Manila, 25 May 2022 — Exclusion is invisible until you learn to look and listen more closely. 

Story

It happened this month. In workshops on inclusive leadership in the workplace, there was a lively discussion. However, when reviewing what happened, colleagues noted that several of the participants had not spoken up. That, unfortunately, still happens in many workplaces. And it will continue to happen until we look and listen more closely and do something to create a positive change. That’s what inclusive leadership is all about.

For the most part, the phenomenon of exclusion is invisible and silent. When people experience a sense of exclusion, they look the same outwardly, yet they won’t think and behave as you would hope and expect them to do in a safe and stimulating working environment. To understand this, and to know what to do about it, we need to look under the surface, and that’s what neuroscience applied to leadership allows us to do.

In coaching leaders, I found that one of the most fascinating and challenging tasks is to bring to the surface and give a voice to what has remained invisible and silent until now. Such an exploration ‘under the surface’ can only happen in a relationship of trust, where the leaders are supported to work on their transformation with curiosity, courage, and commitment. That’s what makes the coaching relationship so special and unique.

Challenge

So what are some of the ‘under the surface’ parameters that influence exclusion and inclusion? To learn more about this, the work of the NeuroLeadership Institute (NLI) is a good place to start. For example, their SCARF tool shows that when people experience a threat of exclusion, they will likely be triggered in their sense of Status (am I respected and valued?), Certainty (do I have the information I need?), Autonomy (am I given choices and control?), Relatedness (do we understand each other?) or Fairness (is this fair?). These parameters can help us understand what may be going on in our colleagues.

In workplaces today, we see a high degree of uncertainty combined with a high potential for tensions that trigger a sense of exclusion. Did you know that when a perceived threat increases, people’s cognitive capacity decreases, as if they shrink into a smaller version of themselves? NLI’s research shows that exclusion in the workplace has serious effects that can show up in reduced intelligence and reasoning, poor choices, antisocial behavior, less self-control, more defensive behaviors, and less well-being. We definitely want to avoid or mitigate those effects.

Inclusive leaders, therefore, will practice spotting these effects early and can use the five SCARF parameters to reduce tensions over threats of exclusion by, for example, respecting people’s concerns out loud, affirming to come to a resolution together, offering choices and asking for preferences, expressing the other party’s point of view, and promising a fair process. More broadly, they work to lead positive change in the workplace to make sure that people get a seat at the table (driving diversity), have a voice at the table (promoting inclusion), and that voices are being listened to in an equal manner (avoiding unconscious bias). What’s at stake here is more than a diversity & inclusion issue. It’s about how to make your business thrive by changing how your employees are involved. 

Question

Having taken a look ‘under the surface’ at some of the parameters driving exclusion, it is evident that inclusive leadership is easier said than done. NLI’s research shows that collaboration in the form of ‘Allyship’ is key to making positive changes happen. Think of buddies and teams working to make it happen. We all know the importance of ‘walking the talk’ and of doing so together. Yet a recent study on diversity and inclusion quoted by NLI showed that less than one-third of employees spoke up when they perceived bias and that many others chose to ignore it. What it comes down to, therefore, is taking action to practice together out loud, individually and together as allies.

In our experience, practicing together is the fastest way to make a difference when it comes to introducing inclusive leadership in the workplace. In doing so, it’s worth noting that there is no single way of inclusive leadership that works in every situation. That’s why we offer a choice of Seven Ways of Inclusive Leadership, each with specific Acts of Leadership to practice, to equip you for a variety of situations in the workplace. These seven ways make use of the latest research in the field of diversity, inclusion, and high-performing teams and organizations. If you’re interested to learn more about this, do get in touch.

My question for you this week is what lessons from neuroscience you are applying in your day-to-day leadership in the workplace? The research in this area is evolving continuously and you will become a better leader when you keep up with recent developments. I enjoy to keep updating my learning and was fascinated by the insights shared at NLI’s Annual Summit “Adapt Faster” last February, with many lessons from leading companies who are using this research with their employees to bring about important changes. To get started, have a look at NLI’s work and let me know what you think about NeuroLeadership.