The recent pandemic years have concertinaed changes that would normally have taken years into months. Projects that business leaders' thought were not possible were found to be possible after all due to the amount of collaboration that took place, a bit ironic given most team members were remotely located. Productivity increased as people had more time due to less travel and shorter meetings. Many companies were checking on their employees’ wellbeing for the first time, making people feel valued and needed.
The future of work arrived more quickly than expected, creating an opportunity to look at a more progressive leadership model. We define this as Inclusive Leadership. There are eight areas in which a leader can assess their own and their organisation's inclusiveness: self-orientation, purpose (why), feedback, differences, failure, collaboration, vulnerability, and awareness of bias.
It is well accepted that harnessing diversity has a positive impact on business performance, which highlights the importance of leaders being more inclusive.
To make a start with inclusive leadership, you could try changing the way you ask for input in meetings. Try not to ask: What do you think? Instead, try: Who has a different idea? How could we look at this from a different point of view? What is missing? What is wrong with my assumptions? What have I missed? It takes practice, and your team needs to understand their views will be heard without judgement. If you would like to explore this topic with a member of the Taylor Clarke team and how we may be able to help you, please contact anne@taylorclarke.co.uk
John Maxwell has worked as a CEO leading businesses with over 3000 people across the globe. He is an engineer but was quickly drawn to the people and leadership challenges that are at the heart of a successful business. His passion lies in developing inclusive leaders, with a focus on the professional services market. John volunteers with Change the Chemistry, a charity focused on increasing diversity in the board room, and is part of the Scottish government’s GlobalScot network, who support Scottish businesses to grow globally.