Inclusive leadership is a cornerstone for innovation, efficiency, and quality in today's rapidly evolving business landscape, especially within IT organizations. By integrating varied perspectives, experiences, and skills, leaders can uniquely navigate the challenges of digital transformation and global demands. This fusion of cultural and technical diversity fosters a culture of building high-performing diverse teams and positions Avery Dennison to tailor its IT strategies effectively, ensuring it stays competitive and responsive to customer needs. 

Inclusive leadership within IT organizations is not just a matter of fairness or compliance; it is a strategic imperative that helps businesses drive innovation, enhance decision-making and boost employee engagement. This, in turn, improves customer satisfaction and contributes to overall business success. As a Chief Information Officer (CIO) overseeing a global team with varied experiences, backgrounds, cultures, and expertise, I strive to leverage these differences to support a team whose combined skills and strengths are a powerful and synergistic force.

The Importance of Inclusive Leadership

Inclusive leadership goes beyond representation by promoting diverse teams and embracing the backgrounds, skills and experiences that help businesses thrive. It’s about harnessing varied opinions, points of view, and experiences that help employees thrive and enable innovative solutions and better decision-making, which makes for a more resilient workplace culture. 

I believe every leader is responsible for creating an environment that promotes inclusion for team members. When employees feel included, they feel psychologically safe to step out, challenge ideas and concepts, experiment, and embrace their authenticity at work. Authenticity is key, because it builds trust internally with employees and externally with customers. When employees are authentic in their interactions with customers, it fosters stronger relationships and even brand loyalty. This high-performing, diverse team dynamic also helps businesses tap into local advantages and opportunities to create a competitive advantage, drive growth, and build a strong foundation for sustainable success.