{"id":7147,"date":"2023-04-27T14:56:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T12:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.savilleconsulting.dk\/?p=7147"},"modified":"2025-11-23T14:30:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T13:30:18","slug":"the-importance-of-inclusive-leadership-and-how-you-can-nurture-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.savilleconsulting.dk\/en\/the-importance-of-inclusive-leadership-and-how-you-can-nurture-it\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Inclusive Leadership and How You Can Nurture It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Inclusive leadership has been a key HR topic in recent times but after speaking with clients at the beginning of the year, it was clear that inclusive leadership to help drive the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion agenda was a high priority for many in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is inclusive leadership?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Inclusive leadership is probably a term you\u2019ve heard being used more and more in HR circles over the last few years. Harvard Business Review defines it as \u201cLeadership that assures that all team members feel they are treated respectfully and fairly, are valued and sense that they belong, and are confident and inspired\u201d 1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the benefits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some of the benefits of inclusive leadership for an organization are 2<\/sup>:<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Increased trust between leaders and their teams<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Happier, more-engaged employees who feel valued, listened to and have a sense of belonging<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Increased innovation sparked by a wider range of knowledge and experience<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>An open and safe communication, where employee voices are heard<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>The ability to tap into a more diverse talent pool and new customer markets<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Organizations with inclusive leadership teams and effective DE&I strategies are reaping the benefits. Statistics show that 85%<\/strong> of businesses say that diversity drives the most innovative work<\/strong> and 30% of companies with inclusive policies generated up to 30% higher revenue<\/strong> per person<\/strong> compared to those who don\u2019t 2<\/sup>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other research suggests that teams with inclusive leaders are 17% <\/strong>more likely to report that they are high performing, 20%<\/strong> more likely to say they make high-quality decisions, and 29%<\/strong> more likely to report behaving collaboratively 1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further to this, having inclusive leaders at the helm of your organization can help drive a truly effective DE&I strategy, attract and retain a more diverse workforce, as well as help promote increased \u2018diversity of thought\u2019 throughout your organization. This diversity of thought can help you overcome the pitfalls of \u2018group think\u2019 (where workers of similar backgrounds and culture perspectives are unable to see the bigger picture) leading to potential cultural blunders and PR disasters 3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What traits do inclusive leaders have?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous models and perspectives that try to capture the definitive traits and behavioral characteristics that inclusive leaders tend to have. When looking into them, these are the areas that we found appear several times across the various models:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Collaborating<\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Decision making should be for the many not just the few.<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Demonstrating Empathy<\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Curiosity and understanding without judgment.<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Advocating for Others<\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Commitment to inclusivity, the ability to challenge status quo.<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Consulting with Others<\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Empowering all individuals to contribute.<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Within our own research, the behaviors that we continuously see predicting leadership success, regardless of organization or industry, are:<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Pursuing Goals – being driven to achieve outstanding results, being ambitious and being able to persevere through difficult challenges.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Directing People – being oriented towards a leadership role, coordinating people and taking control of things.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Taking Action – being good at making things happen, being impatient to get things started and being energetic.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Developing Strategies – being effective at developing strategies, taking a very long-term view and creating a clear vision for the future.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Providing Insights – being able to identify ways to improve things, being very quick to get to the core of a problem and trusting intuition to guide judgment.<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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When we start to explore the effect of critical behavior combinations, the importance and the value of empathy also starts to shine through. What our research is telling us is that leaders who are able to do all of the above AND understand and empathize with others do better than those who solely focus on the above.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How can we help you measure these traits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first step to building inclusive leadership capabilities is to raise leaders\u2019 self-awareness. Dr Rohini Anand, Senior Vice President & Global Chief Diversity Officer at Sodexo explains that: \u201cThose who lack the self-awareness and humility to learn and admit they don\u2019t know everything are leaders who miss an opportunity to learn, and who will be blindsided if they are not careful 4<\/sup>\u201d<\/em>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feedback and behavioral psychometrics provide the mechanism to enable this. Our Leadership Impact model<\/a><\/strong> provides a framework to discuss Leadership Styles and the \u2018People\u2019 cluster within the model helps to deep dive into the inclusive leadership behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst this model is not a direct measure of inclusive leadership, it can be used to instigate and drive meaningful conversations with leaders, based around the behaviors identified as important:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Collaborating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Within the Leadership Impact model, a Collaborator <\/em>leads by encouraging others to work together constructively in order to achieve goals. Discussion points within this area consist of:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Benefits of understanding motivations and points of view of others<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Understanding people\u2019s concerns and needs<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Encouraging a culture where people are focused on meeting needs of others<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Benefits of being considerate and tolerant<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Demonstrating Empathy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A Facilitator <\/em>leads by responding to the needs of others. Discussion points within this area are:<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Collaboration\u2019s impact on diversity of thought<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Focusing on team cohesion benefits feelings of inclusion<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Involving others promotes better\/more rounded decision making<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Working to resolve issues by highlighting importance of differences of opinions\/perception<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Advocating for Others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An Enthusiast<\/em> engages others by building rapport and taking an optimistic approach while a Persuader<\/em> leads through active communication and seeks agreements which are mutually beneficial. We encourage discussion around the following areas:<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Ability to use persuasion to communicate the issues that will make a difference<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Interacting widely and spreading enthusiasm<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Linking initial advocacy with understanding for longer-term change<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Speaking for people who are not confident speaking for themselves<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Enthusiasm and optimism for diversity\/issues not otherwise highlighted<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Visibility of commitment<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Consulting with Others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A Consulter<\/em> develops a wide network of contacts and is responsive to external feedback while an Inspirer<\/em> leads by motivating others and asserting themselves in the leadership role. Discussions around this area should consist of:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Empowering people to feel they can come forward with ideas and contribute freely<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Being receptive to what others are feeling\/saying\/doing<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Ability to change stance based on different views\/opinions<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Balancing encouragement with also motivating and driving people forward<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Interacting with people and taking time to understand what is important to them<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Our Leadership Impact report<\/a><\/strong> is a great tool for starting open and meaningful conversations around inclusive leaders and can be used in conjunction with our two Leadership Clusters, Pioneering and Professional, which allows you to really consider how other areas will impact their ability to be a truly inclusive leader:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Example:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Within the Professional Cluster,<\/strong> you may want to ask yourselves<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Are they delivering in a way that aligns with the DE&I agenda?<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>How does their management of risk impact people decisions?<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Are they providing equal opportunities to build expertise across the team\/organization?<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Within the Pioneering Cluster<\/strong>, it\u2019s important to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Fostering a culture where original ideas and diversity of thought is valued<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Pushing to change the way things are done, creating a more inclusive workplace<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/path><\/svg><\/span>How diversity and inclusion of employees and ideas can offer a competitive advanta<\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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The Time is Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While there\u2019s no silver bullet, and changing leadership cultures can take some time, using tools such as ours can help you open up developmental discussions and align your leaders with your values and inclusive DE&I strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly inclusive leadership helps create a \u2018safe\u2019 environment where employees feel valued and their voices heard, and can help lead to increased innovation, better talent attraction, retention and increased productivity. If it isn\u2019t in place, or high up on your talent agenda, isn\u2019t it time you ask yourself why not?<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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References<\/h3>\n\n\n\n