5 Ways to Create a More Diverse, Engaged, and Inclusive Workplace | Inc.com

The related ideas of diversity, engagement, and inclusivity float around boardrooms and training sessions with such fluffy, ambiguous meanings that the discussion often undermines the goals of caring leaders.

So how do caring leaders cultivate an inclusive workplace, one with high diversity and high engagement? According to Bob DeKoch and Phillip Clampitt, authors of the new book Leading With Care in a Tough World: Beyond Servant Leadership, they start by using subtle practices that will be virtually invisible to most people.

“We believe that caring leaders embrace Audre Lorde’s sage advice: ‘It’s not our differences that divide us; it’s our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences,'” state the authors. “In order to do that, we need to understand the concepts of engagement and inclusiveness. These are like the heating, plumbing, and electrical systems found in a well-functioning home–they go unnoticed but are immensely important.”