“Inclusive leadership is essentially just really amazing leadership,” says Nadia Nagamootoo, founder and CEO of Avenir Consulting and author of the new book Beyond Discomfort: Why Inclusive Leadership Is So Hard.

“There’s not ‘leadership’ and then ‘inclusive leadership’. It’s just really good leadership, where the leader understands the uniqueness of the individuals they’re working with, and takes the time to really, truly listen and see how current organisational systems and processes, and culture, might serve some more than others.”

Before setting up her company, Nagamootoo worked as a chartered business psychologist and consultant for various industries, exploring culture change, organisational development, diversity, equity and inclusion, and she says the leadership she saw there was often quite far from this ideal.

Instead, she explains, those in power would assume that elements such as charisma, clarity of goals and having all the answers made for strong leadership.

“And so inclusive leadership is hard because we’re inviting and encouraging leaders to see what they believe is strong leadership in a different way, and challenging, therefore, some of their fundamental beliefs.”

And those beliefs can be very deeply held, such as the idea that simply treating everyone the same equates to equality and inclusivity.

Nagamootoo says managers might be thinking along the lines of: “So I’ve always been taught to disregard colour or disregard gender, treat everyone the same, and that’s what I’ve stood by. And now you’re telling me that that’s not what I should have been doing? I’ve been doing it for the last three decades or so. So what does that say about me?”

And unpicking these beliefs can be really hard, she continues, “because you have to take a really deep look at yourself”.

“[You have to] work through those emotions where you might be tempted to get defensive or annoyed or angry at the sudden change in what it means to be a good leader. There’s a lot of fear around that.”

In the latest episode of the Leading and Learning webinar, part of the Tes Magazine Leadership Forum, its host Paul Spiers explores Nagamootoo’s insights and advice on overcoming these fears, as well as how to recognise biases and create truly inclusive environments.

You can watch the webinar below, but if it is not visible, you can access it here.