Creating Inclusive Leadership Environments

Your competence at work is judged in seconds. Even when you over-deliver, you can be underestimated. Every day, false assumptions about you are made: — Polite = Weak — Older = Not agile — A foreign accent = Less capable — Introverted =  Not a strong leader — Woman =  Softer voice, less authority It's not just unfair. It's exhausting. So the question is: How do you beat biases without changing who you are? Here’s what I recommend: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 → Speak about impact, not effort. → Articulate your value proposition. →“Here’s the problems I solve. Here's how. Here’s the result."  If no one knows what you bring to the table, they won’t invite you to it. 𝟮. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 Silent excellence is wasted potential. → Speak up when it feels risky. → Build real not just strategic relationships. → Share insights where people are paying attention. You don’t need to be loud. You need to be seen. 𝟯. 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 The traits that trigger assumptions? Those are your edge. → Introverted? That’s deep listening. → Accent? That’s global perspective. Don’t flatten yourself to fit. Distinguish yourself to lead. 𝟰. 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 → Say “I recommend” not "I think.” → Hold eye contact. Take up space. → Act like your presence belongs (even when others haven’t caught up.) Confidence isn’t volume. It’s grounding. Bias is everywhere. But perception can be changed. Don't let other people's false assumptions define you. Do you agree? ➕ Follow Deena Priest for strategic career insights. 📌Join my newsletter to build a career grounded in progress, peace and pay.

Why is it that even in industries dominated by women employees, men rise to the top of the most prestigious and influential organizations? One answer is career escalators. “Career escalators” points to the practices, structures and norms that move a person upward in their careers. However, as research by many, including Prof. Christine Williams shows in her research, “glass elevators” are hidden advantages for men to advance in women-dominated fields. As Cathleen Clerkin, PhD reveals, a broad look at nonprofit workers reveals a slight advantage for men in leadership. Women represent about 70% of employees yet only 62% of leaders. The real gap, however, shows up when you look at size of the non-profit, as measured by revenues. Men nonprofit CEOs oversee nearly twice the revenues as women (~$11M vs. ~$6M). And men CEOs earn on average +27% more than women CEOs. Having worked with many nonprofit boards on their hiring practices, bias is a concern in recruiting CEOs and board directors. Preference for the “think leader, think male” can give an implicit advantage to White men, resulting in disadvantages or de-accelerators for women and BIPOC men. Often those concerns are expressed in donor networks, strategic thinking, vision and public persona -- all of which are important and yet the evaluation of who can do them can be fraught with biases. What can you do? The author suggests many important strategies. ✔ Check for biased language and treatment in the hiring process.  ✔ Track demographic data.  ✔ Be transparent about pay.  ✔ Create clear career matrices.  ✔ Have explicit conversations about career goals.  ✔ Sponsor women and give them challenging opportunities. When we make these often invisible accelerators visible--and work towards creating clear, equitable and transparent access to them--we can come closer to achieving our intention of creating remarkable and inclusive organizations.  Research by Candid. Article published in Harvard Business Review.

We’re doing to executives What inaccessible products do to users. I saw it happen in a design review. A designer said: “We need to improve accessibility to meet WCAG 2.2 AA.” I asked: “What exactly isn’t accessible?” They couldn’t point out the issue Leadership was in the room. No one asked a follow-up question. And I realized that we talk about accessibility In a way that decision-makers can’t understand. Think about it: - Inaccessible products confuse users - Inaccessible presentations confuse leadership Same problem. Different audience. So what happens? Decisions start sounding like: “I don’t fully get this… but it sounds important.” Or worse: “I don’t get this… so maybe we don’t prioritize it.” That’s how accessibility gets deprioritized Without anyone explicitly saying it. Here’s what accessible communication actually looks like: Instead of: “We need WCAG compliance.” Say: “Our checkout has 4 barriers preventing users from completing purchases. We estimate this is costing ~$47K/month in lost revenue.” One is compliance language. The other is a business problem. If you want accessibility to matter: - Define the problem clearly - Show who is affected - Quantify the impact - Estimate effort simply - Invite questions openly If leadership asks: “What’s a screen reader?” Good. That means they’re engaged. We say accessibility is about removing barriers. Then we create new ones in how we explain it. Stop presenting accessibility like a checklist. Start presenting it like a business problem no one can ignore. 👇🏽 What's your take on communicating accessibility to leadership? ♻️ Share and save this for your team. --- ✉️ Subscribe to my newsletter for accessibility and design insights here: https://lnkd.in/gZpAzWSu --- Accessibility note: The post has the same content as the attached image, titled "Leadership stops listening at WCAG." How to make accessibility decisions easy."

