Effective leaders get results. However, the question that has remained unanswered for many years is: ‘How do leaders get results?’ Many, many theories and perspectives to leadership, such as charismatic leadership, transformational leadership, authentic leadership and servant leadership, have been proposed. However, no leadership theory has managed to capture the essence of what gets results consistently, sustainability and across multiple contexts.
At Inclusive Leadership Company, we propose that the future of leadership is Inclusive Leadership. Inclusive Leadership is the approach to leadership that is good for business, people and planet. Harnessing the power of diversity in a constructive, intelligent way. Inclusive leaders create an environment where everyone feels as though they belong. They value each person’s unique qualities, enabling them to fully contribute to work.
When considering effective leadership, we suggest that there are two important points to consider:
- Leaders are adaptable to context and challenge.
Leaders face a variety of contexts and challenges, including working with diverse individuals that leaders need to attract, retain and support to achieve results. A leader’s effectiveness, their ability to get results, depends on the will and capability of the people being led by the leader. While some traditional leadership theories may be effective in some contexts (i.e., with some groups of followers, in response to some specific challenges), these traditional approaches have yet to provide the solution to the challenges faced by leaders operating in the current BANI (brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible) environment, with the changing demographics of today’s workforce.
- Leaders deliver results ‘sustainably’.
While traditional leadership theories may temporarily get results, do they stand the test of time? A leader who energises and enthuses others towards a shared purpose is a critical part of effective leadership. However, if this energy is not sustainable, if this is not coupled with a realistic understanding of what it takes to sustain and maintain energy over the long-term, in the face of real challenges, people will burnout and leave. Therefore, effective leaders are leaders who can sustain outcomes over a prolonged period: they consistently get results.
How does Inclusive Leadership compare to other leadership approaches?
In the work we do with our clients, we have found that people often find it helpful to understand Inclusive Leadership in the context of other types of leadership. Therefore, we formulated four different types of leader which can be used to understand key leadership behaviours. Like any typology, people may not fit perfectly into one of these types, however, they can be a helpful framework to increase our understanding of how different leadership approaches translate into practice. The four leadership approaches are:
| Ethical leader | Tribal leader | Laissez-faire leader | Inclusive leader |
| Ethical leaders have strong values of fairness and equality at their core. They are passionate and driven leaders, however tend to emphasise equality over equity. | Tribal leaders create a strong sense of belonging, followers feel part of a ‘tribe’. Tribal leaders mentor others and build consensus. However, being led by a tribal leader can be an uncomfortable and difficult experience for those who don’t fit in with the rest of the tribe. | Laissez-faire leaders allow their followers to have autonomy to make their own decisions and manage their own workload. Laissez-faire leaders believe that they are able to provide support and guidance when needed, however the laissez-faire leader’s relaxed approach may be perceived by followers as disengagement and disinterest. | Inclusive leaders value followers for their unique qualities, they invite diverse perspectives and create an environment where followers feel that they belong and that their opinions and contributions are important to the success of the organisation. |
A complex challenge to understanding effective leadership is that no single style, is all good or all bad. There are pros and cons to all types of leadership. Depending on who you are as a follower, certain types of leadership can work very well or very badly. Here we summarise some of the key pros and cons to each of the four types of leadership.
| Pro | Con | |
| Ethical leader | Followers will appreciate the strong values of ethical leaders and trust that their leader will do what is widely perceived as fair. | For followers in marginalised groups that have been subjected to systemic discrimination and barriers, ethical leaders are unlikely to account for these experiences in their quest to be fair and equal to everyone. |
| Tribal leader | For followers in the in-group (i.e., followers who are close to and similar to the leader), working for this leader is a highly positive experience with a high level of belonging. | For followers not in the in-group, working for this leader will be a difficult, alienating experience. Tribal leaders will struggle to retain diverse talent. |
| Laissez-faire leader | Followers experience a high level of trust and autonomy from their leader, which can be motivating. | Followers can feel unsupported and lack guidance on the what and how of daily work, which can be especially difficult in times of crisis or uncertainty. |
| Inclusive leader | All followers feel uniquely valued and that they belong. It is a sustainable approach to leadership, consistently producing results across all contexts for diverse followers and diverse client base. | In traditional or masculine environments, may face opposition or be viewed as a ‘weak’ leader. |
_____________________________________________________________________________
Understand your own leadership style
Our Inclusive Leader Development Assessment is an evidence-based tool to help you to understand your own leadership style better, including the action to take to become a more effective leader. The Inclusive Leader Development Assessment is a combined self and 360˚ assessment that measures the critical elements that the scientific evidence indicates are essential to Inclusive Leadership. This includes:
- Leader wellbeing
- Leader mindset
- Leader lived experience
- Leader knowledge of EDI key concepts
- Leader inclusive behaviours (as rated by leader and raters)
An unique element of our Inclusive Leader Development Assessment is that it allows leaders to understand how inclusive their leadership is from raters who are different to the leader in at least one of the main protected characteristics.
We are experts in behaviour change and therefore we appreciate that the key to behaviour change is for individuals to feel empowered and inspired, not shamed or defensive. Our feedback report combines detailed and comprehensive feedback in an easy to interpret and accessible format.
To complete the Inclusive Leader Development Assessment yourself contact us at enquiries@inclusiveleadershipcompany.com
