The best leaders are inclusive leaders - when they set the tone for a culture of trust and respect, organizations thrive. But the path towards inclusivity isn’t linear. Even the best-intentioned leaders stumble along the way. In fact, making mistakes is a vital part of the dance that is leadership.

On this journey, it’s important to identify where you’re getting in your own way. Through our research, we’ve identified eight stumbling blocks that hold leaders back from being the leader they know they can be. This assessment will help you identify where you typically stumble so you can understand your top focus on the road to inclusivity.

1

I often find myself taking responsibility for team failures, even when they are beyond my control.

2

To be a more inclusive leader, I work harder than most people to understand my biases and the assumptions I’m making about others.

3

I believe that inclusivity is more important than achieving quick results.

4

I want to lead in a way that everyone’s voice counts in all decisions.

5

Being warm and welcoming are among my lowest priorities as an inclusive leader; there are far more important aspects to being an inclusive leader.

6

I frequently find myself taking on tasks that my team members should be handling.

7

I would rather take risks for the sake of inclusion than play it safe.

8

It’s important to publicly express my commitment to being an ally and advocate for underrepresented groups in the workplace.

9

It’s hard for me to delegate tasks because I worry that I’ll be blamed if things go wrong.

10

While working, I am frequently preoccupied with thoughts about how others perceive me.

11

From my perspective, I can always be more inclusive. There’s no limit to inclusivity.

12

I believe, as an inclusive leader, that every team member should have an equal say in all decisions.

13

I often go out of my way to ensure that my interactions with team members are warm and friendly.

14

It is not my responsibility, as a leader, to rescue my team members from difficult situations.

15

I don’t let fear stop me from experimenting with inclusive leadership practices.

16

As a leader, I want people to know what I stand for, including belonging and inclusion in the workplace.

17

It’s really important that my team works through their own challenges without me assuming the responsibility.

18

I rarely overanalyze my performance.

19

I try to think about every decision and action I make as a leader through the lens of inclusion.

20

The time it takes to build consensus is not worth the gain in feelings of inclusiveness and belonging.

21

People are more likely to feel like they belong if I show them warmth and friendliness.

22

In the face of a microaggression within the team, I find it difficult to refrain from stepping in and taking immediate action to rectify the situation, ensuring fairness and equity prevail.

23

I wish there were a rule book on inclusive leadership that I could follow to ensure my chances of success.

24

I believe that inclusive cultures are built on consistent behaviors and actions, not by me communicating that inclusion is important.

25

Whenever my team gets blamed for a failure, I feel personally responsible and wish I had done something about it sooner.

26

I find it challenging to focus on team goals without getting caught up in self-reflection.

27

Even though inclusion is important, I don’t prioritize it over efficiency or expediency.

28

When I lead, I sometimes delay making decisions until I’ve gathered input from every team member.

29

I prioritize creating a friendly and positive work environment over other leadership aspects because that’s the starting point for inclusion.

30

I sometimes swoop in to help others even before they’ve asked me for help.

31

It’s important for me to do inclusion work correctly and not make too many mistakes because after all, the stakes are very high.

32

I believe that promoting inclusion is a key responsibility of a leader.

33

I don’t consider it my job to make unhappy employees feel good at work - I believe it’s their responsibility to manage their emotions.

34

As an inclusive leader, I don’t have to accept or even process all of the feedback given to me. 

35

If I think about it, everything I do as a leader is centered around building inclusion.

36

Most of the time, I don’t need to seek consensus from the team for my leadership decisions.

37

I feel uncomfortable in a leadership role if others do not perceive me as warm and friendly.

38

As a leader I believe that I should only help people if they ask for help from me. Otherwise, I assume they can take care of themselves.

39

Leading inclusively is challenging for me because there’s really no way to know if I’m doing it right.

40

I sometimes find myself talking more about inclusion than actually doing inclusive leadership.

Almost there! Tell us a little about yourself to get your Inclusivity Readiness Report.

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