Inclusion - An Invitation to Participate
by Pamela Coleman
October 2025
I am a passionate advocate for inclusion. Inclusion programs have recently been rethought or quietly pushed aside as mere one-liners in employee handbooks, but few engagement strategies are as important.
Organizations dedicate significant time and resources to identifying and filling roles that support their success. The effort required to integrate new hires into complex operations can be substantial. Given the resources spent on people, why wouldn’t leaders be strong advocates for including them?
In a past leadership role at a service company, the executive team struggled to pivot toward software ownership. We had a very limited funding runway. The operating habit of this organization was to make all decisions at the leadership table. This habit inhibited the team’s ability to strategize, because we seldom understood the customer-facing issues. Midway through the effort to remake the business, we launched several initiatives to include the software team, account managers, customer reps, and content creators. We also added a project management function, which furthered our ability to collect critical operational information. Although the pivot ultimately failed, the input from these talented people was crucial for our decision-making. In this case, inclusion was a bit too late.
When you lead with an inclusion mindset, you are inviting your employees to participate. Inclusion says we want to hear from you. We recognize your talent, which is why we hired you. We understand you have valuable ideas to share, which is why we will invest in your growth. We invite you to develop the professional habit of working well cross-functionally.
Leaders must constantly develop the next crop of leaders. Without a broad bench, organizations become vulnerable to unanticipated changes. Inclusion does not need to be based on metrics, enforced policies, or uncomfortable declarations. It is a mindset that welcomes others into the conversation. It is that simple.