By Snéha Khilay
Inclusive leadership is increasingly recognised as a business necessity but often lacks practical application. Snéha Khilay explores how leaders can move beyond rhetoric to embed inclusion into strategy and culture. She outlines actionable steps that turn intent into measurable outcomes, driving engagement, innovation, and long-term organisational resilience in complex environments.
In today’s business environment, few terms are used as liberally – and understood as vaguely – as inclusive leadership. It frequently appears in vision statements, executive briefings and mandatory training, framed as a moral imperative and strategic differentiator. And yet, scratch beneath the surface and many senior leaders will quietly admit they don’t fully grasp what it means, let alone how to translate it into practice on the front line.
This paradox lies at the heart of workplace inclusion today. DEI initiatives and programmes trigger anxiety, of getting it right and how that is interpreted to more recent and increasingly scepticism – fuelled not just by questions of effectiveness, but by a growing political backlash.
What began in the United States as a targeted campaign against DEI – driven by executive orders, legal challenges, and accusations of “reverse discrimination” – has now spread across borders, influencing corporate behaviour and public discourse in Europe and beyond.
In the UK, for example, some organisations are quietly scaling back public commitments to inclusion. Earlier this year, for example, The Guardian reported that pharma company GK had “paused diversity activities” for its UK workforce, while the Financial Conduct Authority announced it would be pressing pause on proposed D&I rules for financial firms.
This shift reflects a broader unease: some leaders fear reputational risk, others face regulatory uncertainty, and many are unsure how to navigate the polarised terrain. Against this backdrop, inclusive leadership offers a strong and steady approach – helping organisations navigate political turbulence, create fair, just and sustainable cultures and staying true to living out their values.
Why Inclusive Leadership Matters
Research continues to support the business case for diversity. In a global survey published by Harvard Business Review, Groysberg and Connolly found that CEOs leading diversity-positive organisations shared three key convictions: inclusion was a personal mission, a strategic imperative, and a moral duty grounded in their values. Opportunity Now reported that 80% of employees who had worked with an inclusive leader were more motivated, loyal, and willing to go the extra mile. What this demonstrates is that when employees feel genuinely acknowledged, they perform better, stay longer, and deliver a stronger customer experience. Inclusive leadership isn’t a feel-good principle – it’s a business-critical practice.
What Does Inclusive Leadership Look Like?
Despite its growing appeal, inclusive leadership remains widely misunderstood. From years of consultancy work across both corporate and public sectors, I have seen several consistent themes that help organisations move beyond tokenism, even a tick box exercise and turn the concept into action with far reaching positive consequences.
So what do leaders need to do in practice to ensure inclusion is embedded at the core of their culture.
1. Define Inclusion Clearly
Inclusive leadership begins with a shared definition. Leaders must go beyond jargon to describe, in tangible terms, what inclusive culture looks and feels like. As Groysberg and Connolly framed it: “A culture where employees contribute as their true selves while the organisation respects and leverages their talents – creating a sense of connectedness.”
2. Practice Leadership Agility
Adaptability is key. Inclusive leaders flex their behaviours to account for diverse cultural perspectives and personal circumstances. That means communicating with nuance, listening actively, and developing personalised understanding. One senior leader I worked with regularly held one-to-one meetings with staff, tailoring his approach to each person – and in doing so, saved costs by responding to and resolving concerns before they escalated.
3. Proactively Acknowledge and Address Bias
Recognition of bias is only the start. Leaders must actively seek different perspectives and take responsibility for correcting biases, manifested in microaggressions, day to day interactions, daily practices, language, and behaviours. Diverse teams may take longer to reach decisions – but those decisions, within the frame of greater accountability tend to be more robust, sustainable, and widely accepted.
4. Make Inclusion Measurable
Inclusion must be underpinned by metrics. This means tracking key data points: who applies for roles, who gets hired, who accepts offers, and how these individuals perform and progress over time. Staff surveys, retention, promotion, and exit rates across different groups provide diagnostic insights, highlighting where interventions are needed.
Furthermore, after the data has been collected and analysed, it is necessary to ensure that there is a correct emphasis on next steps for action.
In one leadership team, the directors, focused, on the staff survey data that 87% of staff members had not experienced bullying and harassment. They naively thought no further action was required. They, in their excitement of the results failed to recognise that 13% (39 people) had experienced behaviours which had caused them unease and discomfort.
5. Show Up and Champion Initiatives
True commitment is visible. Leaders who personally chair DEI steering groups, attend staff network events, and align goals to areas such as recruitment, mentoring, staff development and customer engagement send a powerful message. Their active involvement builds trust and credibility, particularly when goals are transparent, and time bound.
6. Be a Role Model—And Elevate Others
Representation matters. A diverse array of senior leaders signals genuine organisational buy-in and gives emerging leaders role models to emulate. Inclusion from the top cascades throughout the business, encouraging others to lead with courage, authenticity and care.
In parallel, leaders who are open to and act upon feedback from managers and staff further embed a culture of trust, belonging and psychological safety.
Culture Change Is a Long Game
Cultural transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s estimated that embedding inclusive leadership across an organisation takes two to three years of sustained effort. And in that time, businesses will inevitably face restructuring, leadership turnover, and economic shifts. The question becomes: will inclusion survive the change?
Progressive leaders know it must. Inclusion during turbulence builds trust, steadies morale, and prevents disengagement. It requires hard work, clarity, and collective will -—but as Steve Redgrave once said of his Olympic team: “It’s not always a bed of roses, but the blend of characters makes the strength of the team.”
Snéha Khilay
