I was recently asked to speak about the impact of inclusion on organizational performance to a group of emerging leaders. The group was very curious and had several very thoughtful questions.
This post provides some insights into those questions that I hope will help you with your efforts to get the most out of your team.
Inclusion and equity often get discussed like they’re abstract ideals, somewhere between “strategic priority” and “things we’ll get to after Q4.” But in reality, they show up in very practical ways—who gets hired, who gets heard, and whose idea only becomes “brilliant” after Chad rephrases it.
Here’s how to approach six of the most common leadership challenges—without turning your workplace into either a lecture series or a social experiment gone wrong.
1) How to Be Less Biased
Bias isn’t a character flaw—it’s a cognitive shortcut. Bias is your brain’s way of saying, “I’ve seen this before,” even when it absolutely has not. Many biases are actually good. The way we tie our shoelaces is biased. So, the goal isn’t to eliminate bias entirely (that’s unrealistic), but to interrupt it when following it may have negative consequences.
Slow down decisions involving people. If your reasoning sounds like, “I just have a good feeling,” that’s not insight—that’s vibes in a blazer. Use clear criteria and force yourself to point to actual evidence.
And build in reality checks. If no one around you ever says, “I’m not sure that’s right,” you don’t have alignment—you have a very polite echo chamber.
2) How to Be Aware of Bias When Interviewing
Interviews are basically speed dating with a résumé.
Within 10 minutes, we decide who’s “sharp,” who’s “polished,” and who we’d “grab coffee with”—none of which are actual job requirements (unless the role is literally “coffee companion”). This is known as the “Halo Effect”.
The fix: structure. Ask the same questions, evaluate against the same criteria, and resist the urge to reward familiarity. “Culture fit” (aka “Affinity Bias”) is often code for “feels comfortable to me,” which is not the same as “will perform well.”
Also, if your feedback sounds like a horoscope—“great energy, just not the right alignment”—you’ve left the realm of evidence.
3) How to Lead Remote Workers with Equity, Not Just Equality
Equality says everyone gets the same setup.
Equity says everyone gets what they need.
Reality says one person has a home office, and another is on mute yelling, “I said DO NOT EAT THE MARKER.”
Leading with equity means designing for real life, not ideal conditions. Offer flexibility, normalize asynchronous work, and don’t confuse being seen with being effective.
The loudest voice in the meeting is not always the smartest—it might just be the only one not battling background chaos and a spotty connection.
4) How to Involve People Not Likely to Speak Up
When you say, “Any thoughts?” and get silence, it’s tempting to think, “Great, we’re aligned.”
You are not aligned. You are unchallenged.
People hold back for all kinds of reasons—hierarchy, culture, past experiences, or simply not enjoying conversational dodgeball. So change the structure.
Ask specific people for input. Use written channels such as the Brainwriting method. Break into smaller groups. And most importantly, actually use what you hear and give people credit for their ideas.
Nothing trains people to stay quiet faster than watching their thoughtful input get acknowledged… and then completely ignored like last year’s strategic plan.
5) How to Get Buy-In from a Diverse Group—and Scale It
If you present a fully formed plan and say, “Thoughts?” what you’re really saying is, “Please admire what I’ve already decided.” And people respond accordingly.
Buy-in comes from involvement. Bring people in early—when ideas are still awkward, incomplete, and slightly uncomfortable (like all good ideas at the beginning).
To scale this, don’t rely on charisma or marathon meetings. Build systems for input and feedback. And tell stories about what worked—because nothing spreads in an organization faster than a good story… except maybe a bad policy.
6) How to Build an Effective and Efficient Diverse Team
A diverse team without structure is just a group chat that never agrees on where to eat. And a diverse team without equitable inclusion is worse than a homogeneous team.
Clarity is your friend: who does what, who decides what, and what success actually looks like. Then set norms for how the team operates—especially when people disagree (because they will, and that’s the point).
Use differences intentionally. If everyone thinks the same way, you don’t have a high-performing team—you have a very agreeable problem. Use Edward de Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats to force looking at the situation from different perspectives.
Or one simple move: before locking in a decision, ask, “What are we missing?” Then wait. The magic usually happens right after the slightly uncomfortable pause.
Inclusion and equity, done well, don’t slow organizations down—they prevent bad decisions made quickly and confidently.
Plus, they make meetings more interesting, decisions more robust, and workplaces a lot less weird in that “we all agree… right?” kind of way.