Page 140 - Appreciative Leadership

The Genius of Inclusion 113

Just as there are many ways to be an improbable participant, there

are also many benefits. It is a great way to learn and make new rela-
tionships. Most significantly, however, by participating in meetings,

events, or classes where you are the minority—the one who is diff er-
ent in age, gender, race, religion, ability, or culture—you will experi-
ence and may come to understand inclusion from the other side of
the street. It will strengthen your Appreciative Leadership capacity to
unleash the positive power of inclusion.

From Me to We: The Feeling of Belonging

One of the greatest skills of Appreciative Leadership is the capacity to
create a sense of “we” among a diverse group of people. Robert, now
a very successful public service executive, told us the story of Neil, a
leader who was especially good at including newcomers and creating
a sense of we. His story illustrates the important diff erence between
being on a team and feeling like “we are a team.”

In my early career as an aspiring manager, I worked for a series
of supervisors who regularly pointed out my mistakes and
reminded me of my responsibility to take corrective action. As
a member of their team, I was expected to solve problems as
they occurred, report results, and await the assignment of new
problems. These teams did not operate as or feel like teams.

Later in my career I had the good fortune to meet Neil
and be invited to work with him. When he became my super-
visor, one of the first things he did was assign a colleague to

work alongside of me. My peer mentor was there to answer
my questions and to help me learn whatever I needed to know
to succeed in my new job. His advice was always valuable to

me because it was often based on the questions I asked—what