Inclusive Leadership

From our experience, business performance enhances when all colleagues feel they belong, where every colleague can bring their ‘full self’ to work and feel part of something special. Inclusive leadership takes effort, focus and much cultural ‘heavy lifting’.

Businesses who are making proactive progress on Inclusion are finding that not only is this the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. Inclusion in the workplace is at the top of the agenda for many businesses and their leaders. They are authentically and passionately trying to create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.

When every team member takes some ownership for performance, collaboration, morale, team spirit and values, so much more can be achieved. This starts with making all colleagues, regardless of their background, feel included and empowered. René will demonstrate how we can collaboratively work together to develop inclusiveness in leadership by;

• Building a trusting, high-performing and Inclusive environment where ALL people flourish and develop
• Taking ownership and accountability for establishing an Inclusive environment
• Capturing the ‘hearts and minds’ through the power of positive and optimistic storytelling

As René says, “Diversity is numbers, Inclusion is heart.” We all need someone to believe in and something to belong to. Now is the time for businesses to capitalise on the momentum and take Inclusion from a movement to a way of life. When we all come together, we can create vibrant and innovative teams.

René knows all too well how important leadership and diversity in the workplace can be for developing high-performance teams. Businesses with cognitive diverse teams benefit from a 34% uplift to the ‘bottom line.’ Leadership and Diversity is therefore, not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do.

During this period of transformation, having diverse voices brings together unique views, opinions and perspectives. This will make alignment on decisions a little bit harder, and a little more challenging, but the quality of those decisions are far greater. Power lies in our differences, not in our similarities.

Diversity in the workplace is no longer a “nice to have”, but a “must have.” For leaders to harness the power of this diversity, the role of the leader is:

• To bring diverse voices together and listen to different opinions/perspectives in a safe space
• To create an environment where our strength is our difference, and this is celebrated
• To focus on providing something special for all colleagues to belong to

Diversity requires strong leadership; strong leadership requires diversity. It’s time to make every moment a positive diverse experience, as diversity is power and unity is strength.

All businesses are unique as our fingerprints. Given the pace of change during these turbulent times, one person can no longer have all the answers. Leadership teams are at their most powerful when they capitalise on their cognitive diversity. Where leaders can think independently, but together as a team, is when they – and the company – are at their strongest.

Leadership diversity in action is a real and smart opportunity for businesses to improve their performance. The benefits go beyond more than what we can imagine, including:

• A strong 34% financial uplift to the ‘bottom line’
• Diverse cultural perspectives can inspire creativity and drive innovation
• Meeting the demands of a younger generation who are “voting” with their talent

At the heart of diversity in leadership, leaders need to recognise, and unlock the untouched potential of colleagues who may look or are different from them. As Maya Angelou famously said, “Not everyone will remember exactly what you said, but everyone will remember how you made them feel.”