I was delighted to have Chartered Psychologist and inclusive leadership expert, Nadia Nagamootoo, join me as my guest for season two, episode four of Manage with Confidence. As Nadia says in her book, Beyond Discomfort: Why inclusive leadership is so hard (and what you can do about it),
“Once a leader is aware of a form of exclusionary behaviour, it is absolutely their responsibility to be alert to it and take action when they see it.”
But how do you become a more aware and inclusive leader? Listen to the episode to get some useful ideas and strategies.
Here are five of my favourite insights from the episode:
You can’t be a good leader if the only view of the world or organisation that you are applying to decision making is just yours and yours, alone. To be an inclusive leader, you need to realise that multiple truths and multiple realities exist.
How well are you paying attention to signals of exclusion? For example, noticing if someone doesn’t speak up in a meeting. Noticing who has the most powerful voice in the room. Noticing who continually gets spoken over. Be curious. Look for micro clues as to the lived experience of different people – different from you – are experiencing the same organisation.
Inclusion is not a nice-to-have. Nadia’s frustration is that it’s often seen as an add-on, something that is soft and fluffy. Yet the data from Nadia’s work with different organisations shows the opposite. “You want people to perform at their best. Don’t allow certain (exclusionary) behaviours to diminish their performance”.
What often holds leaders and their teams back from important conversations about inclusion and exclusion is the fear of mis-stepping and not having a definitive answer. To be an inclusive leader, this sometimes means admitting when you don’t know how to solve an issue. Open it up to the wider team – how can you solve it together.
The power of calling in versus calling out. When we call someone out for exclusionary behaviour, it puts them on the defensive. When we call in, we give the benefit the doubt. We are more curious and adopt a spirit of inquiry.
Have you listened to the episode? Tell me what your favourite moments were. What were the a-ha moments for you?
About the Manage with Confidence podcast
The Manage with Confidence podcast is full of practical and evidence-based tools, tips and skills to help you be the best people manager possible.
It was launched in 2026 by Dr Hayley Lewis and is listened to by people managers, HR professionals and coaches in 39 countries around the world. It exists to support people managers, because better managers means better business and better worklife.
You can find the podcast online including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.
Post author: Dr Hayley Lewis. First published on the HALO Psychology website 10 November 2026.
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