On August 1, WEC and Volvo co-hosted our “Empowering All to Be Inclusive Leaders” workshop as a part of the Volvo Sustainability Leadership Program (SLP). The event took place from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and had a total of 22 participants, including 17 male and 5 female leaders. Jenny Chen, a WEC trainer, led and facilitated the workshop, with the incredible support of Christine Cai from the Volvo team.
The workshop followed a structured flow to explore the concept of inclusive leadership:
1. Leadership Style Test Tool (Lumina Learning): Participants engaged in identifying their leadership style and were encouraged to team up with diverse team members. This activity aimed to help individuals better understand their leadership preferences and how to collaborate effectively within a diverse team.
2. Group Discussion and Presentations on Inclusivity: Volvo employees participated in group discussions to define what inclusivity means. Notable insights from our Volvo participants included accepting different viewpoints, avoiding judgment, being open-minded, showing empathy, amplifying other voices, and embracing the differences among team members. Other key takeaways were the importance of understanding, accepting, and utilizing each team member’s unique qualities, along with being a good listener and embracing mistakes.
3. Group Discussion and Presentations on Inclusive Leadership Characteristics: The workshop delved into the characteristics of inclusive leaders. The conversations highlighted qualities such as active listening, encouraging others, emotional self-regulation, gentleness, fostering democratic decision-making, building trust, empowering team members, being open to new ideas, maintaining optimism, and focusing on people’s strengths. Inclusive leaders were also described as avoiding labeling individuals and being people-focused, open-minded, and amiable.
4. Case Study Analysis: Each group was assigned a case study, which they analyzed, discussed, and presented their solutions for. This interactive activity allowed participants to apply the concepts of inclusive leadership to real-world scenarios, fostering deeper understanding and practical application.
Throughout the workshop, the participants actively engaged with the content, shared valuable insights, and collaborated effectively within their diverse teams. The event successfully promoted the idea of inclusive leadership and provided a platform for participants to reflect on and enhance their leadership skills in a diverse environment.
