Inclusion in Leadership: Strategies for Respect and Results

Organizations with inclusive cultures see 22% lower turnover and 27% higher profitability, yet only 29% of employees report feeling fully included at work. The gap between DEI programs and actual inclusion reveals a leadership problem: executives delegate DEI strategy instead of owning it.

Effective inclusion requires leaders to personally design, execute, and model inclusive practices throughout theirorganizations.This means embedding inclusion into strategic decision-making and daily operations, not just launching standalone programs.

This article explores six critical areas where leadership action drives meaningful inclusion outcomes:

• Why respect should anchor DEI conversations

• How inclusion differs from diversity and why it matters more

• Why executives must own DEI strategy rather than delegate it

• How to translate survey data into actionable plans

• Gen Z's influence on workplace expectations around transparency and action

• Accountability mechanisms that ensure managers deliver equitable treatment

How do personal experiences shape inclusion?

Personal experiences with identity and belonging shape how employees perceive workplace inclusion. When individuals navigate cultural transitions — whether geographic, organizational, or social — they develop heightened awareness of how environments signal respect and acceptance. These lived experiences inform what employees need to feel valued and how quickly they can detect when organizational culture falls short of its stated values.

Why does inclusion start with respect?

The diversity and inclusion field has evolved through multiple acronyms — from D to D&I to DEI. The REDI framework offers a different starting point by leading with respect.

The REDI framework prioritizes respect as the foundation:

• Respect: The natural goodwill extended to individuals immediately.

• Equity: Ensuring fair treatment and opportunities.

• Diversity: The representation of different backgrounds.

• Inclusion: The active engagement of diverse talent.

Respect refers to the natural goodwill that one extends to another individual the minute they show up in your space. It's a concept everyone understands without needing extensive definition or training.

What drives perceptions of disrespect?

Addressing the experience of workers who face the greatest challenges can lift outcomes across the entire organization. Research with Black women — who consistently report some of the lowest favorability scores across organizations — reveals that employees interpret leadership hesitation and avoidance as disrespect.They don't frame these experiences as a lack of belonging, inclusion, equity, or equality. Respect is a near-automatic reaction that people have, making it a more immediate and accessible metric than other DEI concepts.

Does the concept of belonging go far enough?

Respect can surface faster than belonging in employee feedback, which changes what leaders should measure first.

While belonging has value as a concept, it requires time for employees to assess whether they feel a sense of belonging in an organization. It's also not a word that average people use in everyday conversation. From a historical perspective, the language of "belonging to" an organization carries problematic connotations that some employees find uncomfortable.

Survey designers now recognize that some concepts need only one or two questions, not necessarily a six-item scale for everything. Respect is one of those metrics, because you can ask people:

• 'Do you feel respected, yes or no, at work?'

• 'What is it that you're experiencing in your environment that makes you feel respected?'

• 'What is it that you aren't experiencing or would need to experience in order to feel respected? What's missing?'

Why does inclusion demand active leadership?

Inclusive leadership actively includes and values diverse perspectives—a practice tied to stronger organizational performance.

Traditionally, the executive level hasn't handled diversity and inclusion programming. Leaders thought it was acceptable to delegate these efforts where they didn't have to engage with them regularly or deal with the specifics. But the top of the organization determines what it feels like to be part of the organization on a daily basis. Without executive ownership, inclusion efforts remain siloed and ineffective.

How can leaders approach inclusion strategically?

A strategic approach asks leaders to include multiple viewpoints at every decision point and build trust across the workforce (source).

Implicit bias training and so-called 'diversity hires' aren't inherently bad, but both are reactive in nature. Both represent evidence of a lack of strategic perspective on diversity and inclusion.

A strategic perspective requires answering three core questions:

• Where do we need to start?

• What specific problems are we solving for in our organization?

• What measurable outcomes define success in 6–12 months?

If you bring people into an organization who aren't similar to the people you've traditionally had, you need to have established a foundation of inclusion first.

Leaders must own DEI strategy, not delegate it. Organizations that treat DEI as a moral issue rather than a business priority fail to create lasting change. If you want your organization to thrive, you need to ensure that every employee and every prospective employee has the opportunity to optimize their talents and impact. If this doesn't start from the top, you end up with siloed diversity officers who cannot have the strategic impact they were hired to make—and they won't stay, either.

How do leaders move from data to action?

Many organizations field surveys and collect useful data, but that data isn't connected to any strategic objectives. The strategic piece at the beginning of survey design is non-negotiable. More frequent measurement and measuring the things that really matter for whatever purpose you're trying to accomplish remain underutilized as pathways to strategic action.

