FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Why Leaders need to lead with EQ, if they & their organisations are to remain relevant
- Miriam Mukasa - Inclusive Leadership & AI
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 1
In a rapidly changing world, the teams you build today must reflect the diverse customer base of tomorrow.
Every day, millions of people world-wide attend work while suffering from: fear, anxiety, and frustration. Many times, this is borne from the fact that they often have to conceal their true identities. Such people often end up: conforming, dissenting or leaving the organisation all of which is detrimental to its success.
o Conformity means orgs. are losing rewards from diversity with some people code switching – adapting their behaviour to better fit in with the culture of the organisation. Non-inclusive environments stifle innovation & creativity resulting in many employees unable to contribute their full potential.
o Dissent, often a by-product of unwelcoming workplaces, erodes communication, collaboration & productivity
o High turnover rates drain valuable resources including time & money. When companies are constantly recruiting to replace, there are opportunity costs that need to be factored in.
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Many leaders (especially those from dominant groups), are unlikely to know or even appreciate, the high numbers of their reports/colleagues (predominantly from marginalised groups), who on a daily basis, code-switch just to get through each day.
It's difficult for leaders from the dominant group to appreciate this because their organisation and/or the societies in which they live, has been built by people like them, for them.
For many, those hours of code-switching are exhausting. Imagine putting on a pair of shoes that is two sizes too small knowing each day that follows, you have to put on the same shoes no matter the pain from the blisters and yet are expected to perform at your best by people whose shoes fit perfectly.
Whether it’s people with disabilities, those from neurodivergent communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and/or other marginalised groups, pretending to be someone you are not simply to “fit in” is exhausting.
When we reject people on the basis that they're not a good “cultural fit” especially when we work for a global organisation, we need to ask ourselves this: whose culture are we expecting everyone to fit or align with?
The important reality is, because of fast changing demographics, coupled with changes in societal attitudes, means the teams you are building today (if built in non-inclusive environments or datasets (read AI)), will no longer reflect nor represent your diverse employee and customer base tomorrow. In other words, your organisation, it's products and the AI powered systems you roll out (including recruitment tools), will soon, no longer be fit for purpose.
This is why, leaders who lead with Emotional Intelligence (EQ) are far better equipped to connect with and effectively build and manage teams from different cultural backgrounds and experiences knowing full well that just like their employees, their customers too reflect a rainbow of cultures, experiences, and backgrounds.
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