Developing Inclusive Leadership Practices for Managers

Great leadership shapes whether people stay or leave. A revealing study found 57% of staff have quit due to poor leaders and 32% are thinking about leaving. That makes clear why building better leader habits is urgent.

This guide equips leaders with practical steps to create a workplace where people feel safe, valued, and motivated to contribute. It shows how everyday actions — fair meetings, clearer credit, and bias-aware systems — move teams from intent to real change.

We explain how inclusion goes beyond headcount diversity and centers daily behaviors that shape culture and business outcomes. You will see concrete examples from firms like Microsoft and Unilever, and a friendly roadmap to align team routines with company goals.

Sustained change needs small, steady acts. Managers are the catalysts who influence environment, morale, and long-term performance. This section starts the practical path to that commitment.

Key Takeaways

• Poor leadership drives high turnover; better habits help retain people.
• Inclusion is shown through daily actions, not just policies.
• Simple routines — fair meetings and clear credit — reduce bias.
• Real company examples link these ideas to business results.
• Small, consistent behaviors sustain culture and lower risk.

What Inclusive Leadership Is and Why It Matters Right Now

When teams can share ideas without fear, companies see clearer decisions and better results.

Define it: Inclusive leadership is a leadership approach that intentionally creates a workplace where employees feel respected, empowered, and able to contribute. It goes beyond headcount diversity to focus on how leaders run conversations, make decisions, and share credit.

Why this matters now: more than half of people who left jobs point to poor leaders, and 32% are considering exit because of management. At the same time, McKinsey finds companies with diverse executive teams are 33% more likely to outperform peers on profitability.

Deloitte shows inclusive cultures boost innovation and agility. LifeLabs Learning adds that small, systematic habits—giving credit and asking for other perspectives—counter micro-exclusions and the Ringelmann effect. That raises engagement and performance.

• Inclusive leaders deliberately source varied perspectives and correct for familiar-voice bias.
• Inclusion improves decisions, increases idea flow, and helps retain people.
• These skills are learnable through self-awareness, daily routines, and focused training.

What’s next: This guide turns the definition into ready actions that leaders can use immediately to create stronger teams and unlock opportunity across the employee experience.

Inclusive Leadership Practices for Managers

Start with clear, repeatable steps that turn awareness into visible change across the team.

A step-by-step path from awareness to action

LifeLabs identifies four core habits: invite authenticity, grow self-awareness, seek feedback, and lift other perspectives regularly.

Begin with self-checks, then build daily routines. Add quick feedback loops and make crediting ideas routine. These steps turn quiet intent into steady change.

Small habits, big impact: making inclusion daily and visible

Choose two high-leverage actions. Example: ask one extra perspective in each meeting and name idea sources aloud.

These tiny moves increase participation and spark more ideas, which fuels innovation across the company.

Aligning goals, resources, and accountability

Map inclusion outcomes to team metrics like airtime and participation rate. Assign responsibility and review progress in performance conversations.

1. Start small, make it visible.
2. Track simple metrics and act on feedback.
3. Document norms in team working agreements.

Start With Self: Build Awareness, Curiosity, and Humility

Start by looking inward: honest self-checks shape how you notice and correct bias.

“If you have a brain, you’re biased.”

LifeLabs uses that line to normalize bias and push leaders toward curiosity instead of defensiveness.

Try a quick ritual before big calls. Ask your past self where a choice excluded someone. Ask your present self what needs you might miss. Ask your future self how this decision will scale fair outcomes.

Keep a short learning log. Note mistakes, what you learned, and one small test you will run next week. Sharing that log builds trust and shows commitment to growth.

• Pair bite-sized unconscious bias training with practical checklists: meeting airtime, crediting ideas, and who speaks.
• Use curiosity prompts to source perspectives from people you seldom hear.
• Slow down at hiring, reviews, and workload decisions where biases often creep in.

Practical mindset: seek disconfirming evidence, ask one more question, and assume there is more to learn from others’ experiences.

Create Psychological Safety and Invite Authenticity

When people can bring their whole selves, teams solve harder problems together.

Check in before checking on: start humane 1:1s by asking, “How are you, really?” Follow with, “What’s one thing I can do to make work easier?” These quick questions let employees feel seen before you move to task updates.

