How to Be an Inclusive Leader, Second Edition: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive

By Jennifer Brown

This compelling and inspiring call to action for leaders at every level helps them find their role and voice in affecting societal and workplace change.

The need for inclusive leadership has never been more urgent. In the United States, the wealth gap is the greatest it has ever been, with women, people of color, and other marginalized communities being the most impacted by economic and societal inequities. In the workplace, representation is still sorely lacking across every industry. Pay disparities, low wages, and lack of benefits continue to characterize many jobs in the nation's labor force. These realities have an impact on generations, communities, and our society overall. To build a more equitable future, leaders must grasp the urgency of their role and responsibility in the change effort.

In this updated and greatly expanded second edition of her bestselling book, Jennifer Brown takes a deeper dive into what it takes to be an inclusive leader and examines the challenges and mindsets that continue to hold many leaders back. Combining nearly two decades of professional DEI expertise with personal experience and reflection, she tackles complex topics such as identity, privilege, and systemic inequities. Following her widely acclaimed Inclusive Leader Continuum, Brown makes the journey to becoming an inclusive leader more informed and actionable by offering new structure and content throughout the new edition of the book, including new insights and stories, detailed strategies and tools, and discussion guides to spark learning at the individual and organizational levels.

Whether you are already a fan of the first edition of How to Be an Inclusive Leader or are just embarking on your journey to become a more inclusive leader, this book will meet you where you are and equip you to take action and step into your role in the change effort.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781523002023

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown is the author of the young adult novels Shade Me, Bitter End, Perfect Escape, Thousand Words, and Torn Away. Her debut young adult novel, Hate List, was chosen as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a VOYA Perfect Ten, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She lives in the Kansas City, Missouri, area with her husband and children. You can visit Jennifer online at www.jenniferbrownya.com.

Book preview

How to Be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive

HOW TO BE AN

INCLUSIVE

LEADER

SECOND EDITION

HOW TO BE AN

INCLUSIVE

LEADER

Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive

JENNIFER BROWN

How to Be an Inclusive Leader, Second Edition

Copyright © 2019, 2022 by Jennifer Brown

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Ordering information for print editions

Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Special Sales Department at the Berrett-Koehler address above.

Individual sales. Berrett-Koehler publications are available through most bookstores. They can also be ordered directly from Berrett-Koehler: Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; www.bkconnection.com

Orders for college textbook/course adoption use. Please contact Berrett-Koehler: Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone].

Distributed to the U.S. trade and internationally by Penguin Random House Publisher Services.

Berrett-Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Second Edition

Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-5230-0200-9

PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-0201-6

IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-0202-3

Digital audio ISBN 978-1-5230-0203-0

2022-1

Book producer and text designer: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Cover designer: Dan Tesser, Studio Carnelian

Several generations of very special women have served as my pilot lights.

To Deb Ziegler, who lifted me out of despair and showed me another way to make my voice matter.

To Mimi Brown with whom I’ve conspired for years on deep matters of the soul.

And most importantly, to my partner Michelle whose activist spirit and companionship I take respite in, every day of our lives together.

Contents

Preface

INTRODUCTION

Persisting Even When It’s Challenging

A New Type of Leadership Is Called For

A New Theory of Change: The Inclusive Leader Continuum

Call to Action

The Inclusive Leader Continuum

CHAPTER ONE Finding Your Role as an Inclusive Leader

Finding Your Way into the Conversation

Getting Off the Sidelines

Chapter Discussion Guide

CHAPTER TWO Unaware

Hallmarks of the Unaware Stage

Embracing and Practicing Humility

Educating Yourself and Learning More

Uncovering Bias

Questioning Our Biases

Surrounding Yourself with a Trusted Few

Key Reminders

Chapter Discussion Guide

CHAPTER THREE Aware

Hallmarks of the Aware Stage

Developing and Nurturing Empathy

Diving into Identity

The Tip of the Iceberg

Key Reminders

Chapter Discussion Guide

CHAPTER FOUR Active

Hallmarks of the Active Stage

Leaning into Vulnerability

The Power of Storytelling

Uncovering Your Story

Diving into DEI

Key Reminders

Chapter Discussion Guide

CHAPTER FIVE Advocate

Hallmarks of the Advocate Stage

Developing Resilience to Weather the Storm

Leaning into Allyship

Allyship in Action

Challenging Systems and Structures

Key Reminders

Chapter Discussion Guide

CHAPTER SIX Staying Committed to the Journey

Assuming Responsibility for Your Role

Taking Action

Key Reminders

Notes

Resources for Inclusive Leaders

Acknowledgments

Index

About the Author

About Jennifer Brown Consulting

Preface

When I chose the title for the first edition of this book, How to Be an Inclusive Leader, including the word how was intentional. One of the questions I’m most often asked by leaders looking for guidance and direction is How do I start? Interestingly enough, for many leaders, it’s figuring out the how that’s holding them back.

