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Inclusive Leaders Inspire Trust and Innovation - Lead Inclusively

Inclusive Leaders Inspire Trust and Innovation

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Trust is one of the most important elements of anyone’s personal or professional life. In many ways, without trust, it is almost impossible to achieve anything. Be it a strong relationship with a significant other, or a larger corporate merger or bi-partisan compromise in key legislation, or the management of your everyday team; trust issues can be a huge negative factor in undermining the success of individuals, organizations, and even entire countries. Inclusive leaders are key to inspiring trust and innovation.

From a global ‘business trust crisis‘ to a ‘fake news epidemic‘ to the workplace gender disconnect (e.g. #metoo), there are seemingly trust issues all around us. But some companies are doing it right. Companies with a strong culture of trust produce more innovative, engaged and happier employees (to learn more, see our recent webinar about ‘unlocking happier workplaces’).

So what are some areas that companies and their leaders can focus on to create a strong culture of trust? And how do these areas affect a company and societal success? Let’s discuss:

Inclusive Leaders are Transparent

We sat down with Joel Peterson, JetBlue Chairman, and global thought-leader, to discuss the impact of transparency in building an organizational culture of trust. Transparency is one of the key mechanisms that can effectively bridge the gap between a company’s leadership and its workforce. This becomes increasingly important with a younger generation entering the workforce with a more wary perspective of systems and institutions than their predecessors (i.e. the University system and housing market).

Transparent companies are more successful at inspiring their workforce to invest in a common mission. companies with transparency are not afraid to provide insights into decision making, which builds trust in leadership and company process. Companies that are not transparent send the message that their workforce is not worthy of receiving key insights, creating internal skepticism of leadership that destroys company morale.

Inclusive Leaders are Accountable

Everyone makes mistakes. From the social media intern to the C-suite, individuals make mistakes that negatively impact a company to varying degrees. When leaders show accountability for their own mistakes, they show their teams that they are self-aware, which establishes credibility. A lack of accountability also hinders the free exchange of authentic feedback which in turn stifles individual and team growth. Accountability is a key tool that can turn a mistake into an opportunity to build a stronger team culture. Leaders who are accountable themselves then inspire their teams to be accountable as well, which creates dynamics of trust rather than fear or resentment.

Inclusion is Key to a Culture of Trust

Diversity and Inclusion ROI

In a nutshell, inclusive leaders are effective at connecting with the individuals on their teams. This allows leaders to set up their people for success. Inclusive organizations are trusting because they embrace and are invested in everyone’s individual success. This creates a dynamic of mutual respect that allows organizations to be transparent and accountable with their workforce. In turn, the workforce of an inclusive organization feels a sense of connection and belonging to an organization and its goals.

When all is said and done, a culture of inclusion creates open lines of communication between organizational leadership and the larger workforce. When a culture of inclusion and trust is achieved, individuals, teams, and companies are empowered to innovate.

What do you think?

What do you think about the correlation between inclusion and trust? Do you believe that this correlation can directly impact innovation and business performance? I would love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join our newsletter if you care to keep up with future conversations like this one.

Unlocking Happier Workplaces - webinar recording
Workplace Diversity Advocates

Advocating for Workplace Diversity as the Office ‘White Guy’

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Efforts in advancing workplace diversity and equity have made encouraging strides in recent years. However, despite these trends, most Diversity and Inclusion practitioners readily admit that internal policy and compliance initiatives will only advance workplace diversity so far.  

A larger transformation of workplace culture is necessary to advance and sustain workplace diversity while also increasing innovation. To achieve this transformation, we will need help from members of non-divers workplace demographics groups. In many cases (but not all), these are affectionately known as the ‘White Guys’ 

As we work to embed and sustain inclusive workplace culture, the ‘white guy’ will continue to be a vital catalyst for workplace diversity by transforming the current leadership culture that exists consciously or subconsciously in many workplaces today. Here’s how:  

Fighting the myth that workplace diversity is tokenism 

In a conversation I had with Intuit Chief Architect Alex Balazs, we discussed the misperception that workplace diversity is tokenism and how that continues to be one of the biggest hurdles that workplace diversity advocates need to address.  

