APRILASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK19Based on my experience in DEI, coupled with research in the field, to understand Inclusive Leadership, it is important for managers to also understand what their teams expect when requesting psychological safety. So, what is psychological safety?In a workplace environment, we feel safe when we belief that we won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. It is a shared expectation held by members of a team that teammates will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for sharing ideas, taking bold bets and risks when disrupting conventional ideas, or soliciting feedback. That space can only be created by managers who understand its importance and are focused on developing their inclusive leadership and enhancing the performance of their teams.Below are 7 Signature Traits of 'InclusiveLeaders'1. Observable Commitment: They are loyal ambassadors and articulate authentically their commitment to diversity beyond achieving the KPIs. They challenge and hold others accountable and make diversity and inclusion a personal priority.2. Humility: They accept that they are vulnerable, prone to making mistakes and admit that they are on a journey of developing Inclusive leadership. Becoming more aware is critical to self-development, but awareness in isolation is not sufficient. Without humility and empathy/perspective taking, it's difficult for leaders to gain deep insights into the nature of their blind spots or remedial strategies and, therefore, to grow.3. Mindfulness of Bias: They accept that they are biased by nature and share personal blind spots. They challenge the status quo of policies and processes (hiring, meritocracy...)4. Curiosity: They demonstrate an open mindset and deep curiosity about others, listen without judgment, and seek with empathy to understand those around them.5. Cultural Competence: Cultural competence is the ability of a person to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of various cultural backgrounds. Cultural background can include the beliefs, customs, and behaviors of people from various groups. Gaining cultural competence is a lifelong process of increasing self-awareness, developing social skills and behaviors around diversity, and gaining the
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