Feature insight
...we may not even know we are biased, we have the wrong intuition...
(https://goo.gl/ix4H4P), Danny Kalman and I analyse those behaviours that give the CEO and other leaders the best chance of making a difference. Holding people accountable, campaigning rather than dictating, being courageous to challenge norms and delegate without guarantees of return. We look at some tangible examples of what inclusive leadership looks like in practice, every day. Accountability is important. Whereas leadership is a group process, delivery is about individual accountability. Not letting those who are more networked rely on their relationships to mask under- delivery, whereas those from an out-group might not have their true effort and merit acknowledged. Campaigning is important – inclusion doesn’t just happen, only leaders make it happen. Making it a matter of fact to highlight ‘inclusion’ in meetings, appraisals, town halls and so forth is really important. Of course sometimes courage is required, especially if you are from an ‘out-group’ challenging the norm set by the ‘in-group’. See whom you can partner with so that you are not the sole proponent of change. Finally, two ideas are especially helpful
when it comes to getting things done. First, walk the line. If you are always campaigning, always challenging the norm you may get shot down. But if you don’t campaign or challenge at all, nothing will change. Only you know where that line is on a daily basis, but walk it. Second, letting go. You can’t do all the work yourself and the results would be worse if you did. So you have to delegate and give the work back. It may not be done to the standard you would like, it may not be executed in the method you would suggest, but leading inclusively means allowing everyone to maximise their input to the collective good. All of the above three elements of leading are dependent on self-awareness of our own biases. In 1970, Noel Burch came up with the conscious ladder of competence. This provided a four-step framework of leadership moving from unconscious incompetence through to conscious and unconscious competence. The hierarchy of competence is a useful
framework for thinking about inclusive leadership. At first, we may not even know we are biased, we have the wrong intuition – we are unconsciously incompetent. Then, through discussion, perhaps through training and some implicit association tests, we become aware of our bias, we become consciously unskilled. This can be a low moment for executives as they are now aware of the problem but feel unable to solve it. We can then become consciously skilled by proactively trying to mitigate our bias through applied leadership, and if we are successful this may even become habitual, leading to unconscious skill. n If you really want to lead inclusively, and you believe you are an inclusive leader, then you cannot outsource responsibility for diversity to other people. You cannot claim to believe in something you fail to take responsibility for. Know yourself and hold it sacred. But nudge your role – take mini risks, learn, and grow as a leader.
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Issue 23 | September 2016
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
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