The Inclusive Leader
In a competitive global market the relies heavily on a diversified workforce, having an inclusive leader has grown in importance. Setting up and controlling the corporate culture starts at the top of the organization with establishing a leader that has a clear focus on the type of organization they need to have (Billimoria, 2012). As such, an organization that subscribes to inclusive leadership will look for specific traits in their leaders, the leader will posses specific skills sets, and have the ability to apply these skills and traits in the workforce.
Traits of an Inclusive Leader
Taylor (2015) states the six key traits of an inclusive leader are commitment, courage, cognizance, curiosity, cultural intelligence,
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McBean (2013), identifies the following five characteristics that should be present in a great leader: Being flexible, being able to communicate, having a mixture of tenacity and patience, having humility and presence, and being responsible. Many of these are widely accepted but when one talks about striking a proper balance, the yin and yang between characteristics, the challenges begin. As an example, striking a balance between patience and tenacity in an inclusive organization can be challenging. Knowing the exact amount of pushing that should be done while engaging the right amount of strategic patience on a subject can be challenging. Additionally, when recognizing that an inclusive environment allows for a high degree of freedom for the workforce to make decisions, exercising the right degree of involvement is challenging. As the leader of the organization, one must be willing to adjust their skill-sets for the individual along with the …show more content…
Organization with a highly diverse workforce that do not pay attention to an inclusive environment are likely to be more dysfunctional than organizations without a diverse staff (Janakiraman, 2011). Being an inclusive organization starts with recognizing that not everyone is the same and identifying ways for the organization to embrace its differences. As the leader of an organization, recognizing that one size does not fit all allows opportunities for the organization to grow as well as opens the door for more inclusive thoughts, ideals, suggestions, etc. As the leader or the organizations, one must create and foster open conversations, allow and respect differences, and embrace thinking that is considered outside of the box. By allowing and embracing differences, the organization will be provided with greater opportunities for