Coaching for Leaders 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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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.
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.
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.