Unfortunately, too many key stakeholders and decision-makers still view diversity initiatives as compliance and quota-driven initiatives that don’t bear a business ROI. This dynamic continues to not only act as a barrier to advancing diverse professionals up the corporate ladder but also to unfairly limit the success and credibility of diverse professionals who are fortunate enough to advance past a certain level.  

Diversity advocates need to increasingly ramp up their efforts to combat this narrative and getting non-diverse leadership figures increasingly joining these efforts will be vital to their success. The sooner we can tackle this obstacle with the help of our non-diverse leaders, the sooner we can build equitable workplaces that effectively connect the right talent with the right professional opportunity, regardless of gender and race. 

Understanding that sponsorship is vital to workplace diversity 

Research continues to highlight the importance of sponsorship as it relates to career advancement and shows that diverse professionals continue to not receive the same level of professional sponsorship as others. We need our majority group leaders to become more inclusive if we are to achieve equal sponsorship in our workplaces. Without equal sponsorship, companies will continue to miss the mark in placing the right talent with the right job opportunity. The result of failing to do so is squandered innovation and, eventually, mass attrition.  

Empowering diverse professionals with sponsors is not a compliance issue, it is a business imperative. All leaders, but especially those who are members of a majority demographic group, need to take it upon themselves to build relationships with ALL the members on their teams to best understand their talents and connect them with the right opportunities.  

Being the ‘White Guy’ advocate 

As a member of a majority group, the first step to being a positive advocate for your diverse colleagues is to take a step back and listen. Majority-group individuals can best empower their diverse colleagues by augmenting their voices. Many well-intentioned allies start off passionately advocating for workplace diversity, but in doing so may unintentionally take the focus and voice away from their diverse colleagues. By nature, non-diverse leaders are inherently less qualified to speak on workplace diversity. However, they are often far more equipped to empower it by elevating the voice of those who might not have as significant a platform. Sometimes the best way to help is to do less and listen more! 

Putting It All Together 

At the end of it all, our role as change agents in the workplace is to create a culture that gives everyone an equal voice, so diverse professionals are empowered to take their careers into their own hands in ways that traditionally have not existed for them. Members of majority demographics continue to hold the preponderance of stakeholder and decision-making positions in most workplaces. Without their sponsorship of workplace diversity, our internal workplace cultures will continue to limit diverse professionals and squander innovation indefinitely.  

happy-workplace-chester-elton-denise-hummel

What’s Next?

There are a few things we can all do to be better advocates of workplace diversity. We can start by understanding the business benefits of Diversity and Inclusion as a tool for advocacy. Secondly, we can engage in healthy conversations around the topic in our workplaces and beyond. And lastly, we can all focus on how we can best create and nurture professional relationships between diverse and non-diverse professionals that enable collective success. What will you do to bolster diversity and inclusion in your workplace? Sound off below in the comment section and let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.  

About Lead Inclusively

Lead Inclusively is a technology-enabled Diversity and Inclusion Consulting firm devoted to developing leaders, teams, and organizations to leverage Diversity and Inclusion as an accelerator for business performance. Our collective experience has been that diversity only assures that we have a mix of different people in the workplace. Diverse people in a non-inclusive workplace may be retained for some period of time, but without inclusion, they will not thrive, advance, or become strong team collaborators. Our Unique Diversity and Inclusion solutions ensure impactful and sustained transformation in your Leadership Development, Culture,  Team, and Performance.

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Inclusion Virtual Coach App

Lead Inclusively to Join the Ranks of Microsoft for Startups

By | Company News, Diverity & Inclusion, High Tech | No Comments

San Diego diversity and inclusion startup, app developer, and consulting firm Lead Inclusively Inc. has joined the ranks of Microsoft for Startups. Microsoft’s global startup program is designed to help startups quickly build and market their solutions. Lead Inclusively, Inc. founded by CEO Denise Hummel is one of a handful of women-owned startups to be accepted, out of thousands of applicants. The program provides world-class resources to top-ranked ventures.

