The Secret Ingredient of Top-Performing Teams
Worksheet included at the end of this email!
Inclusive Leadership Isn’t Soft. It’s Strategic.
When we picture high-performing teams, we often jump straight to strategy decks, skills matrices, or years of experience.
Yes, those things absolutely matter. Yet, more often, the difference comes down to how leadership shows up when people think differently.
Inclusive leadership isn’t about being nice, lowering the bar, or making everyone comfortable all the time. It’s about creating the conditions where different perspectives can surface and challenge each other.
Trust me, it’ll ultimately improve the work!
Top-performing organizations consistently invest in three things:
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A strong, innovative climate
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Structured approaches to solving complex problems
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Inclusive leadership that draws strength from diverse perspectives
Where Inclusion Shows Up (or Doesn’t)
Inclusive leadership doesn’t live in a policy or a values statement. It shows up in moments like...
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Who speaks in meetings (and who doesn’t)
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How decisions are made and communicated
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Whether disagreement feels risky or productive
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How leaders adapt (or don’t) to different working styles
Small choices in these moments can either unlock better thinking… or quietly limit it.
A Simple Way to Take Stock
To make this practical, I’ve created a 2-page Inclusive Leadership Self-Audit. It’s a quick worksheet you can complete in about 10–15 minutes to help you reflect on:
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How well your meetings invite real contribution
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How clearly decisions are made and followed through
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How differences and tension are handled
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Where your leadership is already working, and where small shifts could make a big difference
Don’t worry! It’s not a test. It’s a tool for awareness and reflection, so you can make small, intentional tweaks that’ll greatly benefit your team.
Download: Inclusive Leadership Self-Audit
Inclusive leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about designing work in ways that make the most of the people already in the room.
And that’s what high-performing teams do best.
Now, go crush it as a high-performing team!
— Megan
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