It’s no secret that the corporate landscape is evolving, emphasizing how to build a high performing team through inclusion and belonging. The rallying cry for inclusive workforces resounds in boardrooms and break rooms alike. It challenges us to rethink the essence of how we operate our businesses and manage our teams. According to a Gallup Report, employees who feel connected to the culture are 3.7 times more likely to be engaged at work, 68% less likely to feel burned out, and 55% less likely to be looking for work somewhere else. It appears, getting inclusion right has benefits for everyone, including the business itself.

Learning and Development leaders are key players in this shift towards inclusive leadership.  They do so by developing skills and behaviors that create company culture. 

Yet, as we navigate these transformative times, L&D professionals find themselves at a crossroads about their new mantle. Without a seasoned compass in DEI best practices, many L&D veterans are asking themselves: How can we confidently lead others when we ourselves are uncertain?

Unpacking the Inclusion Dilemma in L&D

Let’s consider the challenges that plague L&D teams. As DEI becomes part of their remit, L&D faces a unique paradox. Though characterized as a cornerstone of company culture, DEI often elicits hesitancy. L&D leaders might lack experience in integrating these critical issues into their learning frameworks. The fear, albeit unspoken, is palpable: How can we teach what we have yet to fully grasp?

Worryingly, DEI initiatives, for some employees, have become synonymous with box-ticking exercises, detached from the lived experiences and the dynamism of today’s workforce. This perception breeds low engagement, and while attendance may be compulsory, authentic participation lags.

Then, there’s the matter of impact assessment. Measuring the efficacy of inclusion initiatives can seem like a pursuit of abstract quantification, where the tangible improvements in workplace culture and employee satisfaction seem just out of reach.

Perhaps the most perplexing challenge lies within the lack of a skills-based focus on inclusion and belonging. Historically, L&D has honed its expertise on technical proficiencies and job-related knowledge, with the nuanced competencies required for fostering an inclusive workplace relegated to the periphery.

L&D’s Moment to Effect Change

Inclusive skills and behaviors must be ingrained within the ethos of daily operations and interactions. This requires us to see inclusion not as an ‘add-on’ but as part of the organizational DNA. Instead, it is integral across the employee experience, from hire to retire.

This commitment to inclusion reshapes expectations from leaders and employees alike. It recognizes that every decision, dialogue, and direction is an opportunity to demonstrate inclusive leadership. L&D leaders are at the forefront of defining how to build a high performing team by integrating inclusion into the fabric of every lesson, workshop, and learning experience.

A Skills-First Approach to Fostering Inclusion

Fundamentally, companies that excel in inclusion have leaders who are able to effectively manage and support diverse teams. This doesn’t mean that leaders should strive for a homogeneity of ideas or behaviors among employees. Rather, it defines a workplace where collaboration thrives, interactions are positive, and connections among employees carry significance. While most people would agree that community and mutual respect are valuable pillars for any successful business, achieving them is easier said than done. 

Typically inclusion trainings will cover the cognitive (i.e. holding positive beliefs about people different from oneself) and affective (i.e. having positive attitudes towards people who are different from oneself) factors that are important for establishing strong inclusive cultures. Yet, there can be no change without actions and behaviors that apply knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes. 

That’s why it’s time for a skills-first approach. 

While it might not seem obvious, embracing inclusion as an individual and an organization requires the use of unique and interrelated skills. These skills then reflect one’s ability to apply knowledge learned to real-world situations. From a behavioral psychology perspective, there are some key frameworks that underpin successful behavior change:

Cultivating a growth mindset:

Having a growth mindset is all about believing that intelligence and ability can be developed, rather than being fixed traits. It’s about having the motivation and persistence to make positive changes in our behavior. This mindset extends to how we engage with others.

Researchers have actually studied how having a growth or fixed mindset affects our willingness to interact with people who are similar or different from us. They discovered that those with a fixed mindset tend to avoid interactions with individuals who are different. Alternatively, those with a growth mindset are more open to it. What’s fascinating is that they also found that it’s possible to teach a growth mindset and increase people’s satisfaction when partnering with someone from a different background. This shows us that a growth mindset can be nurtured and developed. As practitioners aiming to promote positive outcomes for inclusive leaders, we can start by encouraging a growth mindset. In turn, this increases the chances of behavior change.

Focusing on habit formation:

When it comes to forming new habits, repetition in a consistent context is key. Once a behavior has been repeated enough times, it becomes a habit that is triggered by certain cues or events. If we want to develop new DEI-relevant skills, such as checking assumptions or asking questions, we can think of them as habits we’re trying to build. As practitioners, we can assist learners in identifying the cues and prompts in their environment that will increase the likelihood of engaging in these desired behaviors. Let’s help each other create and practice positive habits!

A skills-first approach to inclusion recognizes that in order to effect true behavior change, learning experiences need to focus on educating the mind, evoking emotion, and inspiring informed action. Amidst these efforts, it’s essential to focus on the practical application of these theories. A skills-first approach is critical for L&D professionals who are navigating how to build a high performing team. This method ensures that theoretical knowledge is effectively translated into everyday practices.

Connecting the Dots on Impact

With employee engagement reaching an all time low, the call for managers and people leaders could not be clearer. While managers are already feeling overburdened and stressed, we can’t escape the reality that they have a massive influence over an employee’s experience at the company. About three in four employees say their manager’s support, encouragement, and/or leadership directly motivates them to go above and beyond in the workplace, and more than a third of employees (37%) say having a good manager — one who’s accessible but doesn’t micro-manage — makes them feel the most productive at work.

Ultimately, connecting the dots between inclusive leadership and team performance will showcase the real impact of how to build a high performing team. Storytelling combined with data can powerfully demonstrate how inclusive practices lead to better business outcomes.. It’s not enough to just say “if we increase employee engagement, then we will see better business outcomes.”

Instead, get as specific as possible, something like: “After we rolled out an inclusive leadership program to managers within our North America product function, we saw 5 percentage point increase in engagement compared to teams who did not go through this training. Moreover, the teams who benefited from managers who learned inclusive skills and behaviors were better able to design our product more inclusively, helping us expand into new markets and increasing our revenue by 15%”. Getting this data might require forming closer partnerships with counterparts in People Analytics, as well as functional leaders, but it’s worth putting in the effort if it helps you tell a powerful impact story.

Forging Forward with Intention and Innovation

The challenges of nurturing inclusive leadership and transforming company culture is daunting, but the reward — a thriving culture and business — is well worth it. 

This is an exciting opportunity for L&D pros. As we scale these heights, let us hold fast to the conviction that every step towards inclusivity is progress, every stride towards equity is growth, and our collective journey is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together.