Based on Hummel’s decades of diversity and inclusion enterprise consulting, Lead Inclusively developed and launched its new Inclusion Virtual Coach® app which leverages machine learning, principles of neuroscience, AI and real-time nudge messaging to deliver next-gen, just in time, leadership training that enables real behavior change in the workplace.

“The Inclusion Virtual Coach desktop and mobile app is designed to produce new behaviors aligned with best practices from candidate screening and job interviewing to performance management and meetings,” said Hummel. “It’s such an honor to have our technology and expertise in enterprise diversity and inclusion validated in this manner.”

On accepting Lead Inclusively into Microsoft for Startups, Managing Director, Shaloo Garg had this to offer:

“At Microsoft for Startups, we’re focused on fostering diversity within startup ecosystems around the world. Startups like Lead Inclusively represent a step toward greater diversity and representation, and we’re excited to contribute support.”

The groundbreaking Inclusion Virtual Coach® app is an extension to Lead Inclusively’s already robust array of traditional diversity and inclusion consulting services. Through Microsoft for Startups, the company can access support from one of the world’s leaders in AI development to continue to enhance the app’s functionality as it learns how best to support and coach each user.

Inclusion Virtual Coach App TrainingLeadership Training Nudge Messaging

“I am so excited by the work Lead Inclusively is doing in the San Diego business community and throughout the nation. It is no surprise to me that the tech sector has caught on to their success and potential,” said Alex Balazs, Chief Architect at Intuit and a member of the Lead Inclusively Advisory Board.

Lead Inclusively’s Virtual Coach app seeks to fill a market need of $520 billion in losses resulting from employee disengagement and regrettable attrition.

Founder, Denise Hummel began her career as an employment discrimination attorney before becoming a diversity and inclusion consultant to some of the largest organizations in the world. She developed a successful methodology for teaching inclusion in the workplace but saw that while leaders found the material interesting, they struggled to make sustainable behavior changes. Hummel and her team researched the neuroscience of behavior change and leveraged technology through the Inclusion Virtual Coach app to seamlessly and permanently help leaders to embed inclusion in their teams.

For formal press inquiries regarding the Lead Inclusively or the Inclusion Virtual Coach App. Go to the formal press release or reach out directly to info@leadincluively.com.

 

Lead Inclusively Inc logo

About Lead Inclusively Inc.

Lead Inclusively is the world leader in diversity and inclusion, offering consulting services as well as scalable technology to support and sustain enterprise clients that are transforming to an inclusive culture. The Inclusion Virtual Coach® App utilizes nudge messaging and AI to deliver state of the art microlearning, in real-time, focused on the leader’s leadership behavior, to foster inclusion, better teams, and improved performance. Learn more at https://www.leadinclusively.com.

To learn more about Lead Inclusively, the Virtual Coach® App and its new partnership with Microsoft for Startups, please call Matt at 760-696-0179 or email at info@leadinclusively.com

About Microsoft for Startups

Microsoft for Startups takes a unique approach to connect qualified startups with new customers and channel partners. Microsoft has over 40,000 sales representatives and hundreds of thousands of partners whose goal is to drive the adoption of Microsoft cloud solutions into companies of all sizes and industries worldwide.

How Men and Women can Impact Gender Parity in the Workplace

By | Diverity & Inclusion, Gender Inclusion, Gender Parity, Human Resources, Inclusive Leadership | No Comments

As many of you may know, Mckinsey recently released its 2019 “Women in the Workplace” report. In what is widely considered the primary barometer for the state of gender equity in the workforce, the report highlights a continuation of many trends. Of them, the most notable is the continued stagnation of women in leadership positions starting at the manager level which in turn impacts workplace gender parity as a whole.

Despite making up almost 60% of bachelor’s degrees, and 50% of entry-level hires, women continue to be left behind when they reach the Manager level and beyond. While the presence of women in senior leadership has risen, the continued lack of progress in this area continues to be the single most important factor that continues to hinder workplace gender parity.

