508: How to Be More Inclusive, with Stefanie Johnson

Jan 11, 2021

Stefanie Johnson, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and author of *Inclusify*, dives deep into leadership and diversity. She discusses how optimism can hinder inclusive change and emphasizes the dual roles leaders play in fostering belonging. Stefanie suggests that organizations need to set measurable diversity goals, much like any performance indicator, to create genuinely inclusive environments. She also advocates for open conversations around sensitive topics and encourages leaders to make public commitments to champion uniqueness in their teams.

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INSIGHT

Diversity vs. Inclusion

Diversity is a number, while inclusion is a feeling of belonging.
Inclusion is easy when everyone is the same, but gets harder with more diversity.

INSIGHT

Balancing Cohesion and Diversity

Leaders often struggle to balance cohesion and diversity, creating either uniform teams or groups that don't connect.
Combining diversity and inclusion leads to better decisions, innovation, engagement, and lower turnover.

INSIGHT

Optimism vs. Action

Optimists recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion but assume natural progress is sufficient.
However, real change requires concrete action and commitment beyond simply acknowledging the issue.

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Stefanie Johnson: Inclusify Stefanie Johnson is an author, professor, and keynote speaker who studies the intersection of leadership and diversity, focusing on how unconscious bias affects the evaluation of leaders and strategies that leaders can use to mitigate bias. Stefanie is an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, teaching courses on leadership and inclusion. She is also a member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches program and was selected for the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List. She is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and many other publications. In this conversation, Stefanie and I discuss her book Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams*. We look at how optimism may get in the way of building an inclusive workforce. Plus, Stefanie invites leaders to make public commitments and begin using metrics to track performance. Key Points Our two most basic human desires are to be unique and to belong. Leaders often end up with either cohesive teams of people who all act similarly or a lot of diverse individuals who don’t gel. Optimists intend well, but don’t initiate real change unless something triggers them to do so. Optimists should be more public with their commitment to be champions for uniqueness and belonging. Organizations and leaders should set metrics for diversity, just as they do for almost everything else. Resources Mentioned Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams* by Stefanie Johnson Inclusify Card Games by Stefanie Johnson Book Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Make Inclusion Happen, with Deepa Purushothaman (episode 307) How to Lead Meetings That Get Results, with Mamie Kanfer Stewart (episode 358) How to Support Women of Color, with Minda Harts (episode 506) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.