Strategies for Fostering Authenticity and Inclusion

In the wake of the recent executive orders targeting DEIA initiatives within federal organizations and beyond, it’s clear that the current administration is setting the stage for broader attacks on inclusion efforts. From the establishment of a “hotline” for reporting DEI language to the appointment of DEI critics to key leadership roles, these actions are not just a government matter—they are a signal of what’s to come for private businesses. As I’ve said before, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. However, instead of retreating, we must act now. The playbook being deployed isn’t new, and it’s more important than ever to double down on creating cultures of belonging and environments where all voices are valued and heard. Here are six actionable steps leaders can take to safeguard and strengthen their commitment to building inclusive workplaces: 1. Embed DEI Into Core Business Strategy Treat DEI as integral to your business strategy, not a separate initiative. Align DEI initiatives with organizational objectives, and tie them to measurable outcomes like employee retention, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Pro Tip - Ensure Merit, Excellence & Intelligence (MEI) is highlighted. 2. Invest in Psychological Safety Ensure your workplace fosters open communication where employees feel safe to express themselves without fear of retaliation. This foundation of trust enables innovation and builds stronger, more cohesive teams. 3. Be Transparent and Data-Driven Use metrics to assess the current state of your culture and workforce. Share findings transparently with employees and leadership. Pairing data with storytelling humanizes the numbers and helps make the business case for DEI. 4. Strengthen Leadership Equip leaders with the cultural competency and tools they need to champion inclusion authentically. Empower them to drive change at every level of the organization, making them visible advocates for a culture of belonging. 5. Collaborate Across Sectors Join forces with advocacy groups, industry leaders, and community organizations to share resources, amplify impact, and stand united in advancing inclusion. This collective approach can strengthen resilience against external pressures. 6. Listen, Learn, and Adapt Create regular opportunities to listen to employees and communities impacted by your decisions. Use their feedback to refine and adapt your DEI strategies to remain relevant and effective. While the current climate might be challenging, this is also an opportunity to reaffirm your commitment to creating workplaces where everyone feels valued and supported. Proactive leadership in the face of adversity not only protects your organization but also positions it for success as workforce and market demographics continue to evolve. Rise to meet the challenge, stay the course, and collaborate to create a workplace where belonging thrives. Together, we can ensure our workplaces are resilient and inclusive moving forward.

Your inclusion plan goes out the window the moment your leaders say "let’s pow-wow," or your Zoom meetings still open with "long time no see!" I wish I could tell you that real inclusion lives on a nicely designed deck. Wouldn't that be super easy? But, no, that's not how it works. Real inclusion, the one that makes your talent want to stay at your company, lives in the tiny choices you make every day. And the choices you don't make, too! Real, tangible, and meaningful inclusion lives in the way you schedule meetings, communicate, share feedback, build docs, and send invites (among many other things!) So, let me share 7 small but very intentional inclusion steps you can take to start making a difference: 🟣 Add cultural and religious holidays to your calendar so you don't schedule meetings when your team's supposed to be OOO (there are plugins for this!) 🟣 Ask your team how they want to receive feedback: in 1:1 meetings? In writing? In public? Everyone's different! 🟣 Turn on captions and transcripts for every video call so all your team members can access the information that was shared 🟣 Run an accessibility check on all your decks and docs (Canva and Office have these options!) 🟣 Add context to calendar invites to minimize anxiety 🟣 Remove phrases like "long time no see," "pow-wow," "shoot me an email" from your vocabulary 🟣 Stop assuming everyone had a "great" weekend or holiday. Breaks aren't joyful, fun, or even restful for everyone. No, these actions won't solve all your Inclusion issues, but they're definitely a good starting point! What would y'all add to this list?

