Inclusive Leadership: Addressing Unconscious Bias to Build Stronger, Diverse Teams
Inclusive Leadership: Addressing Unconscious Bias to Build Stronger, Diverse Teams
PLEASE NOTE: This program is currently being taught as a live online class. See agenda below for schedule.
In today’s rapidly changing global economy, companies with the best talent are at a competitive advantage -- and that talent is increasingly diverse in many dimensions. Yet, as challenges during the recent pandemic have highlighted, long-time structural and cultural factors continue to limit the movement of diverse talent into leadership positions. According to a 2019 McKinsey report, women and people of color hold 65% of entry level positions, but their numbers decrease at every successive level across sectors. For example, in financial services, only 2.4% of executive committee members, 1.4% of managing directors, and 1.4% of senior portfolio managers are black. Women, who have been over half of college graduates in the U.S. for over 30 years, are still only 21% of C-suite executives. Lack of diversity above the entry level creates an expensive revolving door and limits organizations' capacity for innovation and creativity. Research shows that, in order to create and maintain a diverse leadership pipeline and inclusive work culture, frontline managers are key. Yet most companies do not help managers develop the skills they need to lead a diverse team in an inclusive way.
This course is designed to address this gap and help develop the skills needed to become a more impactful frontline manager and leader. Participants will develop an inclusive leadership mindset, with a focus on working with others across differences of multiple types, including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. The course examines how to surmount the negative impact that implicit bias can have on performance, team dynamics and efforts to create inclusive environments. Through self-reflective exercises, interactive sessions and group work, the course will move from building awareness of practices that foster diversity and inclusion, to helping participants create an inclusive leadership plan that results in stronger teams and organizations.

Professors Anne Weisberg and Linda Basch share their teaching methodology and why they believe middle managers hold the keys to more inclusive and equitable workplaces. Download Resource
Upon completion of this course, participants will receive a Certificate of Achievement.
Program Takeaways
During this course, participants will:
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Understand Difference
Become aware of the implicit assumptions you are making about individuals – their identity, their aspirations, their potential – and how to move past assumptions to understand difference. -
Business Case for Diversity & Inclusion
Understand how diversity and inclusion will improve your team’s performance and give your company a competitive advantage. -
Your Inclusive Leadership Plan
Develop your own 6-month inclusive leadership action plan, which will begin on your first day back in the office and will serve as a roadmap for creating diverse, inclusive and effective teams within your organization.
Who Should Attend
Although there are no formal education or background requirements, this course is designed for executives who meet the criteria below. While we strongly encourage global participation, please note that all courses are taught in English. Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.
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Years of Experience
This course is designed for professionals with 5+ years of work experience. -
Job Functions
Ideal for frontline managers or team leaders at all levels who make decisions around hiring, roles and assignments, and performance evaluation. -
Prerequisites
Intended for all professionals who want to improve their ability to recruit, retain and develop a diverse workforce.
Agenda
The following agenda is a sample and subject to change.
This agenda has been modified for live online instruction.
10:00 - 11:30 am ET: Session 1: Understanding Difference
- Making the invisible visible: understanding your implicit associations and biases
- Social identity and in-group preference
- Covering: underplaying aspects of your identity for fear of stigma
11:30 - 12:00 pm ET: Break
12:00 - 1:30 pm ET: Session 2: The Impact of Difference on Talent Decisions
- Impact on hiring
- Impact on career development
- Impact on promotion and assessment of potential
This agenda has been modified for live online instruction.
10:00 - 11:30 am ET: Session 3: The Business Case for Diversity
- The link between diversity and innovation
- The link between diversity and reputation
- Winning the war for talent
11:30 - 12:00 pm ET: Break
12:00 - 1:30 pm ET: Session 4: The Business Case for Inclusion
- The link between inclusion and employee engagement
- Mitigating the risks and costs of exclusion
- Reaching new markets
This agenda has been modified for live online instruction.
10:00 - 11:30 am ET: Session 5: Identifying & Embodying Inclusive Leadership
- The traits of inclusive leadership
- Inclusive leadership scenario and discussion
- Your experience with inclusive leadership
11:30 - 12:00 pm ET: Break
12:00 - 1:30 pm ET: Session 6: Understanding Your Context
- Where is the support for inclusion in your organization?
- What are limiting assumptions?
- Who are your role models for inclusion and why?
- What is your inclusive leadership challenge?
This agenda has been modified for live online instruction.
10:00 - 11:30 am ET: Session 7: Asserting Your Leadership: Creating Your Inclusive Leadership Plan
- Defining and sharing your vision
- Building trust, fostering collaboration
- Encouraging honest feedback, enabling your team
- Building and connecting to allies
- Making decisions differently, holding yourself accountable
11:30 - 12:00 pm ET: Break
12:00 - 1:30 pm ET: Session 8: Sharing and Refining Your Inclusive Leadership Plan
- Identify how you will measure progress
- Get feedback from others in the course
- Refine and finalize your plan
Program Conclusion and Evaluations
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