This week’s election results surprised pollsters and many voters alike. In its wake, I’ve been approached by several leaders in different industries wondering how best to help their teams move forward despite party lines.
The 2016 presidential election was particularly divisive and emotional. As a result, many leaders are feeling at a loss about what they can do to make a meaningful difference now that the election is over. They want to know where they can continue to move the needle when it comes to important issues like diversity and inclusion in their companies.
I believe that particularly because of the tumult of the last several months, leaders have a more important role than ever to play in helping people to parlay their strong emotions into concrete, collaborative solutions. In fact, it is now incumbent on leadership, corporate organizations, and institutions to guide their teams back toward a better sense of balance from which they can continue to work toward essential causes that give everyone—of both genders and all types of diversity—the best chance to succeed in the workplace.
That’s why I recommend that leaders put a stronger push than ever before behind the strategy of inclusive leadership. As I’ve said many times, the key to creating a culture of inclusiveness—whether at the executive level or in the boardroom—comes down to finding ways to ensure that all voices have a chance to be on deck.
To that end, senior leaders need to:
- Keep talking about integrated leadership and inclusiveness in the workplace until we come up with real solutions that create the balanced leadership teams we need to produce extraordinary results.
- Stay engaged and continue seeking ways to have your voice heard—while helping those on your team find their own voices.
- Find corporate paths to support and blend the widest possible range of thinking styles, backgrounds, and experiences.
- Empower your teams so that they can express their unique perspectives.
- Create accountability among your management team and companywide so that leaders are held accountable for bringing all voices on deck and expanding the definition of diversity.
To help with these efforts, in my next two posts, I’ll share a more detailed series of strategic action steps for leaders and organizations to follow. These steps will help leadership teams understand that inclusion is indeed the new diversity. Today more than ever, we must collectively summon our strength and resolve to honor the importance of thinking differently, so that we can together develop a truly diverse group of future leaders.
Rebecca is an internationally acclaimed and sought-after keynote speaker, leadership expert and contributing editor for Harvard Business Review and the Huffington Post.
Learn more about SHAMBAUGH’s leadership solutions and other offerings by visiting: www.shambaughleadership.com
Rebecca is author of the best-selling books It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor, Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton, and Make Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership Model to Achieve Extraordinary Results.