our colleagues can do this, they’re already developing the inclusive leadership skills necessary for inclusion to thrive in any workplace.
Telltale Signs of Inclusive Leadership Working
✅ Colleagues are fostering inclusive leadership skills
✅ Colleagues can confidently identify examples of inclusive leadership
✅ The leader is trusted
✅ The team is loyal to the leader
Hope for the Future of Inclusion
While the current trend of reducing inclusion work may seem discouraging, there is reason for hope.
The fact that companies are investing billions in DEI-related efforts is a clear indication of the recognition that diversity and inclusion are critical to business success.
It isn’t easy to just install inclusion into the team overnight, especially when there are no clear examples of inclusive leadership in front of them.
It needs to be practiced by those at the top—there needs to be a real focus on inclusive leadership.
This is still a growing area for business; there is no one way to do inclusion that will fit everyone.
It will take time, but we will make the progress we imagine.
Final Thought: Inclusion Requires Commitment
Let us remember that true progress in inclusion requires not just data, training, or management, but compassionate and inclusive leadership that is grounded in empathy, understanding, and a deep commitment to belonging.
Adopting this style of compassionate and inclusive leadership leads to the rest of the team developing the appropriate inclusive leadership skills, in turn, creating an inclusive team that has the ability to be great inclusive leaders for their colleagues and future teams.
Top Tips for Becoming an A-Player
🔥 Be open to feedback.
🔥 Prioritise connecting with others and building relationships.
🔥 Communicate authentically; don’t say what you think people want to hear.
🔥 Seek out perspectives that are different from your own.
🔥 Create an environment where your colleagues feel safe to speak up and speak out.
Further Reading & Learning
📖 Want to develop stronger inclusive leadership skills?
Check out this resource:
Learn More About Inclusive Leadership
