5 Actions Companies Must Take to Support Men’s Inclusive Leadership

Be transparent around DE&I

Explicitly link DE&I to business goals and embed DE&I into the entire employee lifecycle.

Center DE&I as a strategic imperative

Publicly declare DE&I goals, strategies, and tactics. Then build momentum and trust with stakeholders by keeping them informed of your progress and how your strategies are evolving.

Make inclusive leadership structural

Tie DE&I metrics to hiring, performance evaluations, promotions and compensation. Set clear and attainable DE&I and allyship goals at individual contributor, managerial, department, executive, and corporate levels.

Embrace the new leadership “power skills” as essential skills

Provide inclusive leadership training and development opportunities, such as allyship programs customized for men. Ensure these programs are not exclusively available to senior-level men but are also available to those at all stages of their careers.

Provide men with skills training and support skills

Modern leadership is built on humility, empathy, transparency, and inclusivity. These core competencies must be added to leadership performance metrics to ensure leaders today have the “Power Skills” they need to succeed.

“Too often corporate leaders are uncomfortable talking about DEI, fail to talk convincingly and authentically about the importance of DEI, or avoid uncomfortable conversations. It’s time to center DE&I as a strategic imperative.”

— Dr. David Smith Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and co-author of “Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace.”

5 Ways Men Can Increase Their Inclusive Leadership Competencies

The best leaders bring humility to their interactions and a commitment to broadening their knowledge and understanding. This can be especially useful when managing teams with diverse perspectives and ideas,

Understand how you show up

Get humble, stay curious

PrismWork has developed the HEARTI:Leader Quotient — the only assessment designed to help you understand inclusive leadership strengths and opportunities. Visit heartiquotient.com to learn more.

Because each man comes to inclusive leadership with his own unique experience and perspective, there is no one roadmap. Create your own. Download the Modern Leader Toolkit for recommendations on books and other resources.

Get informed

Being a collaborator starts with a “we” mindset and involves showing up in a number of small daily interaction, as well as advocating for macro changes at your company and beyond. For a list of specific actions, check out PrismWork’s Modern Leader Tool Kit.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Your colleagues are just as likely to be unclear on how to increase their inclusive leadership skills. Share insights and guidance with each other. But don’t get lost in the echo chamber. Seek out guidance from your colleagues who come from different backgrounds, experiences, racial/ethnic and gender identities.

Close the aspiration/action gap

“Allyship is foundational to modern leadership. The leaders who intentionally move from certainty to authenticity, transparency, and vulnerability will build a culture where people are welcomed, valued, respected, and heard.”

— Jennifer Brown, DE&I Thought Leader, Author of “How to be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive”

5 Ways Men Can Support Each Other to Be More Inclusive Leaders

Accountability goes beyond calling out bias in men who aren’t committed to DE&I. It is reminding those who are committed when they may stray, or feel vulnerable and uncomfortable in a situation. It is also about being accountable to oneself and modeling inclusive leadership for others.

Hold one another accountable

Encourage each other to get out of your comfort zones and participate in DE&I efforts. It’s about practice, not perfection.

Talk to each other

You understand the link between DE&I and business outcomes. Work with other men the make sure to hold executives and other corporate leaders accountable to the same standards they are settling for the company.

Provide support

Team up and ask your managers, company leaders, HR/people leaders for inclusive leadership training. It’s about time companies invest in supporting men to become the leaders we all want and need.

Ask for help, together

Insist your executives “walk the talk”

Get courageous so you can develop the skills to manage difficult conversations and situations while staying connected. It’s the difference between leadership success and failure.

“The burden of promoting equity in the workplace should not fall on the shoulders of men of color. White men also need to do their part to promote inclusivity both racially and by gender.”

— Walter Geer, Chief Experience Design Officer, VMLY&R

“Bro culture and codes of silence often prevent meaningful conversations between and with men from occurring. ”

— Jeffery Tobias Halter, Gender Strategist and President of YWomen