University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Boldly Inclusive Leader
Book

The Boldly Inclusive Leader

Transform Your Workplace (and the World) by Valuing the Differences Within

Minette Norman
Minette Norman, 2023
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

Want to make your workplace more inclusive? Author Minette Norman offers clear guidance to help you accomplish this goal but warns that inclusive leadership requires leaving your comfort zone and making an ongoing commitment. Drawing on her extensive experience in corporate leadership, Norman explains that inclusive leaders recognize emotions as valuable data, foster diversity of thought, show empathy, vulnerability and compassion to build trust, and use meetings to build psychological safety. She also addresses common leadership traps – like affinity bias – that impair decisions and interactions.

Summary

Inclusive leadership takes commitment.

No straightforward, stepped guide to achieving inclusive leadership exists. It involves a commitment to continuous learning from others, introspection and a blend of resilience in advocating for justice and empathy in human interactions. It requires the mindset of a disruptor when necessary.

Don’t mistake inclusive leadership for a peripheral task addressed only when convenient; integrate it into every aspect of your work. Committing to this form of leadership is a constant endeavor.

The way you conduct yourself and communicate as a leader sets a critical example for your team.

A positive and inclusive attitude influences your organization’s culture. When handling sensitive issues, demonstrate openness – both in your words and via nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions – and a commitment to addressing employee concerns. Admit when you don’t know something – but show you are willing to learn – encourage a variety of perspectives, and foster a culture where quieter voices are heard and valued alongside more dominant ones. ...

About the Author

Renowned leadership consultant, author and speaker Minette Norman focuses her work on promoting inclusive and collaborative team cultures. Norman has received accolades including “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” and “Business Role Model of the Year” at the 2018 Women in IT/Silicon Valley Awards.

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