By Dr. Shirley Davis
Amidst the multitude of disruptions and complexities in the global marketplace, workforce, and in our social landscape, being able to navigate a myriad of challenges is not just a virtue, it’s a necessity! And it takes all of the attributes, competencies, and behaviors of inclusive leadership to recognize and respond in such a way that fosters an environment where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and accepted and where the organization can remain relevant and achieve sustained success.
1. Leading through Global Socio-Political and Economic Unrest
In this era of rapid transformation, leaders are faced with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as surging social, economic, and geopolitical disruptions and pressures that have fueled a sense of uncertainty and discontent among people worldwide. Consider this abbreviated list: ongoing protests; incidents of antisemitism; Islamophobia; human rights and social justice concerns; conflict around the world; the overturning of Roe versus Wade; attempts to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs; rising populism, nationalism and divisive ideologies; and attempts to overthrow democracies around the world. These and many other global socio-geopolitical challenges directly affect the workplace dynamics and pose challenges to maintaining an inclusive environment. These issues have resulted in greater tensions among co-workers, increased stress and anxiety at work and at home, a rise in mental illness, suicide, and workplace violence. To this growing unrest, governments around the world have enacted new laws, bans, or changed existing policies, and increased workplace security measures in order to address these issues more effectively.
2. Enhancing The Employee Experience
From the time an employee has initial contact with your company, to how they are hired, compensated, onboarded, developed, and rewarded, to when they leave, their workplace they have an experience. Is it positive or negative? Is it reflective of your company’s brand or do you have a disconnect from what you say your company is all about from workers' actual experiences? If I went to Glassdoor.com and read the workers’ points of view about your organization, what would the comments read? Understanding and assessing the employee experience has become a critical aspect of organizational success, as it directly influences employee satisfaction, engagement, productivity, and overall business performance. Inclusive leaders who are focused on enhancing it employ such strategies as setting a clear vision for their team, creating meaning and purpose, providing development and growth opportunities, treating every member with respect but recognizing their uniqueness, and ensuring that everyone feels heard, seen, and valued.
3. Attracting and Retaining Top Diverse Talent
In today’s competitive talent landscape, the search for skilled professionals remains intense. Top talent has many options for employment and are fully aware that they are highly sought out. Yet research continues to reveal that they are increasingly selective in the kind of workplace culture they want to work in, the type of leader they want to work for, and the kinds of perks and benefits that attract them. Moreover, the fight for top talent is exacerbated by the aging global population, artificial intelligence and automation (more on this later in the chapter), increased diversity in labor market, evolving work dynamics, and the constant pursuit of requisite skills for both immediate and future organizational growth.
Leaders can employ a number of strategies in order to attract and retain top diverse talent: diversifying their sourcing and hiring approaches, embracing more flexible work policies, considering candidates from various backgrounds and regions around the world, and employing more remote and temporary workers. Additionally, they can focus on cultivating their workplace culture to be more inclusive, providing their people leaders with more training and development in such areas as diversity, inclusion and belonging, cultural competence, managing conflict, empathy and authenticity, and emotional intelligence, all of which have risen to the top of lists that workers seek in their leaders.
4. Supporting Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being
At a time when the world is experiencing accelerated change, overwhelming complexity, and working in a fast-paced and demanding environment (see the first section of this chapter), we are also seeing an increase in the emotional toll, the level of stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues that these have on employees.
Inclusive leaders are needed now more than ever to ensure that the workplace is welcoming and supportive. Inclusive leaders foster an environment free from stigma where open discussions about mental health are encouraged. They engage in active listening, demonstrating empathy and understanding towards employees’ concerns. They recognize that every individual may be affected differently, so they adjust their responses to meet them where they are. These efforts contribute to cultivating a culture that not only accepts but also promotes seeking help.
5. Upskilling to Meet the Needs of the New Generation of Talent
In this ever-changing environment, staying pertinent isn’t a choice; it’s imperative! The longevity of skills is diminishing rapidly. This is where reskilling and upskilling emerges as a crucial strategy to ensure your workforce remains at the forefront. Upskilling is enhancing the skill set required for existing roles while reskilling involves providing resources for employees to acquire entirely new skills. Both of these initiatives play pivotal roles in building a thriving business prepared to confront the future with confidence.