What we expect of leaders has been upended, leaving many leaders unmoored and navigating through new, uncharted territory. In the past, we looked to our leaders for certainty and decisiveness. We expected them to lead with authority, to have all the answers. Now we expect our leaders to show humility, empathy, and vulnerability. We want them to willingly admit what they don’t know. We ask them to be resilient in the face of criticism, to embrace and talk about their discomfort and mistakes.

The very essence of how leaders have understood their role and their responsibility to others—and to society—is being questioned and challenged. To add to it all, leaders are having to pivot through this uncertainty in the public eye. I wrote this book to equip those leaders who have ever felt uncertain about their next steps with a path forward.

In the first edition of the book, I introduced the Inclusive Leader Continuum to guide individuals through the very personal and emotional learning journey they undertake to become inclusive leaders—no matter where they are starting from. The four stages of the Continuum—Unaware, Aware, Active, and Advocate—formed the underpinnings of the first edition, and they do again in this new second edition. The first edition of the book proved to be a success, and I have had many opportunities to use the teachings in it as a construct in my consulting work, speaking engagements, and executive coaching. Through that work, I have been continually collecting new insights, listening to new stories, and discovering new tools. This is really what has led me to write the second edition of the book. There is that much more I want to share.

What started as minor revisions to the first edition kept growing in scope. I added a new chapter that delves deep into what holds many leaders back and the role identity and privilege play. I like to think of the chapter as a call-in to those leaders who are still on the sidelines. As leaders, we can bring so much to the change effort and we are already equipped to do this. I also developed Discussion Guides for each chapter to make the learning more actionable, and I added new stories that demonstrate so well what inclusive leadership actually looks like in practice.

I’ve had the good fortune to work with leaders who grasp the extent to which the playing field isn’t level and understand they have a role in fixing that. They lead with purpose and get to work changing systems. But the reality is, many other leaders haven’t yet awakened to the realities around them, and others might have awakened to those realities yet are still reluctant to get involved in the change effort. I hope this second edition will help leaders at any of these stages to get involved and step into their roles as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) champions, advocates, and allies.

I am proud that the Inclusive Leader Continuum has enabled so many to ground themselves in their learning journey, to become true instruments of change. Solving for inequities and achieving meaningful change has elevated the importance of DEI and requires the personal commitment and involvement of all, especially those who have great access and influence. The need for inclusive leadership has never been more urgent. If we want a more just world, we need to grasp the urgency of our own role and responsibility because our role is necessary in the change equation.

No matter your title, or how advanced you already consider yourself to be as an inclusive leader, I believe this book will help you evolve and motivate you to take action. It’s time to get comfortable being uncomfortable. It’s time to activate your power and influence. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get off the sidelines. We need all hands on deck to make change happen.

I believe we all have the capacity to develop into the inclusive leaders the world, and the workplace, need. The time is now, so let’s get started.

Introduction

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

—JAMES BALDWIN

There is a sea change underway. When I wrote the first edition of this book, organizations and their leaders were already navigating through a period of dramatic change. Globalization, population shifts, the climate crisis, advances in technology, political divides, and a range of other societal issues were spilling over into the workforce, creating new and unprecedented challenges for leaders. Since then, the rate of change has only accelerated.

The global pandemic made permanent dramatic shifts to the way that work is done. The murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the social movements that followed put a spotlight on the harsh reality that too many people in the United States continue to experience discrimination, racism, and violence. But it also served as a call to action, with millions of Americans marching, advocating, rallying, and organizing to put an end to centuries of systemic inequity.

The stakes for transformative conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) could not be higher. The wealth gap in the United States is the greatest it has ever been. Representation is still sorely lacking in boardrooms and at senior levels across every industry sector. Women and people of color are disproportionately overrepresented in low-skill, low-wage occupations, and disproportionately underrepresented in high-skill, high-wage jobs. Pay inequities, low wages, and lack of benefits continue to characterize many jobs in the nation’s labor force. These are hard truths, and they have an impact on generations, communities, society, and the economy overall.

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The growing transparency about inequities in the workplace has been a wakeup call for many organizations and leaders.

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We’re at a point in history in which people are finding their voices and using them to apply pressure on those organizations and leaders who are lagging behind social and demographic changes. The demand for equity is growing louder by the day. Today, employees expect companies to create value for all stakeholders—customers, communities, society—not just shareholders. Incoming generations of employees in particular crave purpose in their jobs. They are concerned with community, social responsibility, and the environment, and they look for a business purpose