Diversity and Inclusion Part 2: Creating a Culture of Inclusion and Learning

“Leaders are stewards of an organization’s culture; their behaviors and mindsets reverberate throughout the organization. Hence to dismantle systems of discrimination and subordination, leaders must undergo the same shifts of heart, mind, and behavior that they want for the organization as a whole and then translate those personal shifts into real, lasting change in their companies.”

Robin J. Ely and David A. Thomas, Harvard Business Review

Inclusive Leadership - How should leaders show up?

Leaders have a crucial role to play because of their ability to influence systemic change in an organization’s D&I journey. Whether organizations are just starting their journey, or their work is already underway, leaders must fully commit to the hard work of listening well, demonstrating empathy, self-reflection, and giving underrepresented people a voice by inviting them to share their lived experiences and realities.

Leaders, because of their ability to impact change, must hold employees accountable and be held accountable to D&I objectives. They must model positive behavior that supports the organization’s D&I efforts. They must be intentional, consistent, vulnerable, and prepared to get uncomfortable with their teams. When leaders do these things, this is where growth happens.  

What are the keys to successfully build a diverse and inclusive workplace?

1.  Trust. It all starts with trust. Trust is developed by respecting one another. Trust is the glue that builds strong teams. Employees need to feel safe to share openly, make mistakes, ask questions, and raise concerns without consequence. This is also the foundation for psychological safety. Organizations that cultivate psychological safety in the workplace build inclusive cultures.  

2. Transparency. Organizations need to share openly and continually communicate wins and setbacks on the organization’s D&I efforts. This will contribute to maintaining high levels of employee engagement throughout the journey.

3. Curiosity and Learning Mindset. Curiosity is about asking questions, exploring, and digging deeper to learn and grow. The landscape of D&I is all about being in this state of always wondering. Imagine going on an expedition to climb Mount Everest. There are a lot of unknowns, fears, and doubts; however, you will never reach the summit by sitting at base camp. Curiosity and learning go hand in hand. 

“Being curious provides the motivation to learn other skills; curiosity fuels learning.”

Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown, Garrick Jones, The Curious Advantage

4. Cultural Humility. As lifelong learners, organizations and leaders need to embrace cultural humility. By engaging in self-reflection to start to understand personal and systemic biases, and by developing and maintaining respectful processes and relationships, mutual trust can be built (www.fnha.ca). This helps break down barriers to understanding the experiences of others and welcomes deeper understanding of others’ cultures and experiences.    

Final Thoughts

As I continue to deepen my knowledge in D&I, I am drawn to the self-discovery and reflection that comes with this work and the opportunities to share my lived experiences and discover my own blind spots. As research professor and author Brené Brown stated in her podcast with Emmanuel Acho (author of "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man"), this work is about “learning, un-learning, and re-learning".

Nobody is perfect in this space.  I believe the secret sauce to developing a healthy D&I culture involves consistency, community, continuous learning, openness, and dialogue. Remember to show up and be vulnerable, even if you do not have all the answers.  

Driven by connection,

Rita Filice

______________________________

Rita Filice, BCOMM, CPHR

Partner, BreakPoint Solutions

ritaf@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2544

Rita thrives on connecting people, leveraging human resources and delivering performance.  She is a collaborative and accomplished HR leader who values authentic connection, meaningful conversation, and her positive energy and outlook make anything possible.