6. Transforming Workplace Culture to be More Inclusive
Culture consists of the norms, values, behaviors, and attitudes supported by structure and strategies that an organization rewards or highly regards. It can also be illusive and invisible, yet its effect can be seen and felt. In other words, culture is like the wind: you can’t see it but you experience it (feel it).
7. Working with Artificial Intelligence and Automation
Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way we work at the speed of light, and they are replacing many human tasks. While this will give us the capacity to focus on more strategic and creative tasks which only humans can do, this shift changes the skills people need today and will need in the future to succeed in the workplace. As these technologies reshape industries and redefine job roles, inclusive leaders must be proactive in implementing strategies to address the challenges and ensure a fair and equitable transition.
Inclusive leaders recognize that the evolving job market demands new skill sets, and they must come up to speed on the many facets of AI. Then they must ensure that their workforce has the necessary development and tools for success. This means allowing workers to experiment with AI and functionalities, while maintaining guardrails that protect the company’s assets. Given how quickly the AI space is moving, leaders should focus on the areas where being more entrepreneurial makes sense, and maintain open communication regarding the impact of AI on their worker roles. This helps manage employee expectations, reduces uncertainty, and allows leaders to convey their commitment to supporting workers through the transition. This approach also builds trust and inclusivity, fostering a collaborative environment where employees feel heard and valued.
8. Managing Remote and Flexible Work
If you’re responsible for overseeing a remote team, a key aspect of your role involves devising innovative approaches to keep remote employees engaged. The goal is for these team members to experience a sense of belonging equivalent to those working physically in the office — and rightfully so. While they might not have the opportunity for spontaneous chats around the water cooler, remote employees can still cultivate interest in their tasks, maintain effective communication, and derive satisfaction from their meaningful contributions to the company.
Inclusive leaders ensure that they prioritize consistent communication, hold regular check in meetings with remote team members (not only to get updates on projects but to check on them personally), facilitate social interactions such as virtual coffee breaks, or celebrations, and team builders. I’ve even seen leaders host virtual cooking classes where the employees showed off their skills, parties for special occasions (birthdays, births, anniversaries, and so on), and yoga, exercise, and meditation sessions. These were lots of fun and brought staff together in more personal ways to connect
9. Leading Change in Tumultuous Times
One of my mentors used to tell me, “If you’re not ready to deal with change, you’re not ready to lead.” Organizations today are facing rapid changes in technology, the global economy, market demands, and worker expectations. And with all of these shifts, leaders have to be able to anticipate and respond to rapidly changing conditions, recover quickly, and remain productive and positive. In other words, they must be agile and resilient. Otherwise they run the risk of becoming irrelevant.
Leading change in times of disruption is not easy and leaders have to throw out the old way of thinking and doing things to look for new possibilities and opportunities. They have to help their team understand the “why” behind the change and what it would or could mean for them and their jobs. They must tend to their emotional and psychological responses to change, most importantly, involve the team early in the process and allow their input. This garners greater buy-in and commitment to the change.
10. Saying the Wrong Thing
Or rather, having a fear of saying the wrong thing. Think about the climate that we live and work in . . . many have coined it an Era of Disruption, a polarizing environment, the decade of movements, and a time of the most globally diverse workforce ever. Amidst these realities, they also have to manage poor performance, disengaged workers, violations of company policies, and deal with sensitive topics such as race, gender, religion, politics, sexual orientation, disability, and the like. When the wrong thing is said or done, leaders can be terminated from their jobs, be featured on the news, shamed on social media, and included in legal action. At the same time, they cannot avoid taking action because that too can be harmful.
I have these tips for responding inclusively and appropriately: address the issue head on and if you were the culprit, own it and apologize; involve Human Resources; create a safe space by building trust and rapport; practice active and humble listening; suspend judgment and assume positive intent; practice empathy; and be clear about the outcomes.
Dr. Shirley Davis is a sought-after global workforce expert, national board director for Make-A-Wish Foundation, and president and CEO of SDS Global Enterprises, a strategic development solutions firm that specializes in human resources strategy, talent management, leadership effectiveness, culture transformation, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Davis has over 30 years of business experience in a variety of senior executive leadership roles in Fortune 100 & 50 corporations. She is the author of several books, including her latest guide, Inclusive Leadership For Dummies (Wiley 2024).
