Franklin D Roosevelt, the US president who continued the great American tradition of coming up with very quotable soundbites, gave us some crackers.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”;

“A day that will live in infamy”;

And my personal favourite: 

“We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no-one is left out.”

Imagine, for a second, he’d said the reverse of that – something like:
“We are trying to construct a less welcoming society. We are going to make a country which excludes certain people.”

Sounds bonkers, doesn’t it?

So why, then, are so many people still so – there’s only one word for this, I’m afraid – weird about the idea of inclusivity?

I can only imagine it’s because there’s still some kind of fear about changing the status quo and challenge to long-held power structures; an imagined world of woke warriors forcing us all to eat plain lentils and sing Kumbaya, or something 🫠 

But that’s obviously daft. 

As FDR said, there’s nothing to fear but fear itself.

Inclusivity is one of the greatest leadership traits you can display. 

The Royal Academy of Engineering published a report earlier this year highlighting that more inclusive and diverse organisations derive 19% more revenue from new products and service that companies with below-average diversity scores.

Inclusive leadership creates organisations where people feel truly comfortable being themselves. 

That doesn’t mean everyone has to wear Vans and hoodies to work; if you’re an engineering firm working with big construction companies, dress code might be a genuine consideration.

What it means is that individual experiences and personalities are an important part of how that organisation creates value for its customers. Great ideas come from all kinds of places, not just the boss’s office. A lot of the argument for enforced returning to the office is that people are more productive and innovative when they get together in person.

I definitely think there’s something in that. But if bringing people together means hog-tying them into rigid structures and a narrow range of acceptable behaviours, then perhaps the in-person advantage gets lost.

Inclusivity is also a pre-cursor to diversity – and I mean diversity of all kinds. Diversity of thought, opinion and perspective, as well as ethnicity, socio-economics, gender, sexuality and everything else. 

Who wouldn’t want a range of smart people working together to solve problems, when those smart people have years of experience across a kaleidoscope of living and working?

So this is your reminder that inclusivity is not just desirable, fashionable or sensible. It’s essential. 

FDR was born in 1882, and became US president in 1933 – at a time when the argument for a unilateral way of thinking was gathering frightening pace.

A century later, are we really still so convinced that there’s only one right way to do things?