Cultivating an empowering workplace culture

The most important thing you can do as a leader is develop a positive, supportive, motivated and resilient team culture. If you do that, your people will feel supported in their work and be enabled to bring their best selves to work each day. If your team is at its best, that will flow through to the work, the customer and the goals your team are working towards. 

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I’ve often been challenged by how I can make sure that everyone in my team feels valued and celebrated for who they are. This is especially tricky when you are leading a large team and not in direct contact with everyone in your organisation. While you can’t control everything that happens in your organisation (and nor should you!), there are some key things you can do to develop a culture of inclusivity that allows all of your team members to thrive. 

Strong communication

Create a safe space for open dialogue, active listening and feedback. Make space for everyone’s voices to be heard. In  my leadership roles, this has sometimes involved directly asking others to listen or step back so that quieter voices can be amplified. It can be as simple as ensuring that during a meeting, you have invited each person to share their thoughts. 

Equal employment processes

Ensure that your organisation, no matter how small, has strong equitable employment practises around recruitment, performance management and salary reviews. Make sure you have identified any barriers to opportunities, and provide resources and support freely. Address your own bias by undergoing training and educating yourself. 

A couple of small steps I’ve made towards this in my leadership roles - providing salary increases for those on parental leave to ensure their contribution is valued and they are not left behind, advertising vacant roles in new and diverse places, making myself available to meet with and mentor junior members of my team, instead of just reserving that for my direct reports. Be generous and be transparent!

Diversity and inclusion

Seek out diverse and unique perspectives. Make sure you are not surrounded by ‘yes’ people. Look for the grit and invite it in. High performing teams embrace diversity of opinion. Listen to those around you and respect their input. Value all forms of diversity in your organisation and embrace it by being open and having a learner’s mindset. Make sure you are respecting and valuing that diversity within your team - for instance, if you’re inviting tangata whenua from within your team to open an event with a karakia, are they being uplifted and fairly remunerated for that? If you’re asking junior members of your team to provide feedback on your Te Tiriti o Waitangi strategy, what’s in it for them? If you’re asking team members to regularly help translate or share an area of expertise outside of their job description, either expand their role (and remuneration) to include this area, or consider whether it’s appropriate and fair to be asking them to do this. The sharing of information and wisdom should be reciprocal and respectful. 

Creating a culture of inclusivity means everyone is valued for the unique skills, mindset and approach that they bring. It means celebrating difference, listening closely and addressing your own unconscious bias as a leader.