I once watched a CEO dismiss a brilliant strategy in eight seconds. Not because it was wrong: but because it came from the quietest person in the room. The most dangerous thing about stereotypes? They're invisible until they control the decision. Think you're rational? Princeton research shows we form judgments in less than 100 milliseconds. Here's the real cost: • Breakthrough ideas die in silence because the voice was "unexpected" • Future leaders vanish behind "lack of presence" • Innovation suffocates under "needs more seasoning" The business impact is clear: Companies with diverse leadership are 70% more likely to capture new markets (HBR). But stereotypes don't just live in words. They shape careers in micro-decisions every single day. Want real change? Start here: → Pause: "What's really driving my judgment right now?" → Listen: Actively seek out the quiet voices → Structure: Use clear criteria, not gut feelings I've made these mistakes. My teams got stronger when I learned to look deeper than first impressions. 💭 When have you seen silent bias change an outcome?

“Ankit, I was scared to ping you.” Why? Did I shoot someone the last time? Or maybe my DP is giving Bond villain vibes again? (Yea, ik) One stereotype I’ve heard way too often: “You can’t reach the CEO directly. Just talk to the manager.” Let’s kill that nonsense. - I’m not on a pedestal. - I’m not in an ivory tower. - My inbox? Always open. You’ll find me replying to college students who’ve never met me. Dropping honest feedback to people who ask. Cheering people when they post a win. But here’s the thing, this isn’t about me replying to some DMs. It’s about a larger myth that needs to go: So, how do we kill this stereotype for good? 1) Stop worshipping titles. Respect contributions, not designations. 2) Make feedback a two-way street. Top-down feedback is management. Bottom-up is culture. 3) Respond when people reach out. It’s not “too junior.” It's an initiative. 4) Kill calendar egos. If someone needs 10 minutes, give it. 5) Stay reachable. Stay real. Access builds trust. Distance builds fear. You don’t have to be at a higher level to make this shift. You just need to be human enough. And sometimes, all someone needs is a reply that says: “Sure, let’s talk.” PS. The only thing I shoot are targets at the arena. Your DMs are safe 🙏 #leadership #WorkCulture #Startups #CultureChange

Have you ever been told you are too quiet? Maybe you don’t speak up enough so, “people worry about your leadership skills.” Or, you don’t advocate enough for yourself so, “you aren’t taking control of your career like a natural born leader.” If so, this article is for you. Maybe you’ve received feedback that there is concern over your analytical skills and “quant chops.” Or, there is some general, yet vague, feedback that leadership worries, “you lack that killer instinct.” Or, maybe it’s the opposite and you are “too bossy” or “too opinionated.” Have you heard any of these things?  I have over my career. Instead of letting them control my path, I got upset, then angry, then curious. I decided that none of these descriptions were really a good read on me, or my leadership potential, and I decided to change the perception. You can too. I’ve interviewed hundreds of women in senior leadership over the years and one thing is clear: we’re navigating a constant push and pull. Be strong, but not too strong. Be likable, but not too soft. Show your ambition, but don’t make anyone uncomfortable. Women aren’t just doing the job, they’re doing the extra work of managing how they’re perceived while they’re doing the job. We wrote this piece for HBR because it’s important for women to know how to not only subvert stereotypes and shape how others see them, but to do it without losing themselves in the process. Too many of us think there is nothing we can do when we hear feedback that doesn’t feel quite right. Sometimes, there are actions we can take. I love this piece so much because it says we don’t have to be victim to the stories about us or around us, we can do something about it.   1️⃣ Craft a counternarrative – Instead of internalizing biased feedback, reshape how people see you by aligning your strengths with what the organization values (on your terms!). 2️⃣ Use positive association – Enthusiasm and future-focused language can subtly shift others’ assumptions  and build trust. 3️⃣ Turn feedback into power – Don’t immediately accept or reject it, investigate it. Use it to understand what success looks like in your environment, and then find authentic ways to express that in your own leadership style. So if you’ve ever felt like your success depends not just on what you do, but how you’re seen…you’re not imagining it. Especially in times of economic uncertainty and shifting priorities, it becomes even more pronounced. And while there are no one-size-fits-all strategies, when women take control of their story, they open doors for themselves AND others. Let’s stop contorting ourselves to fit outdated models. We can rewrite the models themselves. Let me know what you think. https://lnkd.in/gcCSE7XW Colleen Ammerman Harvard Business Review Lakshmi Ramarajan Lisa Sun

Unlearning Stereotypes: A Leadership Responsibility In one of my recent training sessions, we explored the subtle yet powerful impact of stereotypes in our personal and professional lives. What stood out was how deeply conditioned we are—so much so that we often accept stereotypes without ever questioning them. A video we discussed highlighted the phrase: 👉 “You lost to a girl.” A seemingly casual remark, yet it reflects a mindset that not only undermines capability but also keeps inequality alive across generations. Stereotypes are not always loud or obvious—they often sit quietly in the background, influencing decisions, interactions, and opportunities: 🤔“Men are natural leaders; women are natural nurturers.” 🤔“Introverts cannot excel in client-facing roles.” 🤔“Young employees are reckless; senior employees resist change.” The danger lies in allowing these unchecked assumptions to shape culture and leadership. To move forward, leaders and professionals must take intentional steps: 1. Self-Awareness – Notice when your thoughts or language reflect a stereotype. 2. Courage to Question – Address stereotypes when they surface in teams or conversations. 3. Inclusive Practices – Create environments that reward competence and authenticity, not labels. 4. Role Modelling – Show through your leadership that potential has no gender, age, or personality boundary. True growth—personal, professional, and organizational—comes when we stop looking through the lens of bias and start looking at people for their skills, values, and potential. As professionals and leaders, what stereotype do you think we urgently need to unlearn in today’s workplace? #InclusiveLeadership #BreakTheBias #MindsetMatters

