What is Inclusive Leadership? Part 1
Lots of businesses are encouraging their leaders to be more inclusive these days. This is powerful, as leadership role-modelling is one of the main driving forces in shaping a company’s culture. But, how many leaders truly understand what ‘inclusive leadership’ means? And how many of them know how to demonstrate it?
Over the coming weeks, we’re going to be outlining what we believe ‘inclusive leadership’ to be and the traits that leaders need to cultivate in order to put it into practice.
The first element we’re going to explore is ‘allyship’; understanding the imbalance of opportunity that exists between people and working proactively to correct it. This means really seeing who is in the room with you, understanding their challenges and also noticing who is missing. It’s about using your power and privilege to advocate for someone else.
So, how do we show allyship at work? Melinda Briana answers this question brilliantly in her TED talk, ‘3 Ways to be a Better Ally in the Workplace’. She suggests:
Start by doing no harm - know what microaggressions are and make sure you don’t do them. Make sure ideas are attributed to the people who brought them to the table and work hard not to interrupt people from underrepresented groups when they are speaking.
Advocate for underrepresented people in small ways - if you see someone from an underrepresented group being belittled or interrupted, intervene. Invite people to speak or put them forward for opportunities that will help grow and develop.
Change someone’s life significantly - be someone’s mentor or sponsor. Volunteer or help advocate for change across your company.
To find out more about these recommendations and hear Melinda’s story, watch her TED talk in full.