Earlier this year, the Supreme Court rejected affirmative action in college admissions, leading business leaders to ask whether their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts could be interpreted as unlawful.

Following the ruling, at least one US senator sent threatening letters to hundreds of private employers warning them that certain diversity practices could subject them costly litigation.

And other companies are already being sued over policies they have enacted on social issues such as race and gender. For example, this week a conservative legal organization sued Target on behalf of an investor over LGBTQ-themed merchandise.

Meanwhile, companies are facing customers and clients who are telling them that they won’t work with teams that aren’t diverse or buy products from companies whose workforces don’t reflect the diverse world in which we live.

All of this, coupled with legitimate research questioning how effective the billion-dollar DEI industry even is, leaves leaders wondering how to make sense of the conflicting priorities and practices.

The advice I’m giving these days is to focus your efforts on inclusion. Studies show companies with more inclusive leadership are more profitable, innovative, and winning the talent war. So how best to practice inclusive leadership?

1. Be vulnerable and curious

Recently, I worked with the management committee of a large financial institution where some members were feeling anxious and uncomfortable with the firm’s DEI initiatives. Specifically, they were asking what to do when they were from majority groups and confused about what steps they might take.

My counsel was straightforward: Embrace and voice your uncertainties!

As a leader, when you exhibit vulnerability (“I’m uncertain about this”) paired with genuine curiosity (“What kind of leadership do you need from me at this juncture?”), you create an environment where employees feel psychologically safe to discuss what they think will make them successful. You are role modeling openness and asking for feedback. Leaders are the tuning fork for teams.

When you play a note that says, it’s okay to ask questions and be uncomfortable, it makes it safe for team members to do the same. All of this leads to a culture of open dialogue and collaboration, enhancing the collective journey toward inclusivity.

2. Be an advocate and a sponsor for those you want to include

For years, I have been a co-designer and developer of leadership programs for emerging talent. What we have discovered is the most useful strategy for retaining top talent is clear sponsorship. If you care deeply about recruiting and retaining top talent from a diverse talent pool, you must commit to an individual’s success proactively.

That means finding the person you are supporting the visibility and growth opportunities they need to be successful. Inclusive leaders proactively provide substantive access to a diverse set of employees, nurturing their career progression.

3. Be a compassionate leader

Compassionate leaders combine empathy with a desire to help. Let me give you an example. A common practice among many of my clients are the creation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), typically comprised of employees from under-represented groups who meet to discuss better ways of creating a more inclusive workplace.

Over the years, I have met with many of these groups, observing, engaging, and providing valuable insights to aid their work. Lately, though, I’ve seen a trend that worries me. Many ERGs have become spaces to voice grievances to leaders who agree to listen. While I applaud the empathy, I’m struck that many ERGs lack concrete solutions or the resources to take any kind of action.

When a leader tells me they have been invited to an ERG, I counsel them to practice compassionate leadership. This entails not only active listening, validating, and understanding others’ perspectives but also asking the critical question: “How can I assist you?”

Compassionate leaders transcend empathy by boldly embracing challenges and extending offers of help. In essence, compassionate leadership paves the way for meaningful action, fostering an environment where empathy evolves into tangible progress.

Diversity is not an aspiration, it is simply a fact that defines the nature of the global talent pool. Inclusivity, on the other hand, is an act. It is a way of leading people who have been historically underrepresented. And practicing inclusive leadership is not under any legal attack.

If you, as a leader, help those you lead feel included by sharing with them that you too feel vulnerable sometimes, you have helped them. When you mentor and sponsor a talented person who comes from a different background from you, there is a more inclusive environment, and you are developing future leaders.

As you practice compassionate leadership, meaning empathy coupled with an offer to help, you are making your organization a better place to work. And none of this is subject to legal scrutiny, it just makes your business better.

I was all set to take my first vacation in nearly a year – a trip to South America that had been planned for months. Then I got Covid (again).

With the trip canceled, I spent the next two days under the duvet watching two seasons of the
toxic masculinity that is Succession. As I emerged from the fog of Covid (and that show), I decided to create the restoration I needed with the rest of my time. Even if it was from home.

And it got me thinking about the importance of staycations. We would do well to carve out some time each week (frankly, each day) where we engage in restorative activities. Here are the ones I found the most helpful and why.

1. Do Nothing

I cozied up on my outdoor porch with my dogs, pillows, and blankets and did nothing. By the way, the dogs are not incidental and there is a reason beyond airline travel that so many people call their pets emotional support animals. Cuddling with something furry helps you ease back into your parasympathetic nervous system, release love hormones, and feel calmer.

I centered my body. I focused on my breathing and my senses, which was made more difficult by Covid, since both my lungs and sense of smell were affected by the virus. But I embraced the challenge because it meant that I really had to focus.

I also paid attention to what I could hear (children playing in the park behind my house) and feel (warm sun, cool early spring breeze). Somatic awareness matters. When we are feeling fear or pain, or we are in a reactive state, focusing on our body, breath, and physical sensations, are quick and easy ways to return us to a calmer state. Practicing this when we are not experiencing heightened emotions improves our ability to use this technique when we are in a state of stress.

Most importantly, because I had blocked the time in my diary to be away and had no work planned, I didn’t use the time to “catch up” on emails or other work. We live our lives in a constant state of needing to get things done. And even our holiday, had we taken it, was a fully scheduled itinerary of events. I had no idea how much I needed to do nothing.

2. Read Fiction

I am an avid reader of non-fiction, often devouring what I’ve come to refer to as “Heathrow Business Books” – those that you pick up in the airport and finish in flight. I read with pen in hand and make notes of what I can use in my teaching or what I can share with my coaching clients. The time is productive and enjoyable. But I hadn’t read a work of fiction in months. I’m noticing that my attention span is taking a beating from all the scrolling and clicking. To sit with a book in solitude was challenging at first. But by the fourth day, I noticed that I couldn’t wait to pick up the book and slip back into another world. It’s hard at first, like hitting the gym after a month off. But, oh, so worth it.

3. Indoor Gardening

I spent one day tending to all my plants, cutting away the dead leaves, giving them plant food, moving them outside for a couple of hours of straight sunshine, adding dirt to a few, and cleaning the leaves of others. This only whet my appetite for outdoor gardening, which will also start soon. Watching something grow is rewarding and healing. Keeping plants inside works wonders, and you can add an even heftier dose of calm if you’re fortunate enough to have some land outdoors that you can tend to. Even the Mayo Clinic in the US has researched the benefits of working with plants, including lightening mood, lowering stress and anxiety and creating a soothing rhythm.

4. Reflecting on What I Do and Why it Matters

As I said before, I intentionally did not use my staycation to catch up on emails or other work because that wouldn’t be a break. But I did take some time to reflect on what I do and why I do it. I thought deeply about it and considered it from a different perspective. If I am successful at what I do, how will I know?

• The women I coach will know what they want to do and why
• The women I coach will be in leadership positions where they work.
• The women I coach will receive raises and promotions.
• The women I coach will believe in themselves and advocate for themselves.
• The women I coach will feel equipped to challenge workplace bias.
• The women I coach will be able to name their mentors and their sponsors.
• The women I coach will help other women.
• The women I coach will believe in themselves and their worth.

There is not a day that goes by that I am not having at least one of these conversations with a woman. These conversations energize me, give me hope, inspire me, and keep me focused on improving the quality of my coaching and helping my clients achieve these things.

When you put the people that you serve first, the rewards are endless.

How can you create restorative practices and incorporate them into your life to help you maintain a sense of calm and cultivate resilience?