Leading Inclusion: How To Get It Right

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‘Business leaders can help eliminate race-based workplace disparities by listening to and connecting with employees of all races.’

It is difficult to build and lead an inclusive organization without first understanding the experiences of those who have been traditionally excluded.

‘You must create and maintain an environment in which traditionally underrepresented groups do not face systemic hindrances and are unequivocably safe to voice the injustices they experience.’

‘To understand how to enhance the experiences of employees from traditionally underrepresented groups, leaders must connect with all employees.’

‘Although it is vital to address both interpersonal and systemic bias in organizations, focusing on the systemic bias will have a faster and more scalable impact.’

Leaders must recognize and fix their own implicit biases.’

To really understand employee experience, understand how managers behave.’

‘Employees who are subordinated and waiting for systemic change know that disproportionately focusing on ‘the money’ only perpetuates the very problem that needs to be solved.

Your executive team members can make or break your efforts to build an inclusive culture.’

Multicultural competency should be an essential leadership expectation, like financial and marketing acumen.’

Source

Gena Cox (2022). Leading Inclusion: Drive Change Your Employees Can See and Feel

What do people really want?

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What do people really want? How do people want to be treated? How do you treat people? How do you treat yourself?

Simple but difficult questions for lots of people to answer. Why?

Because we are human beings with all kinds of assumptions. We think we know want people really want. We think everyone wants the same thing. We think we can meet the needs of everyone with a one-size-fits-all approach.

The reality is, “we don’t really know what people want.” If you want to know what people really want and need, don’t assume, ask them. Just ask them. And they will tell you exactly what they want.

As human beings. we crave for one thing. We want to be respected. This is a huge thing for lots of people to do, including business executives. People want to be respected, they want to be heard, and they want to be appreciated.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” If you are a business owner, respect your people, listen to your people, appreciate your people, let them know that their efforts are appreciated. You don’t need a consultant to tell you how to respect your people. No, you don’t.

Respect is a two-way business. If you respect people, they will respect you back. If you don’t respect them, they will disown you before you even know it.

People want respect more than you think. Give it to them.