McKinsey Women in the Workplace

All this despite increased awareness, effort and even public outcry (e.g. the #Metoo movement) all calling for more progress. What needs to change is workplace culture. By building a culture of trust and collaboration we can slowly enable Men AND Women alike to build more equitable workplaces and slowly eradicate gender inequality. Here’s how:

Career Planning for Longterm Success – How it Affects Gender Parity

In a recent conversation with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, discussed the fact that women are more likely to sacrifice their careers for their jobs. In other words, women can be more focused on the day-to-day responsibilities of their jobs while losing focus on what might benefit their long term careers. Women can also be more concerned with the negative impacts of their own career advancement on their current teams.

What women can do:

Women can start by not being apologetic for thinking about their long-term careers and what might benefit them as individuals. It is always okay to do a good job day-to-day with an end-goal of something bigger or unrelated to one’s current job! This change in mentality has also helped many professionals avoid the ‘indispensable in current role’ syndrome that plagues many.

What men can do: 

Understand and acknowledge that many women have the same career ambitions as many men. They simply go about their day-to-day business slightly differently. This knowledge can help companies re-evaluate the way individuals are considered for promotion.

Building and Leveraging Mentorship Relationships

47% of HR Leaders say that the biggest obstacle to advancing women is the fact that women are less likely to receive the necessary sponsorship. And the facts corroborate this. Women are statistically far less likely to receive a job recommendation or be put on a stretch assignment. These are both major factors that contribute to promotions and are influenced by the presence (or lack thereof) of an advocate in their professional life.

What women can do:

Women are often far less likely to advocate for and promote themselves than men. The average female professional will rate her own job performance significantly lower than the average male professional, despite both performing at the same level. Women should practice being more self-promotional and advocating for their work. It may feel awkward at first, but it is an effective and even necessary skill to cultivate.

What men can do:

Because women are often less self-promotional, less likely to ask, and less likely to receive the same mentorship and opportunities, take it upon yourself to offer sponsorship to female colleagues, and offer assistance in these areas. On the flip-side, also be careful not to succumb to the unconscious bias that perceives women who own their achievements as arrogant or not team players.

The role of collaboration, respect, and Inclusion in Achieving Gender Parity

Gender parity can only be achieved and sustained if it is built on the collective success of everyone. When inclusive gender parity is reached, workplaces thrive. Inclusion is the first step to bridging the gaps between men and women in the workplace. Both men and women can contribute to inclusion to catalyze the necessary trust, respect, and collaboration that will drive EVERYONE’s collective success.

Happy Workplaces - Lead Inclusively

What do you think?

How can men and women advance gender parity in a way that is fair and equitable? How can inclusion be the catalyst for fostering workplaces that promote belonging and how does that factor into gender parity? Dive deeper into the topic during this webinar or join the discussion during an upcoming virtual-live Q&A.

About Lead Inclusively

Lead Inclusively is a technology-enabled Diversity and Inclusion Consulting firm devoted to developing leaders, teams, and organizations to leverage Diversity and Inclusion as an accelerator for business performance. Our collective experience has been that diversity only assures that we have a mix of different people in the workplace. Diverse people in a non-inclusive workplace may be retained for some period of time, but without inclusion, they will not thrive, advance, or become strong team collaborators. Our Unique Diversity and Inclusion solutions ensure impactful and sustained transformation in your Leadership Development, Culture,  Team, and Performance.

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New Hires - Lead Inclusively

New Hires Thrive When they Feel They Belong

By | Diverity & Inclusion, Gender Inclusion, Gender Parity, Human Resources, Inclusive Innovation, organizational culture | No Comments

Long gone are the days of new hires working their way up from the mailroom to the c-suite. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median tenure of young workers is only about 3 years. In a world that is faster and more competitive than ever, new hires and companies alike need to minimize their speed to productivity if they are to succeed.

Between the fact 46% of new hires fail within the first 18 months (i.e. were terminated, left under pressure, received disciplinary action or significantly negative performance reviews), and that turnover costs companies billions in lost time and productivity (beyond the hiring and training costs) companies need to perfect their ability to empower new hires to thrive. According to Glassdoor, meaningful onboarding that connects new hires to a larger company culture can increase retention by 82%. In other words, it is vital to empower a new hire early and often if they are to succeed.

