How to Be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive, Second Edition (Updated and Expanded)
Jennifer Brown
Berrett-Koehler Publishers (October 2022)

How and why organizations “need all hands on deck to make change happen”

According to Jennifer Brown, “What started as minor revisions to the first edition [published in 2021]  kept growing in scope. I added a new chapter that delves into what holds many leaders back and the role that identity and privilege play. I like to think of the chapter as a ‘call-in’ to those leaders who are still on the sidelines. As leaders, we can bring so much to the change effort and we are already equipped to do this. I also developed a Discussion Guide for each chapter to make the learn more actionable, and I added new stories that demonstrate so well what inclusive leadership actually looks like.”

With all due respect to the importance of HOW, I agree with Simon Sinek that any initiative — especially one that involves change — must begin with WHY. In his classic work, Leading Change, James O’Toole suggests that the greatest resistance to change is essentially cultural in nature, the result of what he so aptly characterizes as “the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom.” That is as true of leaders as it is of followers. In fact, organizational transformation requires effective leadership at all levels ad in all areas of operation in the given enterprise.

Companies annually ranked among those that are most highly regarded and best to work for have a “culture of belonging” within which everyone can thrive. It is also noteworthy that all of these companies are also annually ranked among those that are most profitable and have the greatest cap value within their industry segment. Their success is driven by leaders who are wholly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  All this reveals the WHY.

In the previous edition, Brown introduced what she characterizes as “A New Theory of Change: The Inclusive Leader Continuum.” In this updated and expanded edition, she develops that theory so that it can have wider and deeper impact in almost any organization, whatever its size and nature may be. It still has the same four stages (UNAWARE, AWARE, ACTIVE, and ADVOCATE) and she devotes a separate chapter to each. However, she created a new structure for each stage and, as noted, added new stories and tips as well as Discussion Guides. All this reveals the HOW.

During my interviews with O’Toole, John Kotter, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Jim Collins, and Warren Bennis among others, one point was repeatedly made: The most difficult change to achieve is [begin italics] changing how people think about change [end italics]. For example, when people attempt to solve a serious problem, they tend to focus on symptoms rather than on root causes. That is why Toyota developed the “Five Whys” approach whenever a problem is encountered.

Briefly, Sakichi Toyoda, the Japanese industrialist, inventor, and founder of Toyota Industries, developed the 5 Whys technique in the 1930s. It became popular in the 1970s, and Toyota still uses it to solve problems today.

Toyota has a “go and see” philosophy. This means that its decision making is based on an in-depth understanding of what’s actually happening on the shop floor, rather than on what someone in a boardroom thinks might be happening.

The 5 Whys technique is true to this tradition, and it is most effective when the answers come from people who have hands-on experience of the process or problem in question.

The method is remarkably simple: when a problem occurs, you drill down to its root cause by asking “Why?” five times. Then, when a counter-measure becomes apparent, you follow it through to prevent the issue from recurring.

The 5 Whys approach uses “counter-measures,” rather than “solutions.” A counter-measure is an action or set of actions that seeks to prevent the problem from arising again, while a solution may just seek to deal with the symptom. As such, counter-measures are more robust, and will more likely prevent the problem from recurring.

Organizations that have serious problems with DEI would be well-advised to have all C-level executives or their equivalent read the Second Edition of How to Be an Inclusive Leader, and, seriously consider the “Five Whys” approach when attempting to solve those problems.

Thank you, Jennifer Brown, for another brilliant and substantial contribution to thought leadership. Bravo!