Holding space means giving tough topics a clear venue, time, and priority. Book a slot, set an agenda, and state the purpose so groups know the talk will not be squeezed out.

Model vulnerability with intention

Use short intention statements: “I’m sharing this because…” Label feelings briefly to normalise emotion without spreading anxiety. That keeps communication honest and bounded.

Address micro-exclusions in remote and hybrid teams

• Rotate facilitators and track airtime to give quieter voices space.
• Use chat-first prompts or the progressive stack to widen contribution.
• Adjust meeting design: share agendas early, enable captions, and offer read-alongs for accessibility.

Why this works: These steps reduce bias in conversation, meet people’s needs, and build a culture where trust and collaboration grow beyond single events.

Lift Up Diverse Perspectives and Improve Decisions

Actively sourcing varied voices uncovers blind spots and improves how we choose next steps. That starts with simple systems to capture who suggested what and to give credit when ideas travel across the organisation.

Consistently sourcing and crediting ideas

Track contributors. Keep a short log of who offered each idea, repeat the originator’s name when the idea spreads, and name follow-on contributors so recognition stays fair.

Designing meetings that surface quieter voices

Set an explicit prompt to gather at least two extra perspectives. Use round-robins and asynchronous input to reach people who speak less in real time.

“Pfizer’s diverse team helped produce a breakthrough drug; HealthPartners’ council steered better choices by adding varied experiences.”

• Match decision methods to stakes: consultative for speed, consensus for high-impact calls, and always document the rationale.
• Embed rituals: pre-reads that ask each person for one risk and one opportunity, rotate presenters, and add decision “shadows” to expand opportunities.

Why it matters: Broader input lifts performance by surfacing risks and strengthening solutions. Consistent habits, not one-offs, let diversity shape daily work and better decisions across the team.

Reduce Bias in Systems: Hiring, Reviews, Pay, and Opportunities

Training helps awareness, but system design drives lasting change across hiring and pay.

Make fairness a built-in part of process, not an occasional fix. Pair brief unconscious bias training with concrete rules so decisions do not rely on memory or goodwill.

Unconscious bias training plus systemic safeguards

Run short, practical training to name common biases and prompt reflection. Then add structural safeguards that enforce fair steps.

Fair processes: job specs, panels, promotion criteria, equity reviews

• Standardize job specs and scorecards to reduce subjective filters.
• Use diverse interview panels and anonymised shortlists where practical.
• Apply clear promotion criteria and document evidence to justify decisions.
• Schedule regular equity reviews and pay audits, as Accenture and Sodexo do, to create measurable accountability.

1. Assign responsibility: ask leaders to use scorecards and document decisions.
2. Set public targets and link incentives to progress across teams and companies.
3. Open internal postings and rotation programs to broaden opportunities beyond informal networks.

When systems are fair, employees trust decisions more. That trust raises engagement and makes inclusion durable beyond any single leader.

Communicate for Inclusion: Everyday Language, Signals, and Feedback

How we talk and respond each day sets the tone for trust and honest feedback.

Psychological safety cues and allyship in action

Use short, repeatable lines: “I might be missing something — who sees it differently?” and “What would make this feel safer to try?”

Pair those with affect labeling and intention statements. Try: “I’m sharing this so you know where my head is, not because I need you to fix it.”

Allyship is daily and small: amplify quieter voices, interrupt micro-exclusions, and name idea originators aloud. These actions show respect and build trust.

Ask for, receive, and act on feedback

Offer a simple feedback loop: ask regularly, say thanks, restate what you heard, then act visibly.

“Here’s what we changed based on your feedback.”

Publish brief updates that list changes and next steps. Use weekly rituals like “rose, thorn, bud” to surface diverse perspectives and keep inclusion active in day-to-day work.

• Set accessible meeting norms and clear document language.
• Ask each person to speak at least once in discussions.
• Track and report small wins so employees see impact.

Measure What Matters: Inclusion Metrics and Continuous Improvement

Measure both voice and result so your efforts move beyond intention to impact.

From sentiment to behavior: what to track

Build a balanced scorecard that connects feeling to action.

Track three layers: sentiment (belonging, voice), behavior (airtime, participation, diversity of hiring slates), and outcomes (pay equity, promotion velocity).

