The original title for this post was going to be “The 3 best bosses I ever had”. The idea was to showcase different leadership styles and what made each of them so dissimilar and yet be still equally successful. After all, what use is there for a good entrepreneurial vision if you can’t lead people to follow it?

The post seemed simple enough to write. That was until I came across this article on the Harvard Business Review and realized that all three had one thing in common: inclusive leadership.

Let me explain. The article, “Words that Many Managers Are Afraid to Say” as part of the Harvard Business Review “Blogs” section, illustrates seven phrases that managers typically avoid using:

1. "I don't know."

2. "I was wrong."

3. "I'm sorry."

4. "Would you help me?"

5. "What do you think?"

6. "What would you do?"

7. "Could you explain this to me? I'm not sure I get it."

Sounds familiar? Or rather unfamiliar? Perhaps.

The reason for this is that managers, especially those who have been promoted over people in their team, want to appear as if they know more than the people they are managing. There is perceived an outward fear of appearing that a manager might be second-guessing their choices. Jumping into any of the seven phrases above, especially the seventh, may feel like stepping into quicksand for most managers. Admitting that you were wrong or that you don’t understand something is not necessarily indicative of ignorance or of lack of skill. Quite the contrary, according to the article, it actually implies that there is an eagerness to learn and space for a steep learning curve. That sounded promising.

I would actually like to take this one step further. When a manager apologizes, or readily asks for your opinion when necessary, it implies a desire to include you in the process. It means that that he or she respects the input of the team members enough to leave room for it. Maybe it would be a good idea to move away from the corporate culture that rewards infallibility and move into a move inclusive model that celebrates bottoms-up collaboration. Maybe that will encourage team members to put up their hands up at meetings and say “Have you thought of doing it a different way?” or “I might have a better idea.”

Indeed all three aforementioned bosses to whom I was going to dedicate this post to practice inclusive leadership every day. All three encourage participation and made sure we all were part of the process, all while risking appearing somewhat vulnerable while doing so.

Click here to read the rest of the article. I highly recommend getting a subscription to the Harvard Business Review if you are planning on diving into the business world. It’s worth the $20 per issue. If you’re not ready for it, check it out online.

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