Building Inclusion : Actions speak.
Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker in their book, School Culture Rewired, said: “The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.”
Shocking to hear but sadly a reality. And, it’s not only about schools. Working across a broad range of industries and geographies, observing (some) organizational cultures, this quote rings true.
Perceptions about the firm — right or wrong — travel far and remain deeply embedded in the psyche of the organization.
Now think about this from an ‘inclusion’ perspective. While many organizations have crafted solid DEI statements, there is an opportunity is to define what inclusion looks like. That is, how does inclusion really show up at the firm? Is inclusion in the systems and processes, embedded into talent management practices, succession planning, on-boarding? What does your Employee Value Proposition say? And, what are former employee saying about the firm?
Actions speak. And, perceptions matters. Perceptions influence how potential candidates and clients engage or disengage with the organization.
Clarity on what it means to be an inclusive leader and how the leader builds an inclusive team or organization can be identified through behaviors. Are those behaviors demonstrated widely?
Once identified, there should be avenues to call out what behavior is not tolerated. Speaking up and transparency in messaging is critical. When you hear something — not aligned with the firms values of inclusion, what do you say? A simple 3 word rejoinder, “that’s not appropriate’ or (longer) ‘I disagree with that comment’ — gives people pause for thought and demonstrates values in action.
You are what you do.
Culture is the stickiness that retains talent with your firm. A culture of inclusion impacts engagement, performance and productivity. Feigning inclusion, overlooking biased decisions or ignoring unjust treatment eventually makes the organization a mediocre place to work.
Think about this, as a leader, manager, individual contributor what behavior are you willing to tolerate?
If you’d like to know more about building inclusive leaders and inclusion at work, just let us know — we have a team of experts to help!
