You're leading a diverse coaching group. How can you build inclusivity and trust among your team members?

Creation of an open and transparent environment where everyone gets the freedom and opportunity to share their ideas. As a leader it’s my responsibility to enable this open environment. Active listening, open collaboration, encouraging inclusion and committed involvement sets the foundation to achieve this. Embrace diversity and enhance efficiency.

Address all aspects of diversity. Customize your vision and company culture. Redefine your recruiting strategy. Identify and eliminate any bias. Make employees feel valued. Practice empathetic leadership. Celebrate cultural differences. Provide leadership development opportunities.

I believe that to build inclusivity and trust in a diverse coaching group, as the leader you get to create space for each member to embrace their own authenticity to allow others to see their diversity while living in a shared experience. When members share an experience trust begins to form. Also establishing clearly defined ground rules and guidelines that each member commits to is also important. Understanding that everyone, leader included, will be held to the same high standards of integrity and confidentiality will also foster trust and inclusivity.

Google is known for its inclusive team culture. They have clear norms and expectations for behavior and communication, which they reinforce through various channels such as training programs, company-wide communications, and leadership initiatives. Google's leaders lead by example, promoting openness, diversity, and collaboration. Google fosters ownership and commitment by involving employees in decision-making processes. They prioritize employee satisfaction through perks, promoting work-life balance, and offering career growth opportunities. Google has cultivated a loyal and engaged workforce that is proactive, productive, and efficient. Their inclusive culture attracts top talent, fosters innovation, and drives business success.

Set clear rules and guidelines to be observed. This is to establish an inclusive environment where all members will respect, trust and tolerate one another.

Establishing norms or setting 'Professional Boundaries' is important but we must be careful not to be too strict with our guidelines that people fear to share their thoughts and ideas. We want to encourage an open dialogue. We can effectively set a couple of rules that cover: ✨ Confidentiality. ✨ Respect. ✨ Inclusivity. We must also acknowledge and understand that some people are unaware of their biases and what is more important than establishing norms, is our ability to manage conflict or opposing views, when they arise. Asking ourselves: 💡 How do we remain neutral? 💡 How do we defuse a conflict? 💡 How do we handle any discriminatory comments?

Psychological safety is paramount in working with teams of any makeup. Establishing norms comes down to setting - and keeping - expectations around what will and will not be permitted in work and communication. Psychological safety is evidenced in how effectively people voice concerns or differing opinions, how conflicts are de-escalated and managed, and how often people bring new, unique ideas and perspectives to the team for consideration. Too many teams, while culturally or ethnically diverse, end up ineffective because people do not feel comfortable drawing on their diverse backgrounds. Instead, they conform, withdraw, or yield meeting time to the louder, more assertive/aggressive voices on the team.

An environment with clear, positive norms helps individuals feel valued and respected, which can boost morale and productivity. Regularly reinforcing these standards ensures that the team remains committed to these principles, fostering a collaborative and harmonious atmosphere. This approach not only prevents misunderstandings and conflicts but also builds a strong, cohesive team where everyone can thrive.

In my experience, one-on-one interactions are the best way to create a safe space for open dialogue among team members. Show genuine interest in people and build relationships with them. Lead with authenticity, empathy, and vulnerability. Let your team know that you support them, and when you make mistakes, own up to them.

One thing that I have found helpful in keeping teams engaged and building team trust is to have an open dialogue and give everyone the opportunity to share their ideas and be part of the conversation.

Open dialogue is one of the most underrated use cases and if used effectively in business and leadership this can open up real change. Here’s how I combat an effective open dialogue culture. 1. Create trust and honesty with the team so they feel heard to be able to openly share their perspectives. Most leadership teams do this ineffectively and miss this by never taking their team’s ideas into “real” consideration. Stop doing it to do it and do it to really listen and take action. 2. Stop being the best in the room and look for other experts to provide insight and empower your team to take on projects using the collectives ideas. 3. Really care about the culture not just the bottom line, the bottom line will grow if you really care! 🫡

It is important to note that 'Open Dialogue' is not just about ensuring 'voices are heard'. Some people like to talk more than others (extroversion v introversion) and the challenge for the Leader is to therefore manage the energy of the room. Open dialogue is about collecting and acknowledging everyone's ideas and opinions. In addition to informal discussions, this can be achieved through: 💡 Idea Boards 💡 Silent Mind-Mapping 💡 Consultation These exercises cater for the introverts within the group. Finally, open dialogue is for participants. As a Leader of the group, it is our role to include everyone and acknowledge their input, not to share our views. Our job is to listen, show curiosity and ensure everyone feels valued.

Open dialogue is easy to say and difficult to execute. For example, saying that "all voices are valued equally" is different than ensuring people are heard. Leaders encouraging diversity of thought and ideas must be able to manage the ebb and flow of meeting discussions, giving particular attention to the softer or silent voices in the room. This often requires employing a variety of techniques and meeting sizes, since many people will be very vocal in 1:1 or small team settings, but silent in more boisterous or forceful company.

Aligning everyone to a common goal is crucial for fostering unity, inclusivity and purpose within a team. This alignment encourages team members to engage more actively and support one another, enhancing cohesiveness, trust, and collaboration, which are essential for effectively achieving shared objectives.

