Driving Forward the Big C’S to Support Inclusive Leadership
The world is an ever changing kaleidoscope
of experiences and this brings new challenges, and even more so to our millennials.
The opportunities that these new challenges bring can be instant and limitless
if supported by your organization.
Educators and experts have come to
recognize there are a number of skills inclusive leadership needs to support
change.
In this new and intuitive world we live in,
developing the skills needed to support leadership is an essential part of
organizational development. Deloittie’s Millennial
survey 2014 highlighted 75% of respondents believe the organizations should do
more to develop leadership.
Within this new
world CQ (Cultural Intelligence) really is the #1 skill we just can’t do without. We will always need to improve
on our CQ.
Why? because cultures change when
people connect this is known as “culture crossing”
Our cultures are inherently the result of
being human, this is what builds identity and authenticity and provides us with
a place for the connection and sharing. The
connectivity with our educators and experts has never been so extensive and to
remain competitive within these new environments. Educators will need to have
access to the extraordinary resources that are available.
So what skills will our inclusive leaders need to
support this change?
There are six characteristics that represent
a conceptual framework for inclusive leadership;
Commitment
Cultivating
a diverse workforce takes time and energy these are two of the most important precious
commodities leaders have. These leaders will have the belief in the business
case, this motivation alongside their values will drive a deep routed sense of fairness
to champion that business case. These
new leaders also hold a strong sense of personal responsibility to change.
Courage
Inclusive leaders demonstrate courage in two ways.
First, they aren’t afraid to challenge entrenched organizational attitudes and
practices that yield homogeneity, even if their recommendations are politically
or culturally unpopular, nor are they afraid to display humility by
acknowledging their personal limitations and seeking contributions from others
to overcome them. Some leaders find it difficult to admit they don’t have all
the answers; in that respect, courage and humility go hand in hand.
Cognizance of bias
Inclusive
leaders understand that personal and organizational biases narrow their field
of vision and preclude them from making objective decisions. They exert
considerable effort to identify their own biases and learn ways to prevent them
from influencing talent decisions. They also seek to implement policies,
processes, and structures to prevent organizational biases from stifling
diversity and inclusion. Without such measures, inclusive leaders understand
that their natural inclination could lead them toward self-cloning, and that
operating in today’s business environment requires a different approach.
Curiosity
Curiosity
and openness are hallmarks of inclusive leaders and a desire for exposure to
different ideas have fast become leadership traits crucial to success,
especially in challenging times. These leaders hunger for other
perspectives to minimize their blind spots and improve their decision-making.
In addition to accessing a more diverse array of viewpoints, inclusive leaders’
ability to engage in respectful questioning, actively listen to others, and synthesize
a range of ideas makes the people around them feel valued, respected, and
represented. Inclusive leaders also refrain from making fast judgments, knowing
snap decisions can stifle the flow of ideas on their teams and are frequently
tinged with bias.
Collaboration
Inclusive
leaders understand that, if collaboration is to be successful, team members
must first be willing to share their perspectives. With this in mind they
create an environment in which all individuals feel empowered to express their
opinions freely with the group. They also realize that diversity of thinking is
critical to effective collaboration; thus, they pay close attention to team
composition and team processes.
For
example, they prevent teams from breaking into subgroups, which can weaken
relationships and create conflict. They also engender a sense of “one
team” by creating a group
identity and shared goals, and by working to ensure team members understand and
value each other’s knowledge and capabilities
Cultural Intelligence
The knowledge
of other cultures is essential for leaders today; this intelligence
incorporates the leaders’ ability to change their styles in response to
different cultural norms. For example, culturally intelligent leaders who are
typically extroverted and demonstrative will make an effort to show restraint
when doing business with individuals whose cultures value modesty or humility.
They regulate the speed and tone of their speech and modify their nonverbal
behaviours and gestures, facial expressions, body language, and physical
interactions as situations dictate. In addition to understanding other
cultures, these leaders also demonstrate self-awareness of their own culture,
recognizing how it shapes their worldview and how cultural stereotypes can
influence their expectations of others.
There are a number of actions that we need to explore when working within these environments.
Are we recognizing those changes?
Is this source of innovation responsive?
Is our collective response to change being identified and monitored?
The time is right to move forward directed by your inclusive leaders
Organizations have to move forward right now, to
meet the new standards for recruiting and retaining their most valuable asset –
their employees. If you don’t want to be left the past there is a need to move
forward directing by and supporting your inclusive leaders.
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Source:
Bernadette Dillon, director,
and Juliet Bourke,
partner, Human Capital Consulting, Deloitte Australia Deloitte’s research is based on experiences with more than 1,000
global leaders, including one-on-one interviews with 17 top executives and
subject matter experts and a survey of more than 1,500 employees for their
perceptions of inclusion. Deloitte’s research also builds on existing thought
leadership and applied research, as well as results from a proprietary
leadership assessment tool. For more detail on the full research methodology,
see “Six signature traits of inclusive leadership.”
Berger, Warren, “Why Curious People Are Destined for the C-Suite,” Harvard Business Review, September 11, 2015.
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