Five Ways to Embrace Inclusion and Innovation

There’s a new outlook among U.S. workers, a dramatic career reevaluation in the wake of pandemic lockdowns. Whether largely in response to an existential reckoning, additional unemployment support or simply a growing disconnect with business as usual, Americans are looking for a major reset in their careers. And with a glut of job opportunities opening up, companies must adapt or pay the price.

Call it the Great Resignation. Consider that 41% of the global workforce are likely to leave their current employers, according to the 2021 Microsoft Work Trend Index, with 46% planning a major pivot or career transition. The report also found that business leaders were mostly considered “out of touch,” and that top talent can find employment anywhere in the world, thanks to remote work arrangements — a situation that’s here to stay.

To succeed and remain competitive in this new normal, it’s essential for an organization to offer an inclusive and safe environment for their workers. A panel of three expert professionals addressed this topic and offered the following strategies in the recent DCE webinar, Leadership Strategies: Fostering Culture Through Inclusion and Innovation.

Adopt a humble leadership style

Humble leadership or servant leadership helps people feel purposeful, motivated and energized so they can comfortably bring their best selves to work, said Allie Fleder, co-founder and COO at SimplyWise, an app that digitizes financial documents. She learned a valuable lesson early on working with Frank Oz, co-creator of the Muppets, about a very public fight he had while directing Marlon Brando on a movie set.

In his earlier days, “Oz felt like he wanted to control over his sets with an iron fist,” Fleder said. “‘Here’s what needs to happen and here’s how we’re going to execute it as a team from A to Z.’ He said it was only with the wisdom of age that made him learn his lesson the hard way. That kind of approach destroyed his relationships.”

Being a successful director, or team leader in any endeavor, is about creating an atmosphere in which it is safe for people to act, react and innovate in the moment.

Create a psychologically safe workplace

Fostering an environment where people can simply “be themselves without fear of judgment or fear of retribution” is essential for an inclusive workplace, said Jennifer McCusker, Chief People Officer of Duly Health and Care. “You can have a very diverse company and still not be inclusive,” she said. “So, unless you have this culture where people feel psychologically and mentally safe to be themselves, show up as who they are, you’re going to have a hard time creating a place that fosters innovation and gets all the best ideas out.”

Psychological safety at work starts with leadership but it certainly doesn’t end there — it needs to be articulated throughout an organization. “It needs to be an ongoing commitment of the entire team,” Fleder added. “One weak link can destroy that psychological safety with just one snarky comment.”

Encourage debate and conflict

Supporting psychological safety in the workplace doesn’t mean discouraging debate and conflicting points of view. Employees need to feel safe to speak up, voice different opinions, have open debate and constructive dialogue to nurture an innovative culture, McCusker said.

“It’s good to debate and to have some dissension because innovation sometimes comes from those conversations. A pretty famous rapper named Nipsey Hussle, who passed away far too young, had a quote that said, ‘If you look around at your circle and you’re not inspired, then you do not have a circle, you have a cage,’ and I think that’s amazing. That’s a high bar, to feel inspired by the people that you have surrounded yourself with.”

Urge employees to share feelings

An inclusive workplace is one where everyone feels free to share their feelings openly, said Rob Curtis, CEO and co-founder of Daylight, a banking platform designed for the LGBT+ community by the LGBT+ community. While working at a London finance company he was given a personality profile that opened his eyes to the power of shared feelings.

“The profiles they gave us were very challenging 360-degree psychometrics,” he said. “Then we had to draw a picture of what’s in our heart and mind and explain to our team the results of the profile and the meaning of the picture.”

The results were quite profound and helped advance a much more open and comfortable workplace. Since then, Curtis has made it a habit to have open conversations about feelings with his teams — how they feel about the product, work performance, the business and more.

“It’s really surprising when you watch the light switch go on, and folks are like. ‘Holy crap, I can say something, and people aren’t going to judge me.’”

Embrace failure as an engine of innovation

In the U.S., entrepreneurs can launch a series of failed startup ventures before hitting on the one idea that proves a hit — and maybe even changes the world. Although some cultures consider failure something shameful, Fleder said, it can be a valuable learning opportunity. And leaders who penalize employees for falling short are stifling innovation by fostering a negative, intimidating environment.

“If we’re not failing enough we’re not moving or innovating fast enough,” Curtis said. “I’m of the view that if we don’t fail at 80% of the things that we try we aren’t trying hard enough. When you empower folks you allow them to make mistakes. You ask, ‘How can we?’ rather than ‘Will you?’”

Leadership can set an example by sharing failed ventures of their own, he added. For instance, during the interview process Curtis will urge candidates to share “the juiciest mistake that they’ve made.” Then he’ll share something juicy of his own. “When team leaders share their own experiences, it frees team members to try new things. It’s fun to sit around talking about the times we failed in business.”

View recorded webinar: Leadership Strategies: Fostering Culture Through Inclusion and Innovation

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