Shared goals go far beyond writing or stating a target we can all "lean in" and work together to achieve. If this goal is handed to a coaching team, it will have little effect, if any. For a goal to be truly shared, leaders must take into account the various goals, personalities, and values of a team, and craft goals with the express intent of supporting those values. Said another way, if a goal or mission statement says "here's why we matter," that's good. If an individual on the team can see and say "here's why I matter" in the context of that shared goal or mission, that's exponentially better.

Shared goals should ultimately tie into the purpose of the coaching group. What are we here to achieve? We must understand: ✨ What each individual is seeking to achieve. ✨ How we knit individual objectives into a shared goal. ✨ How we track progress individually and collectively. As a Leader of the group our role is to inspire group members and keep them motivated. Collaboration is a valuable currency. Bringing people together and helping them understand how they can contribute towards one another, is a key element of inclusivity.

Energy is crucial, especially in team dynamics. Team games are particularly captivating because they bring together individuals with diverse mindsets, all working towards a common goal. When everyone aligns with the objective of victory, the collective focus and drive become unstoppable. The shared goal fosters unity, and the team's collective energy and vibe are significantly different compared to individuals pursuing separate goals. This unified effort amplifies motivation, resilience, and collaboration, making the journey towards the team goal not only effective but also more exciting and fulfilling.

Collective Identity: Aligning on shared goals unites diverse groups, enhancing collective identity. Inclusivity: Facilitating goal-setting discussions fosters inclusivity. Ownership: Collaboration builds a sense of ownership. Commitment: Shared objectives strengthen commitment. Contribution: Each member's role in goals.

We should promote both personal growth and professional development within a diverse coaching group. The more we help individuals discover about themselves and the more we assist them with building on their professional skills, the more value they will receive from the coaching group. In addition to mentoring and personalized feedback, keep the following three Cs in mind: 💡 Care. 💡 Curiosity. 💡 Consistency. Exercise these three elements at both a group and individual level and build trust as a Leader of the group.

Each and every person is unique, possessing their own strengths and challenges. By working one-on-one with each individual and identifying these attributes, we can help them truly understand who they are and enable them to be the best they can be. It will allow them to harness their abilities and aspirations effectively. Evaluating at the personal and conscious level is the key to unlocking their true strengths.

Each organization works toward growth and for the business to grow you need highly skilled and motivated employees. Best way to align growth is map personal growth in-line with the business outcome. When team members realize the investment done in their personal growth along with the business opportunities, they feel valued and perform better. Every individual brings some value to the table, and it is in the best interest of leaders to know their members' strength and promote cross skilling in the group.

Continuous positive feedback is crucial for personal growth and focus. It encourages individuals to recognize their strengths and areas for improvement, fostering a growth mindset. Achieving a 1% improvement daily, when done consistently, can lead to significant progress over time. This incremental approach to improvement not only enhances personal success but also contributes to the overall success of the team. As each member grows and improves, the collective capabilities of the team increase, leading to better performance and achieving shared goals.

As a coaching and mentoring expert, I've seen firsthand how recognizing individual strengths can lead to significant personal growth. Tailoring support to each member's needs not only builds their skills but also their confidence. This personalized approach fosters a sense of belonging and trust within the group, as members feel valued and understood. It's crucial to create an environment where everyone's unique contributions are celebrated, leading to a stronger, more inclusive team.

I suppose on the topic if continued learning the most important part for a diverse group to get along with each other well is sharing knowledge. Everybody has different knowledge and background and maybe tips and tricks that could be shared with each other. This would benefit the overall targets of the group substantially

By employing servant leadership, you can foster inclusivity and trust within your team while acting as a coach. Facilitating access to resources and eliminating obstacles empowers team members to self-organize effectively as an autonomous unit. As a coach, your role involves guiding and facilitating rather than imposing directives, thus encouraging a co-creation process.

Add/remind each other of one diversity and inclusion activity in every meeting to keep things real with the team. For example, ‘if you notice someone didn’t contribute during the meeting, send a follow up email and invite their contribution’, ‘be aware of what you communicate non-verbally’, ‘deal with discomfort of change and take risk to challenge norms’, etc.

Check on your personal biases first and deal with them accordingly. Never let them get in the way of your coaching by having yourself coached first so you can process them better and release then there after.🦄🌈

Building inclusivity and trust in a diverse coaching group begins with embracing diversity. As a leader, acknowledging and valuing the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of each team member fosters an inclusive environment. Creating opportunities for open dialogue allows everyone to share their stories and insights, promoting mutual understanding and respect. By establishing norms that encourage active listening and equitable participation, you can ensure that all voices are heard and appreciated. This approach not only strengthens team cohesion but also enhances the collective learning and personal growth of all members, ultimately leading to shared goals and a more dynamic, innovative coaching group.

First and foremost, create and nurture an environment of respect to other cultures and values by creating awareness. Then start sharing personal stories to build common grounds and pass on the good to others before you start expecting them to do the same. It will be slow and gradual process, all you have to do is keep appreciating good behaviours and remediate/correct the ones that require improvement in isolation. Hope this helps.