When the whole world is talking about inclusive leadership, it feels like managers have been completely forgotten or worse… that management is a dirty word. Because we all know managers are bossy and directive and leaders are collaborative and visionary.
Right?
Ummm… that’s not how this works in real life.
We know how important leadership is, but most of us need to wear more than one hat and sometimes the way we talk about leadership it feels a little bit… privileged. As if leaders only need develop stronger empathy and better communication skills, things will magically get accomplished. Too simplistic.
Managing workflow and deliverables still exists and no matter how much emotional intelligence we have or how strong our vision is, work still needs to get done.
So, what does inclusive management look like? How do we take inclusive leadership concepts and operationalize them in the workforce? How do we balance the hats that we wear to make sure we’re focused on what matters in the moment?
Have you ever managed anyone with a permanent or chronic disability? Mental health or physical health crisis? Personal crisis?
What have you learned through your experience?
What advice can you give to other managers, in the trenches, who are trying to do their best to find the balance between support and developing strengths and potential, while also trying to reach their KPIs and OKRs.
How do we create truly high performing AND inclusive teams, in practice, through great leadership and great management? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
With love,
Erin
P.S. This ^ is the exact reason why I believe agile values, leadership and management approaches make sense.
