Inclusive Leadership: An Imperative for Success

At CSL, our leaders often talk about the importance of diversity and inclusion. We welcome a variety of perspectives to inform everything we are working to achieve.

Our inclusive culture begins with our leaders and works its way down through our entire organisation. We embrace collaboration. We listen to what people say. We understand that different perspectives are not just inevitable, but imperative.

Why? Well, an inclusive culture creates a happier, more productive and more collaborative workforce. This clearly benefits any business. Furthermore, a culture of diverse thinking also promotes greater innovation – and innovation is what helps an organisation succeed.

What it means to have an inclusive culture (and why it matters)

An inclusive team environment is one where people are curious and open to new perspectives. As a leader, you need to have the time, energy and commitment to really delve into that curiosity, listen to what everyone has to say, be patient and appreciate that everyone thinks differently.

When people are genuinely interested in other points of view, it fosters a collaborative approach and more diverse thinking. Simply put, leaders who prioritise inclusivity create more engaged teams. Their people are more inclined to feel valued, and in turn, be more committed to the company’s goals, driving better outcomes.

Of course, a leader’s role is always to ‘lead’. But with an inclusive culture, a leader can shift more to a facilitation model to encourage those great minds within a team. The positive results will naturally follow.

Leading with an inclusive mindset

Inclusive leaders devote themselves to understanding people’s differing points of view. By investing the time and energy and taking innovative approaches to developing their team, inclusive behaviours may end up being subconscious. Eventually, inclusivity becomes inherent to the way a business operates.

At CSL, we’re fortunate to have an environment in which people are expected to be supportive of and open to all perspectives. Something we are improving in all the time is removing traditional bureaucracy around decision-making to allow that curiosity to come through and encourage diversity of thought at all levels of the business.

And this attitude starts at the top. When you talk to our leaders, they’re genuinely interested and curious themselves. That’s one of the main drivers of our inclusive culture. Leaders who are self-aware embrace the values of inclusivity in their own approach by welcoming different perspectives and actively seeking collaboration.

Inclusive leadership is often about what you do rather than what you say. By creating an environment in which different cultures and perspectives are welcomed and valued, inclusivity will follow – and happy, productive, innovative teams will be the reward.

I’d love to hear from you about what inclusion looks like at your workplace – how does your company ensure people’s different perspectives are valued?