The MAGIC of Inclusive Leadership

I love spending time at client sites. I can tell so much by the feel of a place. Organizations are like people; there’s so much more than meets the eye. The real testament of an organization’s health lies in its culture—the way people are together—how they treat each other, how they feel when they are together, to what extent do they have and cherish group identity. 

Organizational culture is what I am most excited to experience when visiting a client, to collect data about what makes cultures distinctive from each other. Recently, I visited two different client sites, sister companies owned by the same parent organization. They both have all the bells and whistles: impressive street addresses, high-security buildings, gorgeous modern furnishings, and even office decor that reflected the season, which seemed to cost a pretty penny. One office was 90% empty, the only people I saw were those who had come in just to meet with me. My meeting with my client was delightful, but as our meeting ended, we both left the building at the same time. The other was bustling with activity. There were people at every shared space, immersed in discussion and collaborative work. The receptionist literally leaped from behind the desk to greet me, a wide smile spread across her face as she escorted me to the meeting space. Within seconds, my point of contact, a member of the executive team, joined me, and shortly thereafter, the CEO, who was already walking around the space chatting with members of the organization. It was alive, connected, and genuine–and all the senior leaders were present and modeling the way.

All healthy cultures are not alike. Healthy and thriving cultures can exist across various types of organizations–virtual and hybrid. But all healthy cultures have one thing in common: they have fantastic leaders. The outer limits of a team’s and organization’s ability to thrive are determined by the strength of its leaders. Strong, inclusive leaders:

• Boost employee engagement by 70%, significantly enhancing team productivity and morale (Gallup). 
• Foster employees' sense of well-being, resulting in a 22% lower turnover rate (Deloitte). 
• Are 8 times more likely to achieve better business outcomes and six times as likely to be innovative and agile. (Deloitte Insights).

But you don’t need more data about the benefits of inclusive leaders. If you’re like most people I talk to, you want to know “how?” What is the most direct line between what leaders care about and are able and willing to do and the needs and interests of the people they serve? The question itself reveals the crux of it.

The cultural shift happening now is moving us away from transactional leadership and towards something far more connected, intertwined, and interdependent. “I do this for you, and you get a paycheck in return” is yesterday's news. 

We are beginning a new cultural era, navigating these tumultuous early stages. This cultural era is global, technological, and scientific and simultaneously harkens back to our old ways–before “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and transactional relationships became commonplace. Ancient ways. This new era is marrying what we know intellectually and emotionally with a deeper wisdom that has always been within us but lost in the hustle and bustle for “more.” 

This era demands inclusive leadership. 

Inclusive leaders are:

1. Culturally competent, prioritizing doing the important self-work associated with working through old mental models and potential biases.
2. Emotionally and socially intelligent, demonstrating the ability to manage their emotions and interact effectively with others’.
3. Non-binary in their thinking. They actively practice expansive thinking, looking for more innovative options than might be immediately considered. 
4. Slow to judge and quick to listen. They ask clarifying questions in an effort to understand. 
5. Act as a bridge between cultural, ideological, and political differences. They see and interact with people as complex and holistic beings and seek opportunities to build alliances. 
6. Influential, regardless of position or title. Their ability to build and maintain trusting relationships with others is their leverage. 
7. Life-long learners, understanding that knowledge lives everywhere–in every story, every relationship, and every experience. 
8. Humble, never assuming on behalf of others’ experience, and always grounded in their quest for self-betterment. 
9. Aware that their leadership is part of something larger than themselves. It is grounded in purpose and interconnectedness.  

Ubuntu: I am because we are.

Ubuntu is the word that most beautifully describes what inclusive leaders in our new cultural era must embody. "Ubuntu is an African word that describes a set of closely related African-origin value systems that emphasize the interconnectedness of individuals with their surrounding societal and physical worlds. It is often translated as ‘I am because we are’...or 'humanity towards others.'" With Ubuntu, knowledge that our current systems are flawed must be surfaced and addressed, and the people who benefit from or are marginalized by those same systems must also be questioned and righted. 

Ubuntu is the opposite of the very Western “I-focused” cultural lens. 

Ubuntu centers “us,” requiring primacy of those in need if “we” are to be whole. 

Ubuntu is not intellectual or emotional; it is cultural. “This is who we are, and thus our aligned behavior.”

Leadership from this day forward is ever-shifted. For inclusive leaders riding this cultural wave, I look to you to stay and help facilitate ushering in a new era. Your work will not be easy–I absolutely understand and feel it as well. However, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for, when you can truly impact on the lives and well-being of people with much to contribute. The most practical guidance I can give you is to keep standing in your inclusive values and bring the MAGIC.  

Make sure people feel and are seen.

Adjust your behaviors based on enhanced and new knowledge that comes from self-work, feedback from others, and experimentation.

Get people who have been marginalized, overlooked, under-resourced, or are outside of the traditional mindset of “high potential” in the room and to the table. Our past mental models about what it means to be “leader material” are too limited for today’s world. Now, people with different experiences, voices, and ways of thinking and expressing themselves are the tapestry that makes our teams and organizations stronger. This strength will manifest as insights that help us understand current and future customers, allow us to stay abreast of changing cultural norms, and prepare us for political headwinds. 

Insist on, incentivize, and reward values-rich behaviors within our teams and organization.

Curate the stories, experiences, and feelings that represent the best of your team and organizational culture. Tell those stories. The stories we tell of us, of who we are and how we are together, become our culture. Our culture, in turn, guides our language, thinking, behaviors, and non-negotiables. 

Inclusive leadership is more important than ever before. In a global, connected, equity-demanding world that continues to shift, inclusive leaders will be our bridges, translators, and engagers. Your moment is here. Make magic.  

DeEtta