Linking these measures shows how small changes in meetings or feedback lead to measurable business improvement and growth.

Transparent targets, reporting, and course correction

Set clear goals and report progress publicly. Use quarterly pulse checks, biannual equity reviews, and an annual summary that ties inclusion to company performance and decisions.

Make reports honest: name gaps, assign responsibility, and state next steps. Metrics should guide learning, not punishment.

“Accenture runs annual pay equity reviews and reports 100% pay equity across genders globally in many regions; Sodexo sets targets like ≤10% gender pay gap; Johnson & Johnson tracks DEI publicly and recognizes progress through global programs.”

Compare results by groups to spot where work differs across teams. Use employee feedback to refine measures so numbers match lived experience.

1. Embed inclusion indicators into performance conversations and planning work.
2. Use feedback loops to update targets and fix high-impact gaps first.
3. Report progress publicly and take clear responsibility for course correction.

Real-World Inspiration: Inclusive Leaders and Companies

Real companies show how measurable targets and clear accountability turn diversity goals into business gains.

Sodexo and Accenture: goals, pay equity, and accountability

Sodexo set a target of gender-balanced management and a ≤10% gender pay gap by 2025. Today 43% of senior leaders are women. Those targets help the company link representation to performance and internal trust.

Accenture runs annual pay equity reviews and reports 100% pay equity across genders globally, with race/ethnicity checks in select regions. The company aims for a gender-balanced workforce by 2025. That discipline shows how targets and audits protect employees and move business results.

Johnson & Johnson: DEI pillars and ERGs at scale

Johnson & Johnson uses four strategic pillars and 12 employee resource groups to align culture with clear reporting. Their Health for Humanity Report and public recognition programs keep progress visible and actionable.

Other notable examples and outcomes

• Microsoft pairs bias training with ERGs to boost innovation and product insight.
• Intel’s Capital Diversity Fund expands opportunities and market reach.
• Pfizer used diverse teams to speed breakthrough drug development.
• Google’s culture of wide participation helped create products like Google Maps.
• P&G drives supplier diversity and inclusive product lines such as Pantene Gold Series.
• The US Navy embeds DEI through strategic plans and a leadership symposium at scale.
• Sephora’s “Color Up Close” links customer voices to product and marketing choices.
• HealthPartners uses a D&I council to bring varied perspectives into factual decisions.

“Measured goals, public reporting, and clear ownership turn good intent into steady progress.”

Quick-Start Plan for Managers in the Workplace

Use a simple 30/90-day plan to make everyday actions count and build durable change across your team. This plan balances fast wins and system fixes so employees see progress quickly.

First 30 days: habits and conversations to begin now

Run humane 1:1s that open with “How are you, really?” and then ask one development question. Start a meeting ritual that invites two extra perspectives each session.

Begin crediting idea sources aloud, and set a short feedback loop: “What should we keep, start, stop?” Publish brief “You said, we did” notes so change is visible.

Agree a team working agreement that covers airtime, agenda circulation, and chat participation. Assign one opportunity per person to lead a small piece of work.

Next 60-90 days: system fixes and team rituals

Standardize hiring scorecards and use diverse interview panels. Pilot an equity review of pay and promotions and document clear criteria for growth opportunities.

Introduce rotating facilitation, presenter rotations, and decision “shadows” to widen opportunities and build skills across teams.

Add inclusion metrics to team dashboards—participation rates and stretch-project distribution—and review them with delivery and performance numbers.

Quick note: busy leaders should pick two strategies that remove bottlenecks and protect short calendar time to embed routines. Small, steady actions compound into stronger environment and better outcomes for employees and people across the team.

Conclusion

, Small, steady habits by leaders turn good intent into measurable culture change. Inclusive leaders who invite authenticity, seek feedback, and lift others’ voices make inclusion routine rather than episodic.

Accenture, Sodexo, and Johnson & Johnson show that clear targets and transparent reporting accelerate progress. An inclusive leader who pairs humility with accountability unlocks new ideas and stronger solutions for the business and people.

Start where you are: pick one or two simple moves today, track short metrics, and build system fixes that scale fair outcomes and sustainable growth. Over time, daily actions compound into trust, momentum, and long-term value.

Keep learning, measure results, and iterate so diverse perspectives stay heard and progress remains on track.