Our CEO Hillary Spreizer contributed to an article at Twin Cities Business Journal. Four business leaders contributed to the article. Here is what Hillary shared:

For Hillary Spreizer, CEO and Owner of The Latitude Group, inclusive leadership thrives where viewpoints differ and dissent is welcomed. She describes inclusion as building a culture that rewards honesty and independent thinking rather than conformity.

“It’s about building a culture that relies on different points of view that are openly expressed,” Spreizer says. “It’s asking a question, hearing something you might not like and encouraging that person to continue to share — ask questions and enable and encourage that behavior. If I believe I’ll never have all the answers (which I do), then I need an inclusive team to highlight blind spots and bring new perspectives.”

During the Covid-19 crisis, her firm faced competing realities: Some employees were under vaccine mandates, others were remote or hybrid.

“Instead of dictating, I asked questions and for perspectives,” she says. “We talked about risk and unintended consequences; people had really different opinions. In the end, we landed on a response that came out of that inclusive dialogue.”

Rather than issuing top-down orders, Spreizer opened up a roundtable to surface individual concerns and preferences, uncovering a mix of considerations. By listening first, she ensured that any decisions made would take everyone’s varying needs into account, which can foster trust and minimize backlash.

As Spreizer’s experience shows, when in crisis mode, inclusive leadership anchors decisions in collective wisdom and honest exchange, resulting in not only better decisions, but also more resilient, cohesive teams.

Read the full article, with insights from all four business leaders, here.