Three Ways Inclusive Leaders Bring Out the Best in Each Person

A key component of an inclusive organizational culture is belonging. But how exactly do leaders foster belonging within their teams? It starts by valuing one individual at a time. People feel valued when they’re empowered to be their authentic selves. When a leader is inclusive, they make room for people of all backgrounds and experiences, and each team member has opportunities to contribute uniquely to their organization’s success.

Belonging is the product of honesty and trust—and it takes consistent action from leaders to develop these dynamics with their teams. As you work to facilitate meaningful and inclusive leadership at your organization, explore three behaviors that can pave the way for every person to feel like they belong.

3 Practical Ways to Build Belonging

Diverse teams can only live up to their innovation and performance potential if people feel valued as their authentic selves. Leaders who shape a culture focused on belonging help people bring their best selves—and their best work—to the table.

1. Organize inclusive team meetings and celebrations

For meetings to be inclusive, everyone needs to feel safe to share their perspective. To set the tone, leaders should draw out each person’s unique insights by asking for input from everyone and highlighting the diverse contributions of team members, encouraging all opinions to be voiced—even ones they may not agree with at first.

Celebrations are also an opportunity to create a culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging. “It’s important not to dictate how the team is going to celebrate,” says Amy Parkin, Director of Learning Solutions at FranklinCovey. “Have a conversation about what the team wants to celebrate and what feels like a meaningful way to do it.” It’s unlikely everyone will want to celebrate in the same way all the time, so inclusive leaders often vary the ways they recognize and reward team members. For example, they might have an in-person or virtual happy hour to celebrate one achievement and then send everyone a gift card or give them a half-day off the next time.

2. Challenge practices and attitudes that are not inclusive

One of the hardest—but most important—things a leader can do to shape a culture of belonging is calling out inappropriate behaviors or comments rooted in unconscious bias. It’s a delicate process that requires directness, empathy, and immediacy.

“Non-inclusive behavior occurs across a spectrum. It can be uncomfortable and dismissive, or it can be offensive and inappropriate, so based on the severity of the behavior, there are different ways a leader might respond,” says Daniel Martin, Custom Solutions Architect at FranklinCovey. They might simply express that they don’t appreciate a comment because it diminishes inclusivity and note they don’t think the person meant it that way. Or if the behavior is more extreme, they might state more strongly that those kinds of comments are not part of the team culture and have a conversation later with the person who crossed the line.

It’s important for leaders to have empathy for everyone, which means being attuned to how people might experience non-inclusive behaviors differently based on their history and background—as well as empathizing with those who act in a non-inclusive way. By demonstrating respect, helping people feel safe, assuming positive intent, and helping team members reconsider their mindset and behaviors, leaders show that inclusivity is not reserved only for those who never make mistakes—it’s for everyone, and it’s a constant work in progress.

3. Facilitate honest team conversations

Leaders don’t need to wait for an uncomfortable incident to talk about inclusivity—and they shouldn’t. Instead, they should be upfront about why inclusivity is important and work with team members to define the actions that create an inclusive culture. “If you talk about it first and make a commitment, and folks are bought into that commitment, then when you need to have a redirecting conversation with someone, you can tie it back to your collective commitment to inclusivity,” says Parkin.

Agreeing on team values and boundaries ahead of time makes it easier to challenge non-inclusive behavior because it’s less of a personal callout and more of an accountability practice. “It also means that redirecting is not just the leader’s job,” says Parkin. “In the moment that somebody behaves in a way that is not inclusive, anyone on the team can feel empowered to speak up and say, ‘You know, I’m not really comfortable with that language. How about using a different word that might be a little more inclusive?’”

Develop Leaders Who Advocate for Belonging

Building an inclusive organization requires leaders to make conscious, deliberate decisions that help every person contribute. When leaders invest in practices like creating inclusive team gatherings, challenging non-inclusive mindsets and behaviors, and facilitating a commitment to inclusivity, a culture of belonging begins to grow. And when your people feel like they’re part of a team as their authentic selves, they give their best effort—and drive the best results—to make a lasting impact.