Since I’ve began working in the Netherlands as a UX Designer, I’ve hopped through a few different roles: Designer, Team Lead, Senior Designer, now Manager Software Development. Each role has brought a challenging question: what does this mean? How do I want to operate in this position?
It’s taken me a while to answer this question as a manager and leader. I used to associate my craft with who I was, “I’m a designer, working [at a place].” When stepping into leadership, it’s taken two years to get to the point of, “I joined as a designer, but now leading a few teams in this part of the business.” This change of perspective catalyzed in a conversation between myself and my Director (summarized), “You’re teaching future leaders a ‘Jonathan School’ of leadership. Distinct, with a Jonathan twist.” The conversation’s stuck, providing me with a new sense of confidence. But, I needed a word for what this meant, “What would I call the ‘Jonathan School?’”
I’ve searched around the topic and found a word that ringed perfectly: inclusive leadership.
It’s not too radical of a thought, or even newly coined. There’ve been multiple things written over the years, but a couple of quick ones:
Despite all of these, inclusive leadership was hard to define. I’ve been actively thinking about this and discovered it’s difficult to teach empathy, educate on reasons why, or find resources to back up this way of leading. The best definition I’ve seen is, “the ability to not only embrace individual differences but to potentially leverage them for competitive advantage.” Inclusive Leadership is critical to figure out in an ever more multicultural, connected, globally collaborative world.
We need to lead through trust, respect, vulnerability, generosity, and openness.
I’m still figuring this out. I’m trying to find words, work through thoughts, plan how to educate, and what works best. I’m shuffling through thoughts, articles, books, television series, podcasts, communities that may help me better define the what, why, how of inclusive leadership.
I’d like to invite you on my journey.
Thank you for reading and hope you’ll take up learning alongside me!