Lead Inclusion Where You Stand

Say This Aloud, “Inclusion Begins With Me”

….and make sure that someone else can hear you.

Inclusion: the act of embracing and fully involving ALL people in the work and life of organizations, communities and society. It won’t happen through osmosis. It requires intention, action, courage, and most importantly, consistency.

Leading inclusion where you stand can be scary. Fear of criticism, fear of getting it wrong, fear of what others may think, are valid…… yet manageable.

If the promise of $1,000,000 were tied to the journey, how quickly would you take the first step? The long reaching benefits equate to much more.

Inclusion goes beyond race and gender.

You have the power to eradicate ableism for people with disabilities, phobias affecting the LGBTQ+ community, classism for the economically disadvantaged, and ageism for people over the age of 50 - just to name a few, simply by modeling behaviors and making decisions that create conditions for all to thrive.

Start slowly. Get comfortable. Progress from there.

Consider it a crawl, walk, run, fly approach.

🔷 The Crawl

🔹 Make a personal commitment to model at least one inclusive behavior daily

🔹 Pronounce people’s names correctly. Apologize when you get it wrong. Practice it until you get it right.

🔹 Increase your understanding of those who are not like you by intentionally and frequently interacting with them.

🔹 Build a knowledge base of various cultures, backgrounds, and experiences informed by personal connection.

⬛ The Walk

▪️ Listen attentively with a learning mindset as others speak; show genuine interest in their perspectives.

▪️ Be mindful and respectful of gender pronouns.

▪️ Foster a culture of respect. Treat everyone with dignity and kindness, regardless of their background, beliefs, race, gender/gender identity, age, or (dis)ability.

🔷 The Run

🔹 Create space for others to speak. Ensure that everyone has an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas. Give credit where it’s due and ensure all voices have an equal opportunity to be heard in meetings and casual conversation.

🔹 Get in touch with your biases and stereotypical beliefs and learn to actively overcome them. They should not inform your decisions and interactions.

🔹 Seek feedback for continuous improvement. Ask for input from others on how you can be more inclusive.

⬛ Fly!!!

▪️ When you witness microaggressions, acts of discrimination, harassment or other harmful acts, do something about it. Speak up in a way you’re comfortable with.

▪️Become an ally of justice and equality. Show up through your words, actions, and decisions, even when no one is looking.

▪️Invite others to join you on your inclusion journey.

Our collective well-being  is priceless. How will you lead?