Leading Inclusion: Drive Change Your Employees Can See and Feel

by Gena Cox

Overview

"An outstanding source of information and advice for leaders who want to build inclusive work environments. It may also prove extremely beneficial for faculty and students of business administration schools. Highly recommended."
LIBRARY JOURNAL (Starred Review)

*****

Build an inclusive organization from the top down

In this groundbreaking book, organizational psychologist and executive coach Gena Cox delivers the message that humans vary, and human variation is normal. Yet true inclusion that embraces these variations remains elusive in the workplace. That traumatizing state of affairs will continue until executives lead inclusion from the top of the organization. Drawing on psychological science, interviews with corporate leaders, the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) experts, and her own experience in corporate America, Cox goes beyond the business case for diversity and answers the clarion call for human-centered organizational leadership.

Leading Inclusion is not a how-to book; it’s a how-to-be book—one that educates, challenges, and empowers you and your C-suite and board colleagues to lead a diverse workforce effectively. You’ll learn the historical facts that created the racial inequities and systemic injustices that show up in the workplace, even today. Leading Inclusion shows the importance of taking the pulse of all your employees, so you can identify meaningful actions to build an inclusive, respect-first organizational culture.
Your organization can make a visible, tangible difference that employees will see and feel. Leading Inclusion will empower you to change your organization— and America—one employee at a time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781774581797
Publisher:	Page Two Books, Inc.
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	1,137,383
Product dimensions:	5.65(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Gena Cox is an organizational psychologist and executive coach. Gena advises executives how to build and lead inclusive workplace cultures that work for all employees, not just a lucky few. Gena is active in the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology and serves on advisory boards at the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa. She contributes to national publications, including Harvard Business Review, and holds a Ph.D. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 Skin in the Game

1 CEOs Can Change America, One Employee at a Time 13

Essential Definitions 27

2 Yesterday Explains Today 35

Part 2 Mindset: Rethink What You Believe

3 The Diversity and Inclusion Imperative 51

4 Understand Your Beliefs about REDI 71

5 The Truth about Working in Your Organization 105

Part 3 Boldness: Make Inclusion Scalable

6 CEO and Board Using the Same Playbook 121

7 The C-Suite Inclusion Infusion 141

8 A CDO with Resources and Political Clout 161

9 Meeting in the Middle 171

Part 4 Action: It Won't Be Easy, but It Can Be Done

10 HR and the Science of Inclusive Leadership 187

11 Seeing All Women Clearly 219

12 How to Build a Workplace Culture 231

Conclusion: Making Corporate America Better 245

Acknowledgments 247

Notes 249

Further Reading 283

Index 287

Editorial Reviews

"An outstanding source of information and advice for leaders who want to build inclusive work environments. It may also prove extremely beneficial for faculty and students of business administration schools. Highly recommended."
Library Journal starred review

"A real-world leadership guide to effective inclusion and diversity in the workplace."
BookLife (Publishers Weekly)

"A comprehensive guidebook to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the workplace."
Kirkus Reviews

"... nuanced and personalized, reflecting deep understanding of the challenges implicit in addressing racial tensions in workplaces."
Clarion Book Reviews by ForeWord Reviews (5 out of 5 stars)

“If you are an executive who intends to build an inclusive organization but doesn’t know where to start, Leading Inclusion will be uniquely helpful.”
Dorie Clark, Wall Street Journal–bestselling author, The Long Game

“Leading Inclusion is an incredibly compelling and well-grounded call to leaders, especially those in the C-suite, to lead differently—to lead inclusively.”
Dr. Steven Rogelberg, professor, organizational psychology, UNC Charlotte; bestselling author, The Surprising Science of Meetings

“Inclusive leadership is a business imperative. In this ideas-packed and humane book, Gena Cox explains how we can overcome feeble excuses and cultural ignorance to take the bold steps required to change our workplace reality, one employee at a time.”
Des Dearlove, cofounder, Thinkers50

“Gena Cox’s REDI methodology is among the most comprehensive and effective strategies available in our field. Reading and implementing her well-researched practices and internalizing the generous personal perspectives of this powerful Black woman leader will set your business up for success.”
Dr. Tiffany Jana, CEO, TMI Portfolio; award-winning coauthor, Subtle Acts of Exclusion

“Few women of color can define the day-to-day workplace using a nuanced blend of personal experience, organizational psychology, and leadership effectiveness insights. Gena Cox has that unique voice and uses it in Leading Inclusion to reposition ‘diversity and inclusion’ as an executive leadership and organizational governance imperative.”
Deepa Purushothaman, cofounder, nFormation; author, The First, the Few, the Only

“Painstakingly researched yet practical, and nuanced yet digestible, Leading Inclusion is a must-read for every leader eager to build a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and belonging.”
Gorick Ng, Wall Street Journal–bestselling author, The Unspoken Rules

From the Publisher

★ 09/09/2022

Organizational psychologist Cox coaches executives, board directors, and DEI leaders who want to build inclusive work environments. Designed for corporate leaders, her book teaches readers how to set and incorporate a vision for diversity and inclusion that enables employees to see and feel the difference in their day-to-day work experiences. While the focus is on the inclusion and experiences of people of color, primarily Black people, the book adds insights that can enhance the work environment for any employee. Part 1, "Skin in the Game," analyzes the historical events that led to race-based social disparities present in most companies today. Parts 2, 3, and 4 are about the author's three-step MBA (Mindset, Boldness, and Action) framework for leader-driven corporate inclusion. She analyzes the REDI (an acronym for Respect, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) model in promoting inclusion, saying that if underrepresented employees don't feel respected, nothing else matters. At the end of each chapter, there is also an executive summary, questions for self-reflection, and lists of further reading. VERDICT An outstanding source of information and advice for leaders who want to build inclusive work environments. It may also prove extremely beneficial for faculty and students of business administration schools. Highly recommended.—Lucy Heckman

Library Journal