Building Inclusive Leadership: The Foundation of Effective DEI
This is the third blog in our five-part series exploring the business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion in modern workplaces.
In our previous blogs, we established the compelling business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and explored how DEI drives innovation and problem-solving capabilities. Today, we focus on what ultimately determines whether DEI initiatives succeed or fail: inclusive leadership.
Leadership: The Critical DEI Enabler
While demographic diversity and well-designed policies are important, they alone cannot create truly inclusive organisations. Deloitte research shows that leadership behaviour has the single biggest impact on whether employees feel included - explaining more than 70% of the variation in inclusive environments.
Without leaders who model inclusive behaviours, even the most well-intentioned DEI initiatives will struggle to gain traction. Let's explore what inclusive leadership looks like in practice and how it creates environments where diversity can thrive and drive business results.
The Six Traits of Inclusive Leaders
Deloitte's comprehensive research identifies six signature traits that distinguish inclusive leaders:
Commitment
Inclusive leaders demonstrate genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion, not because it's politically correct, but because they understand its value. This commitment manifests through:
Allocating resources (time, budget, attention) to DEI initiatives.
Setting personal inclusion goals and holding themselves accountable.
Remaining engaged despite setbacks or resistance.
Speaking up about inclusion even when it's uncomfortable.
Example in action: A company’s senior leaders dedicate time to sponsor employee resource groups, participate in inclusion events, and set measurable diversity goals for which they're held accountable in performance reviews.
Courage
Inclusive leaders have the courage to:
Challenge the status quo.
Call out inappropriate behaviour, even from valued team members.
Acknowledge their own biases and limitations.
Take personal risks to support marginalised team members.
Example in action: When a senior manager notices that meeting dynamics consistently favoured certain voices, they instituted a new protocol requiring everyone to speak before decisions were made, fundamentally changing the power dynamics and improving decision quality.
Cognisance of Bias
Inclusive leaders understand that everyone has unconscious biases, including themselves. They:
Seek to identify their own biases through self-reflection and feedback.
Implement systems and processes to mitigate bias in decisions.
Create decision-making protocols that counter common biases.
Remain vigilant to group dynamics that may marginalise certain team members.
Example in action: Implement blind CV reviews and have structured interview protocols to reduce unconscious bias in hiring, resulting in more diverse candidate pools and ultimately more diverse teams.
Curiosity
Inclusive leaders maintain an open mind and deep curiosity about perspectives different from their own. They:
Ask questions rather than making assumptions.
Listen deeply to understand different viewpoints.
Seek out diverse perspectives when making decisions.
View disagreement as valuable rather than threatening.
Example in action: Have leaders take part in regular 'reverse mentoring' where junior employees from different backgrounds mentor senior leaders, creating a structured opportunity for leaders to gain new perspectives.
Cultural Intelligence
Inclusive leaders work effectively across different cultural contexts, understanding that:Cultural norms significantly impact communication and expectations.
Different cultures may have different approaches to feedback, decision-making, and conflict.
Their own cultural lens affects how they interpret others' behaviour.
Sensitivity to Te Ao Māori perspectives.
Example in action: Provide comprehensive cultural intelligence training for leaders managing global teams, including specific modules on working effectively with cultures within the organisation.
Collaboration
Inclusive leaders create environments where diverse teams can work together effectively. They:Foster psychological safety where all team members feel comfortable contributing.
Different cultures may have different approaches to feedback, decision-making, and conflict.
Their own cultural lens affects how they interpret others' behaviour.
Sensitivity to Te Ao Māori perspectives.
Example in action: Provide comprehensive cultural intelligence training for leaders managing global teams, including specific modules on working effectively with cultures within the organisation.
The Leadership Connection to Business Results
When leaders embody these six traits, the impact on organisational performance is substantial:
Teams led by inclusive leaders are 17% more likely to report high performance (Deloitte, 2019).
These teams are 20% more likely to make high-quality decisions (Deloitte, 2019).
They're 29% more collaborative (Deloitte, 2019).
A 10% increase in employee perceptions of inclusion correlates with nearly 1 extra day of attendance per employee per year, reducing absenteeism (Harvard Business Review, 2019).
Employees who ‘bring their whole selves to work’ are 42% less likely to leave the organisation (Harvard Business Review, 2019).
These aren't just feel-good metrics - they directly translate to bottom-line impact through improved productivity, innovation, and talent retention.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Leadership Context
Leadership in the Aotearoa New Zealand context presents unique opportunities and challenges for inclusive leadership:
Te Tiriti o Waitangi Obligations
New Zealand's founding document establishes a partnership between Māori and the Crown that has implications for organisational leadership. Inclusive leaders in New Zealand understand:
Their organisations have responsibilities toward Māori employees and communities.
The value of incorporating Te Ao Māori perspectives into leadership practices.
The importance of building genuine partnerships rather than tokenistic initiatives.
How to create environments where tikanga Māori is respected and valued.
The Tall Poppy Syndrome Challenge
Aotearoa New Zealand's cultural tendency to downplay individual achievement (tall poppy syndrome) creates both challenges and opportunities for inclusive leadership:
Challenge: Team members may be reluctant to speak up or highlight their contributions.
Opportunity: The cultural emphasis on humility and collectivism aligns well with inclusive leadership practices that value team contributions.
The Diversity of New Zealand's Workforce
With over 160 languages spoken and a growing population identifying with multiple ethnicities, New Zealand workplaces are increasingly diverse. Leaders must develop:
Cultural intelligence across multiple cultural contexts.
Ability to bridge different communication styles and work preferences.
Awareness of historical contexts that may affect team dynamics.
Skills to leverage this diversity for enhanced performance.
Developing Inclusive Leaders
Building inclusive leadership capabilities requires intentional development:
Assessment and Awareness
Before development can begin, leaders need to understand their current strengths and opportunities:
360-degree feedback specifically focused on inclusive behaviours (like the Leadership Circle 360).
Self-assessment tools that measure inclusive leadership traits.
Facilitated discussions about team experiences of inclusion.
Structured Learning
Effective inclusive leadership development includes:
Training on unconscious bias and its impact on decision-making.
Cultural intelligence development, including specific focus on Te Ao Māori.
Scenario-based learning on handling challenging inclusion situations.
Regular feedback from diverse team members.
Experiential Learning
The most powerful development happens through structured experiences:
Cross-cultural assignments and projects.
Reverse mentoring with team members from different backgrounds.
Community engagement with diverse populations.
Structured reflection on inclusive leadership challenges
Metrics and Accountability
Like any business priority, inclusive leadership requires measurement:
Include inclusive leadership behaviours in performance evaluations.
Regularly survey team members about their experience of inclusion.
Track progress on representation and inclusion metrics.
Tie leadership compensation to inclusion outcomes.
A Journey, Not a Destination
Becoming an inclusive leader is a continuous journey of learning and growth. Even the most naturally inclusive leaders must constantly refine their approach as they encounter new perspectives and situations.
The most effective leaders approach inclusion with humility - recognising that they will make mistakes but committing to learning from them and continuing to improve.
“When you know better, do better” - Maya Angelou
What's next?
In our next blog, we'll explore how to measure DEI impact effectively. We'll examine the metrics that matter most and how to build measurement systems that drive meaningful change rather than just checking boxes.
For more information on how to implement effective DEI strategies in your organisation, contact Brooke on [email protected]
