To continue reading this article in full click here: Creating a Culture of Belonging: Inclusive Leadership
20th January 2025
Fostering Belonging: Inclusive Leadership Strategies for Thriving Teams
Creating a culture of belonging through inclusive leadership enhances employee engagement, loyalty, and productivity. By fostering open dialogue, leveraging diverse perspectives, and personalizing recognition, leaders empower employees to thrive. Empathy, flexibility, and respect for individuality strengthen workplace bonds, resulting in resilient teams and driving both individual and organizational success.
This article was written by Ashley C. Jordan Ph.D. and published in Psychology Today.
On my first day at a recent job, I came to work expecting a friendly welcome – but I was met with silence. There was no formal onboarding, no mentorship, no welcoming crew or committee. After a quick introduction to the business manager, I was told where to get my ID and then left to figure the rest out on my own. I distinctly remember walking into my first departmental meeting, eager to meet my colleagues, only for the boss to skip over introducing me entirely. Not really the type of environment that inspires a feeling of belonging.
The initial isolation stuck with me. Instead of waiting for the workplace culture to change, I decided to create my own sense of community. I started a lunch group, which grew into a regular coffee hour. I invited new hires to join informal meetups, fostering connections before and after department meetings. Over time, this small, self-made network became my anchor at work. But I often wondered – what if I hadn’t built that community myself? Would I still be here?
Chances are I would have left the job. Increasingly, researchers are realizing that cultivating a sense of belonging is critical for workforce retention. Historically, studies on workforce retention have honed in on more fundamental factors like pay, hours, and workload. These are all important qualities that cannot be ignored. But they are not sufficient, on their own, to significantly move the mark on workplace retention.
For anyone who has taken an introduction to psychology course, you may remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The theory postulates that lower-level needs must be met before you can progress to higher-level needs. At the base of Maslow’s hierarchy, physiological and safety needs must be met. This is where fundamentals like pay, hours, and workplace safety would fall. Just above that is the need for love and belonging. In a workplace, this translates to a sense of connection and feeling like part of the team.
According to Maslow’s theory, it’s impossible to be the best version of ourselves without meeting these fundamental needs. So although, yes, being paid fairly is important….it’s not enough to motivate employees to operate at their highest level. For that, you need to cultivate a culture of belonging.
7 Strategies for Inclusive Leadership
An inclusive leader is one who ensures every team member feels valued, heard, and respected. Inclusive leaders, by definition, work to ensure all team members are included and connected to the larger team. By implementing inclusive leadership practices, leaders will create a stronger sense of belonging and community within their units.
1. Create a Safe Place for Open Dialogue
When leading a team, managers should strive to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas, voicing concerns, and being authentic without fear of retribution, retaliation for having a differing opinion, or judgement. Promote safety by modeling vulnerability and openness. For instance, start team meetings by sharing a personal challenge or mistake and how you’ve learned from it. Then invite others to share their ideas or concerns, assuring them there’s no wrong answer. An inclusive manager might say, “I’m trying out a new process and I’d love your honest feedback – it’s okay to point out areas for improvement.” When employees see that leaders are open to critique, they’ll feel safer contributing their own ideas.
2. Encourage Diverse Perspectives
We’ve all been in a team meeting where one or two voices dominate the discussion. An inclusive leader can proactively address this by rotating facilitation roles or using structured methods like a “round-robin” to ensure everyone has a turn to speak. For instance, try saying “Let’s go around the table – I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts on this proposal before we move forward.” Highlighting and implementing ideas from quieter team members reinforces their value and shows the team that every perspective matters.
3. Become a Strength-Based Leader
Leaders operating from a deficit mindset will view employee differences and “bad.” In contrast, a strength-based leader views differences as unique and looks for opportunities to leverage these in ways that promote the strengths of the team. For example, if an employee consistently misses deadlines but excels in creative brainstorming, reassign their role to focus on ideation while pairing them with a detail-oriented team member for execution. Recognize the complementary strengths publicly: “Damian’s creativity and Sara’s organizational skills made this project a success!” This approach fosters mutual respect and belonging by emphasizing collaboration over competition.