In recent articles, I have discussed how inclusive workplace cultures encourage happier and more empowered employees, which in turn allows companies to thrive. Inclusion also has resounding effects on the success (or lack thereof) of new hires, which ultimately impacts the larger organization. Here’s how:

New hires need a sense of psychological safety

According to experts in psychology and organizational culture, starting a new job is one of the most vulnerable experiences individuals go through; however, feeling a sense of belonging is arguably as important as feeling loved. Navigating these two components is vital for any new hire, and the root of overcoming these challenges results from a sense of psychological safety.

When new hires feel safe, they are empowered to overcome their vulnerabilities and engage by asking questions, taking initiative, and even making mistakes. If a new hire is engaging on these levels, they are already on the fast-track to long-term success at their new company.

New hires want to feel like they are part of company plans

All employees stand to benefit by feeling like they are part of something bigger than themselves. But employees also need to benefit from feeling that their company is also invested in them.

Connecting new hires with key stakeholders helps continually bridge the natural gaps that exist between organizational leadership and the larger workforce. Engaging new hires in this manner helps build and sustain a culture of transparent communication and overall trust.

What does this mean for companies and their culture? 

When new hires feel connected to their company’s goals and trust that their leadership is invested in them, they will feel safe to engage in their workplace, connect with key stakeholders, leverage professional development opportunities and actively contribute to their company’s long-term success.

This combination of purpose, recognition, and gratitude creates an all-in culture that engages and empowers EVERY employee in a company. But without elements of inclusion that impact an employee from day one, companies will inevitably fall short of harnessing the full potential of their new hires and overall culture.

What do you think?  

How does inclusion impact the success or failure of new hires? What is the evolving role or inclusion in culture and company success in the workplace? You can download the white paper to dive deeper into the topic or join the discussion during an upcoming virtual-live Q&A. 

Diversity and Inclusion Q&A

About Lead Inclusively

Lead Inclusively is a technology-enabled Diversity and Inclusion Consulting firm devoted to developing leaders, teams, and organizations to leverage Diversity and Inclusion as an accelerator for business performance. Our collective experience has been that diversity only assures that we have a mix of different people in the workplace. Diverse people in a non-inclusive workplace may be retained for some period of time, but without inclusion, they will not thrive, advance, or become strong team collaborators. Our Unique Diversity and Inclusion solutions ensure impactful and sustained transformation in your Leadership Development, Culture,  Team, and Performance.

workplaces happiness begins with inclusion - Lead Inclusively

Employees’​ Happiness Begins With an Inclusive Workplace Culture

By | Diverity & Inclusion, Gender Inclusion, Gender Parity, Generation inclusion, High Tech, Inclusive Leadership, organizational culture | No Comments

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who would disagree with the idea that happy teams are better teams. Happy teams comprised of happy, engaged employees are statistically more productive and focused. It is estimated that companies with a highly engaged workforce make upwards of 147% more earnings per share than unengaged workforces. Happy teams are also objectively healthier. According to WebMD, upwards of 90% of doctors’ visits can be attributed to some form of negative stress in a patient’s life. It is also estimated that upwards of $576B are lost every year by US employers to workforce illness. All of this even though, on average, companies spend around $750 per employee on employee wellness initiatives. For these reasons and more it is fair to say that workplace engagement and happiness begins with an inclusive workplace culture.

Inclusive leadership creates a culture that fosters innovation and drives performance. Having happy employees is the root of innovation and performance. Workplace happiness begins and ends with a culture that is inclusive of its team members. Here’s how:

Happiness begins with feeling understood

Psychology Today suggests that feeling understood is arguably more important to happiness than feeling loved. Inclusive cultures foster the psychological safety necessary for all members to feel comfortable being themselves in the workplace. Inclusion also fosters a culture that places value on individuals for being themselves.

Happiness begins with belonging

Feeling understood gives people a sense of belonging. Knowing that a team respects and appreciates what makes each person different as individuals helps engage all team members. This becomes increasingly important for women, minorities and LGBTQ+ members of a team, who are typically not as well-represented on teams, especially at senior levels.

