Realising Strategy through Inclusive Leadership @ all Levels
“In a collaborative environment, a person’s value does not depend on [their] absolute wisdom but on [their] ability to improve the collective decision.”
Lu Hong & Scott Page
If you’re achieving your Diversity goals and are ready to focus on Inclusion - there are 3 critical factors to consider:
1. Strategic Alignment
Why does Inclusion Matter to your Strategy?
It’s critical to be clear about how inclusion supports your organisation strategy which can be different for different companies.
For example in IT it’s often about innovation; in Financial Services in the recent past it’s been driven by risk and reputation management and in Professional Services it’s historically been about talent attraction.
Whilst inclusion increases business and human performance, knowing why it matters and how it’s realised is the key to commitment and executive @ all levels..
2. Aligned Leadership @ all Levels
It’s common to have Executive Support, but Frontline Fatigue
All leaders @ all levels, not just those in the top team, need to be engaged.
We know Top Teams often understand the impact of inclusion on top and bottom line results (and human experiences), however, the frontline aren’t always clear about what to do, how to do it or even why they’re doing it.
Functional Dividends are an Added Bonus for Frontline Leaders!
Over and above the organisation wide impact on top and bottom line business results, we also know each function in your organisation can achieve additional functional dividends.
For example:
in sales we know customer connection and revenue increases ;
whilst in marketing, leaders and teams are better equipped to understand their markets, customer preferences and manage reputation.
Culture isn’t Soft!
The truth is, the success of your Inclusion strategy is almost completely dependent on the daily practices of your frontline leaders. It’s your Frontline Leaders who are connected to the vast majority of your people, who are in turn connected to your customers - your organisation’s lifeblood.
“intangibles such as corporate culture are driving a greater share of corporate value”
— Cyrus Taraporevala (President and CEO, State Street Global Advisers)
Common Intentions align Execution @ All Levels
It’s vital that leadership @ all levels bring a curious Explorer’s mindset vs. the traditional Expert with all the answers.
The reason being, the curious questions naturally asked by “explorers”, are the key to leveraging the inherent diversity in teams and achieving competitive advantage.
Make it come Alive!
Behaviours like connecting, coaching and collaborating are vital, in addition to EQ and Psychological Safety.
Using a conscious change management approach enhances the execution and outcomes, and reduces the likelihood of falling foul of the failure trap, experienced in 70% of corporate transformations.
As robust diversity and inclusive strategies lead by inclusive leadership offer high value business returns, leaving them to chance and positive intentions is unwise.
3. Awareness does not equal Action!
Learning the Lessons from Unconscious Bias Training
It’s no secret companies have spent literally billions over more than a decade on Unconscious Bias training, with very limited impact and disappointing outcomes.
Diagnostics
It’s an old adage, what gets ‘measured gets managed’, however, it’s as true of inclusion as it is of any other leading or lagging business indicator.
When commencing your “Aligned Inclusive Leadership @ all levels” journey, it’s critical to baseline your starting point. Regular checkpoints together with opportunities to develop both mindsets and skillsets are key to success.
We offer simple but proven diagnostics tailored to the focus of your organisation’s strategy. In combination with our global multinational business and leadership transformation expertise, we can help you realise Aligned Inclusive Leadership @ all levels in your organisation.
