Inclusive leadership and culture in the further education and skills sector – in conversat

Inclusive leadership and culture in the further education and skills sector – in conversation with Dr Katerina Kolyva and Professor Jo MaherIn this first of a series of Inclusive Leadership ‘in conversation’ articles, launching in the first week of Black History Month, Dr Katerina Kolyva, and Professor Jo Maher, discuss the importance of inclusive leadership in the further education and skills sector. In part one of this inclusive leadership ‘in conversation’ series, launching in the first week of Black History Month, Dr Katerina Kolyva, CEO of the Education and Training Foundation and Professor Jo Maher, Principal and CEO at Loughborough College, and recently appointed as Loughborough University’s Pro Vice Chancellor for Sport, discuss the importance of inclusive leadership in the further education and skills sector. Together they share their reflections on what is needed to truly embed inclusive leadership in our organisations and across the sector.WHAT DOES INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP MEAN TO YOU?JM : For me, inclusive leadership is about that sense of everyone feeling welcome.But it’s not just feeling welcome. One of my colleagues in the Football Association described it as “not about inviting people to the party, it’s making sure that when they get there, there’s the drink that they want and the right food that they need, and that there’s a social circle they can relate to”.It’s that sense of feeling welcomed and valued equally. From a leadership perspective this means making sure that you’ve got a diverse team. Then it is about asking how you integrate them in decision making, how you ensure team dynamics are appropriate and that you’re actively promoting a sense of belonging.KK : I agree, it’s about feeling welcome but also active participation. Using the party analogy, it’s one thing to have a welcoming and open door but it’s another thing for everybody to feel comfortable in your lounge. Offer them the drink they want, but also appreciate they may not want a drink at all!I think the most important thing with inclusive leadership is not to think you will get it right, all the time. There will always be an opportunity to improve your understanding of your audiences, the people you lead, the people that lead alongside you and how you support them. Also recognising that you need to support yourself too – sometimes we feel we know everything and because we are inclusive, everybody else will be inclusive too. It’s about sharing views and knowledge.HOW DO YOU APPROACH INCLUSION AND INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP?KK: For me there are four strands;The first one is data – when I join a new sector or a new organisation that I lead I want to know what the data is telling me, what insight can I use to identify areas to focus on and prioritise.The second one is values – what do the organisational values that tell me about inclusion? Do I see those values embedded and practiced in the behaviours and language used by the people who interact with me internally and externally? What am I’m hearing about external stakeholders, our sector, and our organisation?The third one is strategy – how do I make sure that our current and future strategy is inclusive. How do we make sure we use the right language and that we make our strategy accessible to the wider public and to those we serve.Finally, and the most important thing for me is engagement – how do I engage with those I lead internally, the sector I lead and support externally, key stakeholders and partners that I work alongside for the benefit of our learners. If that engagement is not inclusive, then I haven’t done my job.Something I’m really proud of is my work with the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACVO), where I chair their women’s group. I have learned so much from them. It’s great to be part of a community where you can share your own leadership experience, but also be humbled to listen and learn from everybody else’s. I love those kinds of groups where you can ask...