Happiness begins with being part of something bigger than yourself

When individuals feel like they are understood, they achieve a sense of belonging and connection to the larger team. When ALL team members feel a sense of belonging, they are ready to work together to achieve a collective vision and contribute to larger company goals.

Happy employees are empowered employees

Once ALL employees feel like they are understood, they can achieve a sense of belonging. This helps them feel like they are part of a team with a sense of community that is purposeful. Individuals who feel part of a team that is bought-in to each other and a collective goal, are truly empowered to innovate. Companies that can foster a culture of inclusion can fully expect to reap the benefits of a happy, engaged and empowered workforce.

What can we do?

We believe that leaders are the catalysts to transforming and sustaining inclusion in team culture. But how do we train leaders to be inclusive in the moments that matter most? How do we change the way we coach leaders to be more effective and consistent in their ability to be inclusive? Here are 5 areas of leaders’ daily lives that we can focus our training on to directly impact inclusiveness on teams.

What do you think?

Is there a correlation between inclusion in the workplace, and happiness? Is it fair to argue that when happiness fosters innovation? How can companies transform their culture to help their employees be happier while also boosting the bottom line?

Join a more in-depth discussion to share your insights and receive crowd-sourced solutions from fellow professionals in the space in an open Q&A session.

Diversity and Inclusion Solutions Event

About Lead Inclusively

Lead Inclusively is a technology-enabled Diversity and Inclusion Consulting firm devoted to developing leaders, teams, and organizations to leverage Diversity and Inclusion as an accelerator for business performance. Our collective experience has been that diversity only assures that we have a mix of different people in the workplace. Diverse people in a non-inclusive workplace may be retained for some period of time, but without inclusion, they will not thrive, advance, or become strong team collaborators. Our Unique Diversity and Inclusion solutions ensure impactful and sustained transformation in your Leadership Development, Culture,  Team, and Performance.

 

Navigating our Busy Workdays to Effectively Embed Inclusive Leadership

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In a recent webinar (you can access the recording here), we discussed the 5 key areas to embed inclusive leadership within a company culture. The dictionary defines the word embed as “to enclose closely in or as if in a matrix” or, “to make something an integral part of”. No word better describes the relationship between inclusion and leadership behavior as a driver of culture change. Inclusion that is not embedded will not sustain and, in turn, will fail to impact companies’ ability to attract talent and innovate at the highest level. Being able to “embed” anything is no small task, and doing so while navigating the complexities of team culture, and individuals’ daily lives make it that much more daunting of a proposition.

With that said, research and technology have allowed us to pinpoint the key areas we can embed behavior and culture change that will change workplaces in a way that even the most inspirational one-off training can’t. Here are the key areas that present the greatest opportunity to embed an inclusive culture within teams on a daily basis.

The 5 key areas to Embed Inclusive Leadership

 

Inclusion Virtual Coach App - Lead Inclusively

Meetings

Meetings are one of the best opportunities for a leader to embed inclusion on their teams. Events like these allow leaders the opportunity to lead by example which permeates culture change throughout teams and companies. They are also great ways to enlist input from team members and facilitate idea-sharing that catalyzes innovation.

Hiring

Hiring is the critical area where leaders can build and embed an inclusive culture from the ground up. But most leaders (by no fault of their own) do not know that inclusion is vital to mitigating unconscious biases that impact their ability to objectively and effectively hire the right people for the right position. Failing to do so, sets new hires up for failure and leaves teams vulnerable to attrition.

Performance Management

Leaders must be able to analyze performance with an awareness of their personal biases and the cognitive diversity of their team members. Being able to evaluate and manage performance inclusively is a vital skill that sets team members up for success and establishes trust which benefits the overall team.

Team Development

Stretch assignments, mentoring, succession planning. All of these (and more) are great opportunities for leaders to grow their team members’ skills, advance their careers, and build better relationships. But does a leader know how to objectively and effectively delegate tasks? Do they know how to facilitate and grow valuable mentoring relationships? How do they go about choosing and preparing the right candidate for their succession plan? Do they know how to build team chemistry in a way that is inclusive and truly fosters ideation?

