Intentional Inclusion. A Business Imperative.
INTRODUCTION
On the 9th of June 2020, I led a session entitled Intentional Inclusion | A Business Imperative at the Become Influential Virtual Summit, an event designed to inform and empower working parent solopreneurs. The objective for this session was to introduce a conversation about the imperative for being intentional with inclusion.
A key component of this intention is to take a step back and examine the lens through which we each view, process and understand the world. This lens is shaped by numerous factors in our respective lives and life experiences, all of which reflect the privilege from which we have (or, in far too many cases, have not) benefited. Often unbeknownst to us, privilege impacts the benefits-of-the-doubt, opportunities, forgivenesses and the pivotal moments in each of our lives very differently. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge these privileges so that we may broaden our own lens in advancing through our respective inclusion journeys.
Since filming this session in early May, the critical imperative for inclusion has elevated to the forefront of all thoughts, conversations and actions. On the 25th of May, Amy Cooper’s racist threat to Christian Cooper’s life was followed several hours later by George Floyd’s brutal murder by the police. These horrific events have triggered a global “call to action” to finally address the indisputable reality and devastating effects of systemic racism and social injustice in our country.
At this pivotal moment as we begin to truly work together towards equity and anti-racism, one area that is within our individual scopes of work is to ensure we grow our businesses inclusively. As I shared during a “live” Q&A on the 9th of June, following the airing of Intentional Inclusion | A Business Imperative: My challenge for all of us today as we collectively move forward is to expand our lenses, broaden our circles, embrace vulnerability, initiate courageous and difficult conversations. And, to do so with INTENTION.
INTENTIONAL INCLUSION. A BUSINESS IMPERATIVE.
Why Inclusion? Fostering Authentic Connections.
It is imperative to cultivate an inclusive lens through which you view and engage your customers, partners and collaborators (i.e. your “audience”). As you grow your business inclusively, you will foster genuine and lasting connections with your audience by:
Welcoming and valuing others for who they are, so that they feel a sense of belongingness at the same time they feel welcomed for their individual uniqueness.
Listening to their voices and stories.
Asking questions that reflect your desire to learn more about them.
Contemplating Inclusion. Identify your Audience.
Marc Wilson’s expert insight highlights the importance of an intentional and strategic approach to Contemplating Your Diverse Customer Base, as summarized below.
How do you broaden your lens to identify and understand the full potential of your (current and future) customer base and broader audience?
Intersection Points. Look for the connective points. Identify these overlaps, i.e. the intersections between yourself and others/other populations.
Perspective. Focus on these connection points. What are they? Where can you find these overlapping tendencies, perspectives and predispositions between yourself/your brand and others (individuals, populations, segments of populations, etc.) with which you are not familiar?
Inclusion. How can you align on these connection points? What can you focus on to address and serve these connection points more inclusively?
How do you create opportunities for engagement with this robust audience (across the entire ecosystem of your business)?
Your Network. Start with who is in your network and broaden out from there. Where can you access populations (e.g. cultures, segments of populations, individuals, etc.) that you didn’t previously believe you could access?
Listen & Learn. Get your “boots on the ground,” ask questions and learn more about these various populations. Speak to people one-on-one who you might not have known a lot about previously so that you can understand more about their day-to-day life, their culture, their traditions, their “lens”, how they see the world, etc.
Embrace Vulnerability. Step outside your comfort zone to understand how these other populations live. What motivates, inspires, drives these individuals? What do they dislike? Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable.
Reset. Reset how you view the world. As people, we are predispositioned to walk through the world and see it our way, i.e. through our lens. Instead, ask yourself: What perspective that maybe isn’t in my lens should I perhaps contemplate? The world opens up if we look outside our lens.
Why is it important to contemplate and include your diverse customer base with intention?
Actions Mirror Intentions. By including our holistic audience’s perspective, attitudes and tastes up-front, you ensure that these view-points are “baked in” to the very core of your proposition which will (therefore) be inclusive of your holistic audience.
Proactive vs Reactive. Intention ensures that your actions are proactive versus reactive (the later of which is often perceived as pandering). When you are inclusive from the onset, your behaviors and actions are perceived by your audience as more thoughtful and genuine.
Authenticity. Intentional inclusion is received in a more authentic, real way. “People respond to humanity.”
Strategic Inclusion. Developing your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement.
As Marc shared, it is important to contemplate the full scope of your audience with intention. Developing an Inclusive Culture Mission Statement will ensure that this intention carries through to your audience engagement.
An Inclusive Culture Mission Statement is your blueprint for how you conduct yourself and your company with inclusion. To be successful, your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement must support your broader business objectives, reflect your voice and truly be authentic to who you are and what you stand for. Several key questions to address as you prepare to your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement:
Who is your audience? Per Marc, it is important to identify and contemplate your full audience, across your entire business ecosystem, from the onset.