Traditionally, organizations have focused on the quantitative elements of data, particularly when sharing results with executives. However, qualitative data is more impactful than it has ever been. While executives historically showed little interest in qualitative feedback, they've discovered that the stories and anecdotes within comment data help them understand the nuances of employee experience. The stories are where the drivers of employee experience exist.

As far as overall survey design goes, the feedback you receive from a survey needs to inform your organization about how it is faring in terms of achieving its strategic objectives. The ultimate test of any survey's effectiveness comes down to whether it provides adequate directional guidance about what is or isn't working.

Why must managers and leaders own the data?

Managers and leaders need to own all employee experience data, which hasn't historically been the case. For example, DEI data was often not even shared with executives in the organization — it was kept within HR. Organizations must redefine the paradigm in terms of what data is shared with executives. Leaders need to let the data speak for itself and be brutally honest when communicating what is working and what is not. Organizations also need to ensure they are measuring the things that executives should see. The conversation about equity inorganizations is now focused heavily on fairness and pay transparency.

How can leaders live up to organizational values?

When leaders fail to live up to organizational values, measurement becomes essential. Organizations need to understand what employees want to see and what they want to feel—those are the things worth measuring.

Are people feeling seen, heard, and valued? Survey questions should address these basic needs. Do employees have a voice at an individual level within their teams? To what extent do people feel recognized? What career development do they desire? Effective survey design focuses on basic human needs. As organizations analyze this data, they can segment it to identify variability by demographic groups.

How does Gen Z shape workplace conversation?

As a section of the workforce, Gen Z is more vocal and verbal than prior generations. They can start a movement in a minute with a tweet, a TikTok, or a photograph on Instagram. It is critically important for leadership to understand what that generation believes because Gen Z has significantly influenced trends like Quiet Quitting and the Great Resignation. Their generational point of view is that something has to change and that organizations can't keep doing things the way they've always done them. Gen Z doesn't want leaders to discuss important topics like climate change or social justice in a veiled fashion; they want direct action. Through their presence in the workforce, they're influencing prior generations, reminding everyone that we can ask for something different and alter the status quo.

• Gen Z uses social platforms to organize and amplify workplace expectations quickly.

• Gen Z influences workforce trends and language, including how employees interpret movements like Quiet Quitting and the Great Resignation.

• Gen Z expects direct action and transparency on issues leaders often treat indirectly.

How does accountability start at the top?

Accountability for inclusion is not possible unless it's driven from the top. Without consequences—such as tying inclusion outcomes to goals, evaluations, or bonuses—leaders won't recognize that there is accountability for their actions.

Leaders are accountable for treating everyone on their team in an equitable way. Organizations don't want situations where people are talking about pay disparities or promotion opportunities behind closed doors. To prevent this, leaders must treat everybody fairly and create transparent systems that demonstrate equitable treatment.

How can leaders handle difficult conversations with honesty?

Difficult conversations aren't enjoyable, but managers and leaders must have them. Ultimately, they are the ones who own whatever challenges have arisen in their groups and teams. Organizations need to be honest with themselves when they know the source of problems, because they must resolve those problems so that their people can have a good employee experience. It's not easy, but it's what needs to be done.

Frequently asked questions

What does inclusion mean in leadership?

Inclusive leaders build teams where every employee feels respected, heard, and able to use their skills. They give everyone equal access to information, growth, and decision-making.

What are the five key behaviors of an inclusive leader?

Research points to five core behaviors:

• Self-awareness – know your own biases.

• Curiosity – seek out different views.

• Courage – speak up when you see unfairness.

• Vulnerability – admit mistakes and invite feedback.

• Empathy – act on what others need to succeed.

How can a leader measure inclusion on their team?

Run a short survey that asks if employees feel respected, heard, and valued. Break the results down by role, location, and demographic group, then track trends along with turnover and promotion rates.

How can leaders hold themselves accountable for inclusion goals?

Tie inclusion metrics — survey scores, fair promotion rates, and pay equity — to performance reviews and bonuses. Review progress each quarter and share the results with the team.

How can Perceptyx measure inclusion in your organization?

Inclusive cultures correlate with 22% lower turnover and 27% higher profitability, so measuring inclusion supports business outcomes.

By working with a partner like Perceptyx, you can develop a strategy to measure DEIB and easily track the right metrics while developing a thorough understanding of what drivers will improve them over time.