Strategy and Planning

A leaders’ ability to use inclusion to craft the right strategy sets the table for how they manage and evaluate their teams going forward. Leaders need to be trained in the art of crafting a strategy that addresses the nuances of team culture as it relates to overall success. They also stand to benefit by better synthesizing the “big picture” to mitigate biases and involve their team in strategic planning. This sets the table for a team that is focused and bought-in to a collective vision of success.

But how we harness these areas to sustain impactful culture change?

To be able to harness these areas to the benefit of their team culture and productivity, leaders will be challenged to apply the right focuses and behaviors at the right time during their daily workdays. But how can we expect leaders to remember these behaviors and instinctually recognize moments to apply them during their busy personal and professional lives? Technology has not only allowed us to recognize these five focus areas, but it allows us to deliver the necessary training to leaders at the exact times they will need it most.

So where is your current training successful (or not) in equipping leaders to harness these 5 areas to embed inclusive leadership and foster a culture that is more inclusive and productive? Join any of these virtual-live Q&As for a more in-depth discussion.

Diversity and Inclusion Coaching

About Lead Inclusively

Lead Inclusively is a technology-enabled Diversity and Inclusion Consulting firm devoted to developing leaders, teams, and organizations to leverage Diversity and Inclusion as an accelerator for business performance. Our collective experience has been that diversity only assures that we have a mix of different people in the workplace. Diverse people in a non-inclusive workplace may be retained for some period of time, but without inclusion, they will not thrive, advance, or become strong team collaborators. Our Unique Diversity and Inclusion solutions ensure impactful and sustained transformation in your Leadership Development, Culture,  Team, and Performance.

 

 

Instagram Resume Bias

Do ‘Instagram-Ready’ Resumes Incite Resume Bias? I’m Conflicted

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You may be following the trend of ‘Instagram-Ready’ resumes being a “thing.” I wasn’t even aware of it until it was brought to my attention by my staff.  I recently found myself fascinated by the emergence of ‘Instagram-Ready’ resumes and the intriguing debate around whether this emerging trend is inherently inciting resume bias. To be completely honest, both sides of the debate bring up extremely valid points that directly tie into the Diversity and Inclusion space. So, do ‘Instagram-ready’ resumes incite bias? To be frank, I am conflicted. Let me dive into why.  

 Why this is happening 

With Gen-Z and young Millennials increasingly entering the workplace, we are seeing an increase in emphasis on “attention-grabbing” and “differentiation” as primary tactics being used by young professionals to stand out in a competitive job market. This is most-commonly manifesting in candidates leveraging their tech-savvy design skills to boost the potential appeal of their resumes. But does this take out the objectivity of a hiring process? 

 Why I support it (empowering young professionals) 

Firstly, with two sons who are Millennial/Gen-Z, I feel a certain connection to this issue. Naturally, I want my sons to be set up to compete in their respective job-markets so this topic (regardless of your stance) has a direct impact on them and the millions of young professionals like them.  

As it relates to my work in Diversity and Inclusion as a mechanism to empower individuals, and subsequently, teams, I argue this issue also has direct implications. My team always talks about how important it is that we should celebrate individuality and empower people to embrace the best version of themselves. If companies aren’t doing that, they aren’t being ‘inclusive’ of these professional’s individual genius. We also encourage rewarding and recognizing effort and achievement in the workplace. While resumes don’t directly fall under this scope, shouldn’t we reward a well-crafted resume? 

 Why I am against it (potential resume bias) 

To be frank, these kinds of resumes do objectively open the door to potential hiring bias. If the job application involves someone versed in some aspect of biotech, for example, whether they have mastered the art of presenting a visually appealing resume is highly irrelevant to the essential qualifications of that biotech job and could keep qualified candidates out.   I always teach that companies need to be objective in their hiring and that they must work proactively to eliminate any room for bias in every aspect of their culture and processes. When some ask, “why does a headshot matter?”, for example, it’s hard for me to ignore their objections. It clearly does matter because it brings focus to appearance, age, race, and gender, which, at a minimum, is a distraction from the actual “facts” of the person’s competence as set forth in their (hopefully accurate) resume. 

