This week started off with a discussion about inclusive leadership and how our leadership values can facilitate such leadership. 

I think I am still unsure about the concept of an inclusive leader. Often, it is easier to spot leaders who are not inclusive rather than those who are. Someone who is not an inclusive leader is someone who does not make every member of their team feel like they belong, someone who does not ensure that everyone feels respected in their team, someone who lacks the humility to listen to different views, etc. In this sense, an inclusive leader seems to be the opposite of someone who pushes people out. 

Almost all core leadership values can be centred in pursuit of inclusive leadership. To me, I think my core leadership values are authenticity and respect. With regard to authenticity, I think that it should be centred in pursuit of inclusive leadership if I value the authenticity that everyone brings to the table, not just my own. Too often, we often think of authenticity as speaking our minds or doing what we believe. This can result in exclusion because some members of our team may feel that their views are not being entertained or that certain individuals are dominating the conversation. These are not necessarily problematic things. We sometimes need a clear direction that requires abandoning some competing views, but this should not mean that other perspectives are not entertained at all. In this sense, centering authenticity on inclusive leadership looks like ensuring that everyone can be authentic to their views when we discuss approaches to problems. 

Respect is much more clearly tied to inclusive leadership. You can not be an inclusive leader without respecting those around you. Without respect, the characteristics that define an un-inclusive leader such as being unable to make people like they belong become more pronounced. In other words, I doubt you can become a respectful leader without also centering your efforts on inclusive leadership.

Throughout, I think there is a tension between being an inclusive leader and being an effective one. In some contexts, leaders may be required to make swift decisions that may make some people feel pushed out from the community. In these circumstances, I think there is a balance that needs to be struck between being an effective leader and an inclusive one, including how we centre these different core leadership values on effectiveness and inclusion. Sometimes, inclusion itself can also facilitate effectiveness since it enables us to build broad coalitions and secure the cooperation necessary for success.