FLIPPING THE INCLUSION SCRIPT
I am developing a Theory of Change for my core work on inclusive leadership. Drawing on my work as a coach and the continuous practices and research I am exposed to around behavioural change and organisational design, I want to have a theory to test my thoughts on inclusive leadership rigorously.
I define inclusive leadership as the ability for leaders, at all levels, to:
Attract, empower and support talent towards a vision or goal, and do so without marginalising any of them.
Develop and integrate systems and processes across functional business areas that consider the needs of the stakeholders affected by these areas, e.g. product, customer service, sales, etc.
I recognise that getting leaders in organisations to think about inclusive leadership often throws up a lot of resistance and maybe’s. However, this energy is never in the air when I talk to them about strategic performance, financial integrity or customer experience, so what is it about inclusive leadership that gives pause for thought?
One of the most exciting parts of this journey is how I flip the script on inclusive leadership being pigeonholed as an Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiative. How do I get leaders to see that this leadership approach directly impacts decision-making, problem-solving and stakeholder engagement? I want them to see what I see so clearly, that you can measure the outcomes and impact of inclusive leadership against robust and objective principles.
The theory of change will be rooted in evidence-informed principles around behaviour change and will be presented as a business case - because that is the language leaders understand.
This is not about shame, blame or guilt. Instead, how can we get the best talent across a broad pool that represents our customers, stakeholders, and communities through carefully thought out processes - tackling assumptions and biases along the way and remaining curious about how to be best in class.
If inclusion scares people, they don’t truly understand it. It is time to flip that internal script from fear to fortitude.
