Business leader Ronny Zaman has interests in numerous industries, serving as chairman of Navana Pharmaceuticals, Anowara Construction Ltd and Gas One. This article will look at inclusive leadership, a business leadership style that centres around self-awareness and actively seeking out and considering diverse perspectives to inform decision-making and enable leaders to collaborate more effectively with teams.
The tenets of inclusive leadership are to ensure that all team members are treated fairly; feel valued; have a sense of belonging; and benefit from access to all the support and resources they need to achieve their full potential. Inclusive leadership starts with compassion, providing a firm foundation to understand what team members are going through and enabling leaders to connect with colleagues on an emotional level, before taking action to improve their situation.
Compassionate leadership is about much more than merely showing empathy in the workplace, centring around leaders moving from a private place of empathetic feeling to implementing tangible steps to resolve issues. Inclusive leaders also encourage their colleagues to be more compassionate too by practicing empathy. When an organisation commits to merging compassion and inclusion to transform its working culture for the better, this paves the way for full, meaningful and authentic participation by every individual.
Whether a leader is just starting out or already heads an established business, there are strategies they can embrace to reinvent and strengthen relationships. This starts with deepening self-awareness and building a solid foundation of personal understanding, including the leader assessing their own power and privilege. This may involve asking for feedback, reflecting on their own background, upbringing and personal identity, and admitting their own mistakes and shortcomings. Inclusive leaders have a high sense of self-awareness, understanding their own strengths, weaknesses and biases and being comfortable enough in their own skin to start engaging in acts of inclusive leadership.
A critical aspect of compassionate leadership is social awareness, as this is the currency of dialogue and interpersonal relationships. Individuals who lack social awareness can struggle to communicate clearly, sometimes finding themselves saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. By paying close attention to what is going on around them, professionals can use that information to build a culture of inclusive leadership. For example, when a new employee joins the ranks, an inclusive leader will take some time to get to know them, show them around and support them in getting acclimated. Simple acts of inclusivity can go a long way towards establishing and maintaining a culture of respect at any organisation.
An inclusive leader ensures that all team members have access to opportunities for advancement and professional growth, providing a host of support such as mentorship and sponsorship programs, training and skills development, and career path transparency, clearly communicating potential career paths within the organisation. Inclusive leaders are accountable, setting clear goals, reporting on progress and conducting regular surveys to gather feedback on workplace inclusivity.
Compassionate leaders listen to understand, recognising the value of really listening to help them discover not just facts but also underlying feelings and values. Business leaders have an opportunity to practice effective listening skills in everyday conversations, whether an employee is sharing a personal story or requesting help with a challenging task. By listening to understand, the leader goes beyond active listening to build a more accurate picture of the challenges their team is facing. This better equips them to make decisions and resolve problems and conflicts, enhancing efficiency as well as inclusiveness and communication competencies.
Inclusive leaders lead with courageous vulnerability, making a meaningful impact by ensuring all employees feel valued and can access the support and resources they need to achieve their full potential. When intentions and impact are aligned, leaders can create a more inclusive organisational culture through a fine blend of empathy and tangible action.
