A few days from now, June 6, is my beloved husband Mike’s birthday and I want to publicly wish him a very happy birthday! We will be celebrating with close friends while we are up here in Cincinnati.

In today’s business world, companies increasingly reflect America’s diversity with a mix of women and men of all ages and from all sorts of races, ethnic groups, and backgrounds. This diversity is undoubtedly good for business, but it doesn’t happen on its own, and it doesn’t guarantee happy, high-performing employees.

Instead, it challenges leaders to ensure that they are providing inclusive leadership.

Inclusive leadership means treating all employees as respected equals who feel valued and confident that they belong. Inclusion goes beyond simply valuing diversity. Employees in inclusive workplaces report feeling safe, respected, appreciated, as if they belong, and that their workplace is open to their contributions.

What sets inclusive leaders apart is their ability to keep an open mind, listen to others without judgment, display humility, articulate that they value diversity, and empower team members all with an awareness of their personal biases.

According to research from Deloitte, inclusive leaders aren’t just nice additions to the team. They provide a critical function for employee satisfaction, performance, and efficiency. When inclusive leaders are present, team members report being:

• 80% more likely to believe they work in a high-performing environment
• 29% more likely to work collaboratively
• 20% more likely to make high-quality decisions
• 31% more likely to be responsive to changing customer needs

At this point, you might be wondering if your leadership style would be characterized as inclusive by your team, and that’s a good question. Deloitte’s research indicated that leaders don’t have a great sense of their inclusiveness – 1 in 3 over-inflated their inclusion skills and another 1 in 3 under-estimated their inclusion skills, meaning only one-third were fairly accurate in estimating how inclusive they are.

It’s not that those leaders who incorrectly estimate their inclusion skills are actively opposed to the idea. It’s more likely that they are too overwhelmed with workload to notice, overly-anxious about getting diversity right and end up frozen with indecision, or unaware of how they can impact their work culture in a positive way.

That said, there are inclusive behaviors and skills that you can focus on developing to ensure that you distinguish yourself as an inclusive leader.

Follow these 6 tips to create an inclusive environment anywhere you are a leader:

• Create opportunities for everyone at the table to have a say, rather than only those who speak up. Deliberately seek out opportunities for those with a different point of view to share their experiences and expertise.
• Be open about what you don’t know. No one expects you to understand every subtle cultural difference. The difference is that inclusive leaders aren’t afraid to ask questions and be humble when they’re unsure.
• Ensure that everyone has the ability to achieve work-life balance because a lack of family-friendly policies generally leads to fewer opportunities for women.
• Be vocal about inclusion both within and when speaking outside the organization. Let your team members know this is a value that you care about and why.
• Remove barriers to a level playing field, rather than only focusing on treating people equally. An example of this is sidewalk curb cuts that allow people in wheelchairs to cross the street, but also make it easier for parents pushing strollers and people on bikes. Are there ways you can break barriers that will positively impact everyone?
• Stick to established criteria to evaluate the best person for the job. When considering additions to your team, beware of unknown biases that often show up when team leaders say a candidate is “not a good fit” or “goes against your gut.”
• Regularly analyze the results to ensure your inclusion strategy is having a positive impact. Seek out feedback and look for signs like increased collaboration among team members and others mirroring your inclusive language.

By making a commitment as a leader to creating an inclusive workplace, you not only will give everyone a fair shot at success, you’ll increase the entire organization’s success with more collaboration, better efficiency, and a more satisfied team.

Cultivating innovative leaders is a top priority in the high-level skill building work we do in our Celeste Giordano Coaching Mastermind Group. That’s why members report that they not only run their businesses more effectively, but also have better work-life balance as a result of participating. If you’d like to join the elite group of business owners and professionals in our Mastermind, contact me today.

Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlusTM” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with more than 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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