The Inclusive Leader’s Juggle
Are you trying to figure out how to grow your business, care for your team, develop their skills and increase wellbeing & belonging - all at the same time?
If you are like most leaders I’ve spoken with, finding the time to manage all the competing priorities and also look after your own needs - is a demanding juggle!
In the absence of a time machine which increases the number of hours available to be the Wholistic Leader you would like to be, I went in search of a leadership formula which primes all the outcomes simultaneously.
Too ambitious?
Surprisingly, (because I’ve been doing this for some time!) I discovered a mindset and skillset which meaningfully impacts top and bottom line professional performance and wellbeing and belonging simultaneously.
And there is no time machine required!
The Merits of Collective Leadership
There is endless evidence associated with the business and human value of Collective Leadership, but no simple formula that I’ve discovered until recently.
My journey of discovery started with the publication of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety.* It offers leaders a simple roadmap to achieve innovation and performance in their teams by creating a consciously connected and collaborative culture.
The evidence that Inclusive Leaders and Collective Teams outperform is no longer surprising, although few leaders know how it works and hence how to achieve it consistently. *Dr Clark’s research cracks that code neatly – very neatly.
Cracking The Inclusive Leadership Code for Corporate Performance
Leaders who:
I. connect: authentically and equally, create Inclusion, community and belonging in their teams;
II. coach: to create safe spaces to learn, grow and experiment;
III. collaborate: to maximise intelligence, autonomy and contribution;
IV. challenge: to generate innovation, impact and the ability to make a difference.
By enabling an environment where it’s safe to experiment and challenge the status quo, Collective Leaders unlock Innovation and team performance by maximising the Collective Intelligence in their teams.
These same Collective Cultures also offer early warning signals associated with risk and group think, and are one the reasons they have come into focus in the Financial Services industry in recent years.
If we are to find a path to sustainable performance and profitability in today’s world, we are more in need than ever, of the intelligence (skills, knowledge, perspectives, experiences) of us all.
Whilst Diverse teams bring a wider range of “intelligence” to the task, the formula will improve the performance of any team.
Cracking the Leadership Code for Wellbeing and Belonging
Do the same Collective Leadership behaviours which create environments that unlock Human Performance, where Wellbeing and Belonging thrive?
If you were to intuitively say yes - you would be right. However, investments of time and funds in business understandably have to pass a proof test.
The confirmation emerged the same 4 behaviours positively impact Wellbeing AND Belonging, from Australian research by The Wellbeing Lab and Deloitte’s Belonging research.
The Wellbeing Lab identified Psychological Safety as the 3rd most important element of Wellbeing in the Workplace, confirming its connection to higher levels of personal, team and business performance.
When I peeled back the layers of the research, I discovered very tight connections with each one of the 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. The research clearly shows Increased wellbeing @ work is associated with higher levels of Connection; Competence; Autonomy and Impact (ie. the ability to make a difference).
Peeling back the layers of Deloitte’s Belonging research, highlighted the importance of Comfort, Connection and Contribution to achieve higher degrees of belonging.
In the graphic below, I’ve mapped each of the Wellbeing and Belonging factors against the 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. What’s clear, is there is a cumulative effect, where each builds the foundations for the next.
The Conclusion is Clear:
The 4 Behaviours of Inclusive Leadership, create Innovation and Performance; Wellbeing and Belonging
That’s a mouthful - let’s just agree to describe it as Thriving!
Now that we know what the Thriving Teams Leadership Code is, we understand HOW every day discussions and decisions at work can create a culture which maximises (or minimises) both Corporate and Human Performance.
The mindsets, skillsets and processes in every day business-as-usual meetings, create either a virtuous or vicious circle for personal or professional performance.
Many leaders are already working hard to connect, coach, collaborate and challenge their teams. However the data consistently tells us the experience is higher for some and lower for others.
Does everyone equally in your team feel equally connected, able to learn and make mistakes, contribute all their intelligence and challenge the status quo?
Or is it the case, some are experiencing more inclusion, wellbeing and belonging, than others?
If your team is like most - it’s your under-represented talent who will experience lower degrees of Inclusion and Performance, than the dominant demographics.
What’s the Impact of Unequal Inclusion?
You potentially lose the MOST valuable sources of intelligence from those who experience the least Inclusion.
Why are they the most valuable?
Often those with the least inclusion have a reduced ‘voice’ because they offer views least like the leader and dominant groups.
When their “intelligence” or perspective is lost, what else is lost?
The Collective Intelligence in the team is reduced and the likelihood of a valuable new idea or piece of information or approach being uncovered, is lost with it.
What Can Collective Leaders do to Unlock Collective Intelligence EQUALLY?
Now is a good time for leaders to ask:
Who am I hearing from least in my team?
Why?
What can I do, so we can all hear more from them?
How can I increase Connection; Learning; Contribution and the ability to Challenge in my team?
Many leaders fear opening Pandora’s Box
Brene Brown’s exhaustive research encourages leaders to face their fears, be brave and be authentic.
If you frame it as an experiment - where everyone will test and improve the approach over time – you will build confidence and competence, and even more importantly, together increase your inclusion skills.
Can I suggest – asking your team if they’d like to try a new approach together?
To ensure everyone feels safe (including the leader), agree some ground rules ahead of time.