We often talk about inclusion in meetings, policies, and strategy. But what about the everyday interactions: the chat before a call, who we grab lunch with, or who we naturally turn to when decisions need to be made?
These informal moments build something powerful: social capital. And inclusive leaders understand its impact.
Here’s the challenge. We’re all drawn to people who feel familiar. It’s human nature. But in the workplace, this can lead to exclusion. When we informally connect more often with people like us, culturally, socially, or physically, we build stronger ties with them. That means when opportunities arise, we tend to think of them first.
Over time, this creates unequal access to visibility, feedback, and progression.
Inclusive leaders interrupt this pattern. They actively seek out informal moments with those who are different to them. They reflect on who they naturally connect with, notice who might be left out, and choose to broaden their circles.
Importantly, they approach these interactions with curiosity, not assumptions. As one leader reflected after getting to know a new team member: “I realised my well-intentioned actions were shaped by a stereotype. I was seeing her through a lens, rather than as a peer.”
Inclusive leadership is as much about how we spend our unstructured time as how we lead in formal settings.