 

Diversity and Inclusion Coaching

 

All-in-all I feel that as we continue to work to create more inclusive workplaces and a more inclusive world, the impacts of bias will continue to dissipate. It’s hard for me to discourage young professionals from embracing their individuality and going above and beyond in any aspect of their professional lives. Maybe our world needs to catch up to the future in this regard and find ways to encourage this trend while also negating the manifestations of resume bias (and bias of all kinds). Regardless, this debate is fascinating and ongoing.  

Workplace diversity and a culture of Inclusion transforms the way companies think and perform. Our ability as organizations and society, to enable professionals to be the best version of themselves will be crucial in dictating success. What are your thoughts? Does this trend incite resume bias? Leave a comment below or join the discussion at one of our live events.

About Lead Inclusively

Lead Inclusively is a technology-enabled Diversity and Inclusion Consulting firm devoted to developing leaders, teams, and organizations to leverage Diversity and Inclusion as an accelerator for business performance. Our collective experience has been that diversity only assures that we have a mix of different people in the workplace. Diverse people in a non-inclusive workplace may be retained for some period of time, but without inclusion, they will not thrive, advance, or become strong team collaborators. Our Unique Diversity and Inclusion solutions ensure impactful and sustained transformation in your Leadership Development, Culture,  Team, and Performance.

 

Your Leadership Development Program Fails When These Obstacles aren’t Overcome.

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Company leaders are uniquely equipped to bridge the gap between employee demands and company demands. As a result, companies can transform their culture, recruit and retain the best talent, mitigate risk, and foster overall innovation which affects the bottom line. This potential has put new-found emphasis and pressure on leadership training and a leadership development program that focuses on inclusion. However, if companies do not address certain obstacles, they WILL fail.

The right focus for your Leadership Development Program

The topic of organizational culture and leadership is extremely complex. Without being able to focus strategy and training, you risk overwhelming leaders and diluting the overall message you are sending throughout your organization. A clear methodology, with the right mix of focus and freedom, is an important first step. Inclusion is the focus area that has the right mix and targets intended outcomes in talent and productivity.

Training at scale

Not all organizations, departments or teams are the same, but having a focused training strategy is pointless if you can’t deploy it at a company-wide scale. Your company does not achieve its intended outcomes if training does not reach/impact all departments, teams, and individuals within a company. This is more relevant for larger companies, but it also applies to organizations of all sizes. Thankfully, technology is providing new opportunities for organizations to train effectively at scale.

Manager Schedule - Lead Inclusively

Day-to-day application

It seems like just about everyone in 2019 has a busy professional and personal life. It is easy to understand how leaders might find it difficult to remember and apply their training days, not to mention in a way that makes an impact. Finding new ways to reach develop leaders with more timely, consistent and relevant training will be the most important hurdle to achieving future results. Most people will forget more than 80% of what they just heard and learned within 24 hours. No one learns anything that sticks forever in just one session.

Business Impact of Diversity and Inclusion

Winning over detractors

Even if your organization has a new focus for its leadership training and a means of deploying this training at scale, results won’t happen without the right internal stakeholders’ buy-in. If your company’s top leaders don’t show belief in company training, then the overall workforce cannot follow. Getting the right buy-in is arguably the most crucial step to start with.

Focus on the human side (avoid pushing compliance)

If leadership training comes off as just another compliance tool, you will risk reducing buy-in and subsequent impact. Diversity and inclusion can sometimes be confused with compliance. Developing inclusive leaders breeds better leaders who are happier and more effective in their jobs. Empowering well-intentioned leaders to be better requires meaningful training on inclusion, providing leaders the tools to empower their teams to perform their best.

At the end of the day, the work of diversity and inclusion is aimed at building better workplaces and happier employees. Leadership is the intersection where companies can impact all the complexities that play into making better workplaces. Giving leaders the tools to empower themselves and their teams is a powerful way to change the workplace. It’s important to deepen these discussions whenever possible. Feel free to join our complimentary virtual events as a great way to further dialogue and grow in a community of thought-leadership. We would love to host your insights and answer your questions at my upcoming Q&A Roundtable.

Diversity and Inclusion - Denise Hummel