If your team feels like they need to be someone else to succeed, you have a leadership problem.   The truth is that many workplaces reward adaptability over authenticity. But when people spend their careers constantly adjusting to fit the mold, they lose themselves and eventually burn out. If we want our teams to thrive, we must do better.   I didn’t always understand how to do this for myself, but I was a pro at doing it for others. Here’s how:   Prioritize Outcomes Over Conformity Not everyone works the same way, and they shouldn’t have to. Instead of expecting people to approach work exactly like you do, give them the space to succeed in their own way.   ☑️ Instead of focusing on how the work gets done, focus on what success looks like. Provide guidance, not a map.   Personal Connections Over Just Work People aren’t robots. Check in on your team beyond deadlines and deliverables. What energizes them? What drains them? If someone spends most of their time in “drain mode,” their best work (and their engagement) won’t last long. Balance matters. ☑️ Schedule non-work check-ins with your team. 10 minutes will make a difference.   Strengths Over Weaknesses The best teams aren't clones, they're a diverse experiences and skills. Instead of trying to "fix" weaknesses, double down on strengths. ☑️ Recognize what makes each person uniquely valuable and identify ask yourself whether you are bringing their strengths together or asking them to conform? If the latter, fix it by adjusting roles, or assignments to align with what they do best.   Lead Like a Human (My Non-Negotiable) Want authenticity from your team? Model it yourself. Share your leadership journey, the challenges you’ve faced, and the lessons you’ve learned. Leaders who admit they don’t have all the answers create space for others to do the same.   Authenticity is not a fun buzzword, it’s a leadership responsibility.   When people feel like they can show up as themselves, they bring their best work, their best ideas, and their best energy. When they don’t they burn out, right in front of you, if you even recognize it. 

Authentic Leadership: The Hardest (and Most Rewarding) Path You'll Ever Take. Leadership isn’t about the title on your business card. It’s about how you show up - especially when no one’s watching. Yet, only 21% of employees strongly agree their leaders are transparent and accountable (Gallup). And when leadership lacks authenticity, disengagement spreads like wildfire. But here’s the flip side: Companies with authentic leaders are 5x more likely to have highly engaged teams (Harvard Business Review). Authenticity boosts productivity by up to 30% and reduces turnover by 50%. Employees who trust their leaders are 40% more innovative (Deloitte). So, what does authentic leadership look like in practice?  1. Lead with Integrity — Even When It’s Inconvenient Take Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. When he took over in 2014, Microsoft was stuck in a culture of internal competition. Nadella shifted the focus to collaboration, starting with himself. His leadership style? “Empathy is everything.” The result? Microsoft’s market value skyrocketed from $300B to $3T in under a decade. Ask Yourself: Do my actions match my words, even when it’s tough? How do I respond when no one’s watching?  2. Embrace Vulnerability - It Builds Unstoppable Trust When Ed Catmull, co-founder of @Pixar, faced production crises, he didn’t hide failures. He empowered teams to voice concerns, embrace mistakes, and build solutions together. His philosophy? “It’s not the mistakes that matter; it’s how you handle them.” Practice “Failure Forums” — where leaders openly share missteps and lessons learned. Vulnerability sparks resilience.  3. Cultivate Empathy — It’s Your Leadership Superpower Arne Sorenson, the late CEO of Marriott, exemplified empathy-driven leadership. During the COVID-19 crisis, he gave an emotional address to employees, openly sharing the company's challenges. His transparency and empathy earned trust — and Marriott emerged stronger. Ask Yourself: When was the last time I listened without interrupting? How well do I understand the struggles of my team? 4. Stay Accountable - Because Ownership Is Everything Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, didn’t just hold others accountable - she modeled it. Her commitment to performance with purpose led to a 64% revenue increase during her tenure. Implement a “Feedback Forward” approach - ask your team monthly: What’s one thing I could improve as your leader? Where can I support you more effectively? Authentic leadership isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a daily practice. Admitting you’re wrong is tough when the world expects certainty. - Having hard conversations takes courage. - Seeking feedback can bruise the ego. Where are you on your authentic leadership journey? Let’s exchange insights. Love this nfographic by Justin Wright #AuthenticLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #ExecutiveLeadership #Empathy #Accountability #LeadershipMindset

