What are some actions you notice inclusive leaders doing where you work?
Inclusive leadership is recognised as a skill leaders need to have now, or be urgently developing, according to the University of Sydney’s 2025 Skills Horizon Report, which describes it as ‘the ability to foster a productive environment that values, respects and leverages diversity in all its forms.’
The tangible behaviours that inclusive leaders display come from signature strengths such as humility, awareness of bias, and curiosity. Here’s five behaviours, with some practical examples, based on research from business psychologists and leadership specialists.
- Inclusive leaders break down cliques that have a negative impact on team performance. All organisations have in-groups and out-groups, and people in the dominant in-group are more likely to have access to resources and opportunities. An inclusive leader might rotate meeting facilitators or project leads to ensure everyone, regardless of background, has a chance to contribute and lead. They may encourage cross-team collaboration to build new connections.
- They challenge microaggressions or subtle exclusionary behaviours. This includes addressing behaviours such as interrupting others, making assumptions about someone’s role based on appearance or voice, or consistently mispronouncing a colleague’s name. For instance, a leader might gently remind the team to listen respectfully and ask for correct name pronunciations.
- They validate contributions. Micro-validations are small acts or words that encourage and affirm the contributions of team members. They’re particularly important for those from under-represented and marginalised groups (who are more likely to experience micro-aggressions). An inclusive leader might publicly acknowledge a thoughtful idea from someone who usually speaks less. They might recognise a team member for vulnerably sharing an alternative perspective during a meeting. Micro-validations help build confidence and encourage ongoing participation from everyone.
‘Micro-validations help build confidence and encourage ongoing participation from everyone.’
- They challenge similarity biases and stereotypes. Stereotypes linking leadership with white heterosexual men persist, even as awareness of diverse leadership styles grows. Inclusive leaders actively question these assumptions. For example, they might highlight different approaches to problem-solving or decision-making, showing that diversity of thinking benefits from gender and cultural diversity, among other differences.
- They actively welcome difference. That might mean mentoring people who are different to us. Or explicitly inviting different perspectives at the start of a meeting. As someone in a workshop put it simply, ‘It’s about understanding that not everyone sees the world the same way as I do.’
For information about our highly regarded Inclusion in Action workshop, you can download our brochure here.