You’re not making choices. You’re running on autopilot. Most managers believe they make intentional decisions every day. But in reality, many of those “choices” are just unexamined habits—patterns shaped by experience, bias and workplace norms. 💡 Who do you turn to when you're unsure about a decision? Often, it’s not a strategic choice—it’s a habit of seeking reassurance from the same familiar voices. 💡 Who gets to lead a high-visibility project? Sometimes, it’s the person who reminds you of past successful leaders—not an intentional assessment of skills. 💡 Whose voices shape the conversation in your meetings? If it’s always the same people, you're missing out on diverse perspectives that drive better decisions. The problem? Unexamined habits often reinforce exclusion—leading to missed perspectives, overlooked talent and unequal opportunities. 🛠 Flip the habits into intentional choices: ✅ Seeking input on a decision? Pause and ask yourself: Who hasn’t had a say in this before? ✅ Assigning a project? Consider skills, not just confidence or past visibility. ✅ Meeting participation? Implement a structured and anonymous way to ensure diverse voices contribute. Inclusive leadership isn’t about big moves. It’s about small, daily choices—choices that don’t run on your autopilot but are actively steered with awareness of bias. What are your thoughts? What’s one habit you see being mistaken for a choice? Please share in the comments 👇

Inclusion isn’t optional when it comes to strategy work - it’s actually how you get to better strategy. One of the most effective ways I’ve seen teams unlock inclusive strategy development is through LEGO Serious Play. This is what we’re currently having a lot of fun with at UNICEF UK to develop our next three year strategy. It works because: - Everyone contributes by design. It’s not a workshop where the loudest voice wins. Everyone builds, everyone shares, and everyone gets heard. - It supports different thinking styles. You don’t have to be the fastest talker in the room to shape the outcome - people can communicate through models, metaphor and story. - It makes the invisible visible. Assumptions, risks, tensions and dependencies show up in the builds so the group can work with what’s really going on, not just what’s easiest to say. - It reduces jargon and increases clarity. When you have to “show it”, strategy becomes concrete, shared and easier to act on. - It creates a story people can retell. The models become anchors for a narrative: who we are, what we’re up against, what we’re choosing, and what we’ll do next. For me, the biggest shift is that strategy stops being something that gets presented to people and becomes something that gets built with them. If you’ve used LEGO Serious Play (or other hands-on facilitation methods) in strategy, I’d love to hear what you noticed. #strategy #leadership #inclusion

At Champions of Change Coalition, we’ve set out to tackle one of the toughest challenges in corporate Australia: building CEO pipelines that reflect the full depth of talent and experience across our communities. More women are participating in the Australian workforce than ever before, and unlike previous generations, many are maintaining strong career connections through different life stages.  Despite this unprecedented participation and depth of talent, women remain significantly underrepresented in the most senior leadership roles, including women from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds and women with disability, who face additional and compounding barriers to accessing leadership positions.  These gaps point to much deeper issues at play including a candidate selection system that is too narrow in how it defines and recognises leadership potential.    “Securing your future leader: Building diverse and inclusive CEO pipelines” is a practical guide for Boards, CEOs, People & Culture leaders and recruitment advisers to build pipelines that are transparent, fair and future-fit. It includes:  • Transparent CEO capability and selection criteria with inclusive leadership embedded across all categories. • Practical tools for Boards, CEOs, People and Culture leaders and recruiters to broaden pathways and strengthen talent development and selection systems.  • The first collection of case studies from women CEOs, capturing candid insights into barriers, enablers and advice for future leaders.  • Guidance on setting up new CEOs for success, ensuring they are supported to lead both business performance and cultural change. Leadership strength and inclusive capability are now inseparable. The organisations that get this right will be the ones that stay ahead. Organisations that fail to build gender-equal diverse and inclusive CEO pipelines will find themselves short of choice, capability, and ultimately credibility.  This work began as an initiative of our Property Champions of Change Group and grew into a Coalition-wide collaboration. It’s grounded in research and deep listening, drawing on more than 40 interviews with CEOs, Directors, recruiters, Chief People Officers, and emerging women leaders. It is an easy, practical read, full of great tools that can be adopted, adapted, or built upon to help us collectively create a new standard of leadership. We’d love to hear your reflections: Download the resource: https://lnkd.in/g696qqem My heartfelt thanks to everyone across Champions of Change Coalition who contributed to this work — to our Members, CEOs, Directors, recruiters, People and Culture leaders, and the incredible women who shared their experiences so generously. You have created something both practical and powerful: a roadmap for the next decade of leadership. #InclusiveLeadership #FutureLeadership #GenderEquality #CEOPipelines #SystemChange