What are your values and objectives for inclusivity? How do you view and value diversity?
How do you want your audience to feel when they engage with you | encounter you | talk about you? How will you act, or not act, with intention accordingly?
Answering these questions and reflecting upon your authentic inclusion, prepares you to write your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement. As you do so, a good litmus test is if it:
Is authentic to who you are (personally) and who your business is (e.g. aligns with your Vision Statement, what your business does and who you do it for).
Reflects your business’ our goals and objectives.
Will resonate with your audience. In other words, will they read it and feel that it is authentic to how they think of your brand?
Finalizing your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement is not the end of the journey. To ensure you remain committed to inclusion, your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement should be visible. It should be referred to often and communicated with pride. Solicit feedback and insight from your audience about how it resonates with them, initially and as you grow. Re-calibrate it over time.
Your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement is your touchstone. It is your daily reminder of who you are, how you conduct yourself with intention and how you want to be known.
Engaging with Inclusion. Act intentionally.
Katie Gootenberg’s expert insight highlights actions to take to ensure you are intentional about inclusion in how you engage with your audience.
Starting at the foundation of our engagements, what is an audience-first marketing approach and why does it matter?
Understanding. An audience-first marketing approach places your audience at the forefront of all engagements. It demonstrates that you understand: who they are, what they care about, what they are excited about, what they are fearful about, etc. Your audience’s agenda is what drives the conversation.
Fosters Trust. This approach builds connections, fosters trust and establishes you as an authority. At this point, when you introduce a product or solution, your audience believes that you truly understand them and their needs and is more apt to purchase from you.
How does a small business or solopreneur develop and execute an audience-first marketing approach?
Know Your Audience. It really comes down to understanding your target audience. What is their gender, their race, their ethnicity? How old are they? Where do they live? Who do they love? What are they interested in? What are they excited about? What are their challenges? What do they spend their money on?
What are some of the top business benefits, in addition to the moral and societal ones, of being intentionally inclusive? In other words, why is inclusion a business imperative? How does it help us grow?
Brand Equity. As an authentic and inclusive business, you “walk the walk” by how you engage with others as well as in demonstrating what you stand for by what you showcase. This generates on-going positive PR and brand equity.
Growth in Customer Base. Authentically engaging with and showcasing diverse audiences (in words and images that resonate with your audience, by offering solutions to their needs, etc.) leads to a continuous expansion of a broader, and possibly untapped, customer base (e.g. through social media engagement algorithms, etc.)
Intentional Inclusion. Moving forward.
Inclusion is not a “check the box” nor a one-time initiative. Instead, inclusion must be integrated throughout the fabric of your organization. As your business grows, you will continue to contemplate the full potential of your diverse customer base and broader audience. Likewise, you should constantly be mindful of how you want to engage with others and how you want others to engage with, view and talk about your business. As your business grows, over time it is natural that you will re-calibrate various aspects of your strategic objectives and plans, including your Inclusive Culture Mission Statement. If you act with inclusion, are authentic in your engagement with others and hold yourself accountable for how others perceive you, you will grow your business with Intentional Inclusion.
Written & Presented by: Megan Stewart Hodge
https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-stewart-hodge-a0a5684/
Megan is the founder of Cultiver LLC, an advisory practice focused on fostering cultures of inclusion | a leadership & career coach to rising female executives | the author of Voix, commencing in 2020 as story-telling series committed to advance & empower women in all facets of our lives. She is featured as an inclusive culture thought-leader as a speaker, panelist, a podcast guest and co-author. She is the co-host of the upcoming 2020 IICF Midwest Women in Insurance Beyond Gender: Inclusion, Leadership & Innovation Regional Forum as well as Chicago’s 2020 Dive In Festival that embraces & celebrates diversity in the insurance industry.
Megan strives for whole-person success in her interwoven professional & personal journey, prioritizing authenticity & well-being. She has cultivated her expertise & leadership throughout her career with a strong focus on: operational strategy, innovation, fostering talent and inclusive culture development & consummate client advisory. Megan believes it is critical to use our individual & collective voices and our positions of leadership to drive meaningful change for more inclusive industries & society.
Featuring: Mark Wilson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-wilson-ph-d-36502b24/
Marc is the Senior Vice President | Director of Inclusion at FCB Chicago, a PhD in Business Psychology and is a long-standing Diversity & Inclusion advocate.
Featuring: Katie Gootenberg
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-gootenberg/
Katie is the founder of Digitally Enhanced Marketing, empowering women-owned business that leverage their unique gifts to empower and lift others up.