Today’s leaders manage teams that are endlessly complex. In the world of remote work, a single team can consist of people operating in Shanghai, Berlin, Detroit, and San Francisco. Leaders must facilitate collaboration across varied cultural expectations in addition to time zones.
According to Kristin Barrett, a leadership development consultant and executive coach, this reality creates real pressure.
“Leaders need to balance the flexibility of dispersed and hybrid work with accountability. They’re responsible for fostering inclusion across both remote and in-person settings,” she said. “That requires great intentionality and inclusive work practices.”
The stakes are high. Leaders aren’t only keeping operations running — they’re tasked with driving engagement, boosting performance, retaining talent, and fostering innovation. Yet, most development efforts have not kept pace, leaving managers underprepared.
By intentionally instilling inclusive behaviors, organizations can create leaders who unlock peak performance from even the most complex teams.
The Challenges of Modern Leadership
Leaders in charge of hybrid and culturally diverse teams have a challenging job. Their direct reports work different schedules in varying locations. Managers may see some team members face-to-face but rely on virtual meetings for one-on-one time with others. Individuals may have disparate tools and mixed levels of access, according to Barrett.
Outside of these logistical challenges, leaders must also navigate the complexities that accompany modern teams. Employees will bring contrasting personalities and distinct cultural backgrounds, as well as unique strengths, weaknesses, and experiences.
These obstacles present leaders with issues that traditional leadership models were never designed to handle. Modern managers must be trained to ensure every employee feels seen, heard, supported, and empowered to do their best work — regardless of differences in schedule, location, background, or culture. Inclusive leadership empowers individuals to access this full potential, and leaders who implement it heighten the performance of any team.
How Inclusive Leadership Drives Team Performance
Inclusive leadership is the skill set that allows managers to meet those modern demands. By creating an environment in which employees feel supported, valued, and empowered, inclusive leaders unlock the full potential of their people.
Barrett emphasized that inclusion is no longer optional: “You can’t be an effective leader in today’s environment without being inclusive. They are one and the same.”
In fact, inclusion is directly tied to business outcomes. A study prompted by the recent rise of highly diverse teams found that leaders who are open, available, and accessible enhance employees’ psychological safety. This security was shown to improve employees’ innovative performance for teams and individual contributors alike.
Behaviors That Drive Inclusive Leadership
Inclusive leaders excel in fostering belonging. By ensuring team members feel safe and welcome, they fully leverage employees’ skills and experiences.
To successfully manage distributed and diverse teams, Barrett named three inclusive behaviors that leaders must implement.
- Cultural intelligence: Leaders who recognize and address cultural nuances can better leverage diverse perspectives, which support innovation.
- Emotional agility: When leaders can successfully manage stress and uncertainty, their teams are more stable, even amid change.
- Belonging: Leaders who create a sense of psychological safety on their teams encourage people to share ideas, take risks, and collaborate more openly.
Leaders with these skills bring harmony to complex teams that may otherwise feel disjointed, Barrett said. An adept manager anticipates friction between employees with clashing cultural expectations, addresses conflict with curiosity and compassion, and charts a way forward with openness.
This approach creates a positive impact on teams — and the businesses they serve. Inclusive behaviors drive engagement, encourage trust, and foster innovation.
How to Build Inclusive Leaders
If inclusive leadership is so effective, how can employers ensure managers implement it? Organizations can start by giving leaders the opportunity to practice new behaviors, Barrett said. A combination of coaching and experiential learning allows managers to experiment, get feedback, and try again.
“This kind of training is about providing a safe space to test what they’re learning,” Barrett said. “Give leaders a benchmark for how they’re doing so they can assess their strengths and their areas for improvement. No one does this perfectly.”
The SHRM Linkage Purposeful Leadership Model equips leaders with the skills they need to elicit the best performance from their teams. The model trains leaders to cultivate inspiration, boost engagement, motivate innovation, accelerate achievement, and encourage development. These values allow leaders to amplify the results of their people.
By bolstering inclusive leadership, organizations can influence long-term impact.
“People thrive, teams thrive, the business thrives,” Barrett said. “Inclusive leadership ensures you attract top talent, reduce turnover, and improve engagement over time.”
To Foster Inclusion, Develop It
Inclusive leaders won’t be created by accident. To build a class of leaders equipped to meet the demands of modern management, organizations must invest in programs that unite skills with practice.
Give leaders the space and safety they need to learn how to provide a similar experience for their own teams, no matter where and how they operate.
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