Did you know that an estimated 15-20% of the world’s population exhibits some form of neurodivergence? Nevertheless, many neurodivergent individuals feel compelled to mask their authentic thinking, learning, and interaction styles in order to fit into certain workplace cultures. This ongoing struggle to conform instead of being embraced for their true selves can result in fatigue and even burnout. As we kick off Neurodiversity Celebration Week, it’s critical to recognize the hidden struggles behind masking and how organizations can foster true inclusion. When workplaces fail to acknowledge and accommodate neurodiversity, they lose out on incredible talent. Neuroinclusive environments create more flexibility, psychological safety, and engagement for everyone. What Can Organizations Do? 👉🏾 Challenge biases about what professionalism "should" look like. 👉🏾 Create flexible environments that respect different work styles and communication needs. 👉🏾 Normalize accommodations as a standard part of workplace culture, not an exception. 👉🏾 Encourage authenticity. Neurodivergent individuals shouldn’t have to choose between success and authenticity. This week, let’s commit to fostering a world where every mind is truly appreciated! #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #Neuroinclusion #InclusionAtWork #BelongingAtWork #DiversityOfThought #WorkplaceCulture *𝘈𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤. 

To redefine DEI as “inclusive leadership from every employee, then scale,” consider these 12 strategies: 1. Shift DEI from an HR program to a leadership approach that activates company values through every employee. 2. Shift from perceived intrusions on personal values to showing how inclusive leadership boosts careers and honors individual beliefs. 3. Expand DEI from identity-specific disadvantage to helping every employee navigate their own mix of advantage and disadvantage. 4. Replace perceived unfair preferences in hiring and promotion with data-driven, transparent equity and equality practices. 5. Move from cultural awareness alone to building skills that foster trust and accountability across differences. 6. Reframe DEI from a cost center to a business strategy that delivers Engagement, Opportunity, and Brand value. 7. Equip not just managers, but every employee to lead inclusively—in teams, projects, business, and customer interactions. 8. Modernize DEI from static curriculum to AI-driven learning and knowledge-sharing across colleagues. 9. Move from inconsistent responses to social issues to a unified inclusion narrative grounded in company values and operations. 10. Shift from mandated training to voluntary participation that prepares people to choose inclusive leadership. 11. Evolve Employee Resource Groups to include allies and align them with strategies that build shared leadership. 12. Strengthen DEI from conflict-avoidance to proactive conflict resolution through robust skills, processes, and storytelling. When DEI is redefined this way, we: - Address real DEI challenges with clear responses - Learn with employees as they grow into inclusive leaders - Acknowledge and improve upon past DEI missteps - Build on 40 years of DEI momentum with renewed purpose Disruptive times like these manufacture doors. Inclusive leaders get to open them. Robert Baker, Subha Barry, Dr. Rebecca Baumgartner, ACC, CDE, Josh Bersin, Jennifer Brown, Tracy Burns (she/her), Lara Caimi, Gena Cox, PhD, Tami Erwin, Nick Fennell, Effenus Henderson, Natalie H., Philip Jacobs, PMP, Elise James-DeCruise, Brad Johnson PhD, Asim Khan, Aswin Krishnan, April Lough, Mitch Shepard, Mita Mallick, Keiyania Mann, Elizabeth Nieto, Charles Reader, Cory Schneider, LMFT, SPHR, CDE 🏳️🌈, Nsombi B. Ricketts, Leah Smiley, CDE®, IDC-GGE™, Sheri Crosby Wheeler, Rachel Ann Williams

Many employees — especially those from marginalized groups — hesitate to bring their true selves to work, fearing backlash or rejection. Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management’s Cynthia Wang and her coauthors uncovered two powerful ways to foster authenticity and create a more inclusive, engaged workplace: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. When employees feel safe to express their true selves, they experience greater well-being, stronger relationships, and deeper commitment to the organization. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞-𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. Encouraging employees to see the world from their colleagues' viewpoints fosters empathy and helps reduce social uncertainty — making it easier for everyone to show up authentically. Creating an authenticity-driven culture isn’t just good for employees — it’s essential for building resilient, connected teams. Read more in this Kellogg Insight article: https://lnkd.in/g2YXye5B #leadership #authenticity #culture #career