Once again in 2021, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing a lot of smart people and capturing their insights and advice about life during a global crisis and what they believe comes next. At the end of each conversation, we asked them for their parting thoughts which—as we close the book on 2021 and begin a new story in 2022—we feel are worth another look.
Inclusify author, Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson, finished our conversation together by telling us how to start the inclusifier journey: “Start with empathy. Everyone’s living through a pandemic, ask people how they’re dealing with that, how they’re doing, how it’s impacted their work, how they’re staying healthy. Start learning about people and their experiences and how they might be different from yours, with the goal of listening, not judging or sharing your own experiences. It’s almost impossible to imagine what other people are experiencing, but it’s easy to find out if you ask them.”
Leadership resolutions for 2022
While we recommend reading all of these interviews and digging deeper into the individuals and books referenced, here’s a synthesis of what we’re taking from them as collective parting thoughts. Consider adding them to your list of leadership resolutions for 2022.
On prioritizing people and diverse teams:
- Talent is the most important thing;
- Put diversity and inclusion high on your agenda, maybe even first;
- Build teams where each individual has the mentality of carrying as much of the team’s overall weight as possible;
- Keep pushing the cultural change that’s underway so that it endures;
On the importance of empathy in helping people adapt:
- Lead with needs and not fears. Don’t try to motivate people through fear; empathy and understanding their needs is the key to motivating them;
- Learn about people and their experiences and how they might be different from yours by asking them;
- Help yourself and your people to be a little calmer and to feel successful;
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