Behind-the-Scenes in an Executive Training Session on Inclusion

A key area of expertise at SHAMBAUGH focuses on training companies and leaders in how to create and leverage an inclusive culture. Why? Because organizations with a higher level of inclusivity have been shown to drive high-performance organizations. SHAMBAUGH takes a unique approach to training in this area, since traditional attempts to create the type of workplace culture needed to mobilize and engage all diverse talent—and the widest range of cognitive styles—has fallen short.

When I train leaders in an executive session or meet with leadership teams on inclusion, I share an integrated approach that’s tailored toward each company’s specific needs and business objectives. But to give you an idea of some of the more general highlights covered in our executive training sessions on inclusion and managing bias, my next two posts will offer a sneak peak into SHAMBAUGH’s framework in these arenas, starting with inclusion:

Many Feel Excluded/Unheard at Work

SHAMBAUGH has conducted numerous focus groups and interviews with our clients’ employees, and what we have learned is that most of the talent in today’s companies feels neither included nor listened to at work. This is a problem not only at the individual and team level, but also at the business level in terms of a company’s bottom line financial performance. More and more organizations are realizing that the employee experience—which is closely tied to whether or not someone feels included or excluded in a corporate culture—in turn links to a company’s ability to drive innovation and performance, and also facilitating their ability expand and compete in diverse market segments.

Feel like this doesn’t apply to your employees? Put it to the test by having your managers ask their teams the following questions, which may quickly reveal a culture that’s far from the ideal of inclusion:

• Think of a time you felt excluded: How did that show up, and how did you feel?
• Now, think of a time you felt included: What did you experience, and how did you feel?
• How do you experience work? Do you feel valued, and do you sense that you can safely bring your whole self to work?
• When you speak up at work, do you sense people are truly listening to you and are open to your view/perspective?
• Do you know how your role fits into the bigger goals and mission of your team and organization?
• Do you feel you have a fair chance to be considered for career opportunities?
• Do you have a manager or mentor who provides constructive feedback?

 

Diversity Without Inclusion Is Not Enough 

Clearly, a discussion of diversity is far from new. In fact, many leaders suffer from “diversity fatigue,” which I described recently in Training Industry magazine as what arises “as people grow tired of discussing topics such as gender equity, because they keep coming up in the same way without being sufficiently resolved.” The concept of D&I (diversity and inclusion) is starting to elicit the same glaze-eyed response, since it’s a common story that most organizations continue to struggle with.

What’s the secret to breaking through this tendency to tune out when D&I topics arise? I believe that the crux of the matter lies in transitioning from a figurative nod to the value of diversity and inclusion, into instead delivering impactful actions that truly move the needle on ensuring that everyone in a company feels heard and included. That’s the courageous conversation SHAMBAUGH is having with executives and their leadership about the value of D&I, since senior executives need to set the tone on this.

SHAMBAUGH Leadership is helping companies create a new narrative or story on how together these elements—finding ways to increase not only diversity but also inclusion—minimize risk for the business; drive innovation; and expand new or diverse market segments, diverse consumers, and diverse talent engagement.

Defining Diversity and Inclusion

Since it’s no longer enough to address diversity at the organizational level without incorporating inclusion, it’s important to ensure that leadership teams understand the clear distinction between the definitions of these two terms:

• Diversity: A snapshot or metric of diverse talent.
• Inclusion: What allows organizations to tap into and leverage cognitive diversity, individual experiences, and diverse backgrounds to drive better business outcomes.

 

Another way of putting it is like this, as defined by Verna Myers, writing for the American Bar Association back in 2012: “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” In other words, diversity means you’re welcome in the room, but unless you feel comfortable engaging once you’re there, then you’re likely not in an inclusive culture. Successful companies need both diversity and inclusion, yet many organizations fail to understand the critical interconnection between these two terms and what’s required to achieve positive outcomes around them.

In terms of talent, diversity (and the mix of diversity) is the only metric that most companies continue to focus on. Many organizations have achieved rich diversity based on the world we live in, and they’re succeeding better than in the past at mirroring the diversity that comprises the national and global customer base.

But most companies aren’t as far along when it comes to inclusion. Inclusion is based on key leadership behaviors that trickle down and permeate the entire organization—such as authenticity, transparency, emotional intelligence, and collaboration—that if demonstrated will leverage diversity of talent.

D&I is also connected to the business: research has shown that organizations with high D&I are:

• 8x more likely to hit their performance targets
• 6x more like to be innovative and agile
• 2x more likely to hit their financial targets

 

Building an inclusive culture is about developing a growth mindset at not only the individual and leadership level, but also the organizational level. It’s about asking people to expand their self-knowledge and curiosity. It requires leaders to flex different muscles that bring out everyone’s best ideas to create innovative, high-performance teams and culture. Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll drill down into bias, which is what often gets in the way of creating and leveraging an inclusive culture.

At SHAMBAUGH Leadership, we’re on a mission to develop high-performing and inclusive leaders who transform workplace cultures so everyone can thrive. As experts on building inclusive and high performance cultures, we partner with companies and executives to address the whole system of an organization, unlocking and leveraging the full potential of the entire company. Rebecca Shambaugh is an international speaker on how to disrupt traditional mindsets and create a roadmap for driving greater levels of innovation and performance through a unified voice for leadership. Rebecca is Founder of Women in Leadership and Learning, a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and blogger for the Huffington Post. She is author of the best-selling books It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor and Make Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership Model to Achieve Extraordinary Results. To learn more about SHAMBAUGH Leadership’s trainings and customized programs in leadership development that help create inclusive, high-performance cultures, contact Rebecca at info@shambaughleadership.com.

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