How well do you understand the impact of the emotional climate in your team?
Do you live in fear of speaking up or taking considered risks?
Or
Is it safe enough for you to be curious and candid, and ask the tough question or share what’s really on your mind?
How much time do you spend operating in the emotional red, grey or green zones?
Not surprisingly, speed and trust are two of the great casualties of environments low in safety and permission. Whilst innovation and inclusion, are the beneficiaries of it.
The Red Zone of Exclusion: is characterised by a sense of fear, or perhaps futility. In this zone, typically, people have given up hope of consistently being the recipient of respect, or feeling it’s safe to share their true thoughts.
Much of the angst in today’s workplaces, centres around the Grey Zone of Uncertainty and Incivility. A lack of response here; an ambiguous comment there; no reply today; followed by ‘what’s the delay?’ tomorrow.
As a result, a rules-based, risk averse environment, where people keep their ‘heads down’ and play it safe, becomes the norm.(3)
It’s the micro-moments in our interpersonal interactions,
where inclusion dies, survives or thrives.
Progressing from Exclusion to Inclusion
The Green Zone of Inclusion: is characterised by team members who are comfortable and connected with one another. Together they create an environment founded on productive and constructive collaboration.(1)
The further into the green zone teams move, the more they become curious and have the ability to be candidwith one another.
As trust and the ability to ‘speak up’ matures, collective intelligence is enhanced. And with it, a team’s innovation and performance, together with individual wellbeing and belonging.
As we celebrate Inclusion @ Work Week, here are some questions to reflect on:
How much time do you spend in the exclusion vs. inclusion zones in your workplace or team?
With whom?
On what topics in particular do you feel most fear or futility?
How is it impacting your performance?
Who is likely to feel the most excluded in your team?
What can you do to increase the inclusion for others in your team?
Hint: it all starts with respect.
Diverse Teams, Inclusive Leadership and Safe Cultures, are the key to the highest innovation and performance in the workplace. They also experience the greatest wellbeing and belonging.
Inclusion @ Work enables individuals and teams to thrive, not just survive.
1. Deloitte; 2. I LEAD Consulting; 3. Hallowell
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