LEADERSHIP SHADOW
How you act – be a role model for an inclusive culture; build a top team with a critical mass of diverse people; call out behaviours and decisions that re not consistent with an inclusive culture What you prioritise – engage senior leaders directly; play a strong role in key recruitment and promotion decisions How you measure – understand the numbers and levers – set targets; hold yourself and your team to account; get feedback on your own leadership shadow What you say – deliver a compelling case for inclusivity in the workplace; provide THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF YOUR LE A DERSHIP SH A DOW
Another facet of inclusion is the Leadership Shadow we cast as leaders; the shadow you cast on others through your behaviour. What you do, say, what you measure, and what you prioritise determines what gets done and what doesn’t. Your leadership shadow is important for a culture shift. For example, if you say you support and promote LGBTQI+ inclusion in the workplace, and you measure yourself against this, you will cast a deep and powerful shadow. The opposite is also true: if you say one thing and do not deliver, your leadership shadow will be short and ineffectual. Where an organisation makes statements about derived behaviours and people don't see these behaviours being modeled by leaders, there is lack of integrity.
TIPS TO MAXIMISE YOUR LEADERSHIP SHADOW Keep the process of leading fluid and be open to (sometimes painful) upward feedback fromwithin the organisation. Be as rational as possible by nurturing relationships - ready not just in the abstract individually, but in the here and now. Engage in active (and honest) self - reflection Make the effort to ensure that all four components of your impact are on target with their message.
The path to lasting performance improvement on any priority starts at the top. Leaders need to walk the talk of inclusivity. Some questions to ponder:
1. What shadow are you casting
2. What behaviours would you like to see change in the group you lead or influence at work? once identified, how do you need to show up differently to cast the needed shadow
3. How consistent are you making and meeting your commitment to others ?
INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
regular updates and celebrate progress
I have a young and dynamic team. I wanted to ensure they felt included in the workplace and wanted them to thrive, not just survive. We have a lot going on and being a transactional unit the work doesn’t slow down but one of the things I thought I could do was take into consideration my team’s ability to
Leaders have to find a course of action that is understood by their workforce. That means clarity of message and repetition - Lt General David Morrison (2014)
bring their whole self to work. Whether people are gay, straight, older, younger, short, tall, they are people and they have individual needs that may or may not be similar to my own. So we talked as a team and they all wanted more flexibility in the workplace to attend to their individual needs outside of work. So we introduced it. Longer shifts over fewer days, working from home some of the time, amended start times. There are a range of options to suit an office-based team, many of whom study, work out, have family commitments as well as work full time. It is not a one-size-fits all solution, but it is fair. I have also gotten to know my team on a deeper level which has brought me greater satisfaction. Tracey Taylor – Manager Employee Services
References: (i) (Diversity Council Australia, 2015) ii) https://hbr.org/2020/03/the-key-to-
inclusiveleadership#:~:text=We%20find%20that%20 what%20leaders,which%20ultimately%20lifts%20or ganizational%20performance. (iii)Diversity Council Australia (O’Leary, J., Russell, G. and Tilly, J.) Building Inclusion: An Evidence-Based Model of Inclusive Leadership, Sydney, Diversity Council Australia, 2015. (iv)https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/doc ument/publication/MCC- LeadershipShadow_210314.pdf
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