12 Tips for Becoming a More Inclusive Manager

Latoya is an author, business owner, consultant and strategic leadership practitioner in Leesburg, Virginia.

  Organizational Culture   Resource Management   Talent Management  

Diversity and inclusion are strong drivers of employee engagement. It affects not only our corporate culture and ability to connect with our external partners and clients, but it also can affect the outcomes of our projects and programs.

There is a direct correlation between employee engagement/satisfaction and employee productivity. A Gallup poll shows that highly engaged teams have 21% greater profitability. In order to promote strong employee productivity and team success, it’s important for managers to lead the way in ensuring inclusivity within their teams.

In case you are wondering how, let me share a few helpful strategies:

1. Re-think gender nouns and pronouns. You may immediately think that I am referring to the use of gender pronouns on your email signature or corporate badge. In fact, I am actually speaking of your use of pronouns when you write and speak.

Most of us were taught to use phrases like “Mr.” or “Mrs.,” “ladies and gentleman,” “his” or “her,” etc. However, while we were taught that these are respectful, grammatically correct ways to speak, they are not at all inclusive. Each time we use these phrases, we are potentially excluding someone and making assumptions.

2. Acknowledge non-Anglo-Saxon holidays. Do you wish your team “Happy Thanksgiving” in November and &…

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