Introduction: A Professor, a Psychologist, and a Man with One Leg Walk into a Bar

How did this title make you feel when you read it? Did you snicker or frown? Were you intrigued or outraged? Did it make you feel uncomfortable or simply curious as to who would be the butt of the joke? Love them or hate them, we've all heard jokes that start like this.

Usually deriving some comic value from an individual's characteristics, the “walk into a bar” joke has been around for almost 4,000 years; the first known example, found on stone tablets from the Babylonian Empire, featured a dog walking into a bar.1 Jokes like this work because we expect one thing—often culturally ingrained unconscious bias at work—and then they deliver either something unexpected or something which accentuates that cultural stereotype. It is perhaps unsurprising these jokes first appeared in Mesopotamia when the Babylonian Empire was at its peak, and its population was composed of many national, ethnic, religious, and other identity groups living and working within the dominant Babylonian culture.

In this instance, our use of this vehicle is less to do with comedic value, rather we want to trigger a response in you—something instant, something unconscious perhaps, something you may find easier to avoid than confront. We will do this repeatedly to help you examine what is informing such responses, reframe your understanding, and enable you to incorporate fresh insights and adopt new behaviors into your leadership style.

We have divided the book into three sections. The first, “Building Understanding,” provides context and insights into what it means to be inclusive and the organizational and societal impact it can have.

The second section will guide you through the 12 dimensions of the Inclusive Leader Scorecard, a proprietary model designed to help you on the journey to Inclusive Leadership.

Then, in the final section, “Application,” we will share our collective experiences on how to apply the knowledge we have gained and enable you to unlock inclusion for you and your organization. To further support this unlocking, each chapter will have a practical activity to bring the content to life with case studies and corporate stories along the way.

Since you picked this book up, you probably already have an interest in inclusion. That may be through necessity as you try to navigate the complexities of corporate life. It may be a personal passion or a fundamental part of your life's mission, or it may be that you found this a positive use of your time on a long journey home. Whatever your motivation, consider this: what do you risk by purposefully being more inclusive? What do you risk if you don't?

When Is the Right Time to Work on Inclusion?

Are you waiting for the right time to try to make the world a better place? Rabbi Hillel, a foundational Jewish theologian and leader, asked centuries ago, “If not now, when?”—and his prompt remains just as powerful today.2 It is a phrase you've likely heard, and may have used yourself, as it urges us to act now, not postpone duty.

Inclusion isn't something we can wait for other people to achieve. Legislation can help at a national or societal level, but for meaningful change to occur, we all have a role to play no matter what our identity, or identities. Inclusion is everyone's duty, and inclusion benefits everyone.

You may also know another of Rabbi Hillel's famous phrases, “Whatsoever thou wouldest that men should not do to thee, do not do that to them” If not word‐for‐word, you know its essence. Maybe you know it from The Buddha, “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others.” Or, by its scholarly moniker “ethic of reciprocity.” Or simply as The Golden Rule.3 This maxim is popular in many traditions across the world. It is often used as a starting point for working with others. However, it is important to build upon this rule by understanding not everyone wants to be treated the same.4

In fact, at times, your own beliefs and moral codes may be counter to those of others around you, and you may have to adjust this to “treat others how they want to be treated,” or what is known as “The Platinum Rule” in many business circles.5 This can pose challenges for organizations at a time when opinions are increasingly polarized. What we urge you to do is to not simply dismiss thinking that is contrary to your own; rather invest time in considering the inherent value of all people and thus considering their wealth of perspectives. You may already have an understanding of the long history of the term “woke,” or have considered the pros and cons of “de‐platforming.” You have no doubt had conversations with colleagues and peers about “cancel culture.” You may have taken time to understand “how historically marginalized groups are still impacted today by that legacy” or “why historically dominant groups are feeling disenfranchised” and how you might validate emotions while still holding people and systems accountable for inequality. We will define and explore all of these things and more.

What we ask is that you stop avoiding difficult conversations, embrace the discomfort of learning and growing, and ultimately take well‐informed decisions and action.

Our aim with this book is to create a space where you can contemplate the rights, wrongs, and thorny issues, thereby enabling you to understand the fundamental principles of inclusion and also apply them to yourself and your organization. Whether this is the first time you're considering what it means to be an Inclusive Leader or you've been striving to lead like this for decades, we hope you take this opportunity to pause, reflect, and make a commitment to taking action. It is time to walk the talk and make up for lost time.

So Who Are the Three People Who Walked into That Metaphorical Bar to Write This Book?

The Professor is Melissa Thomas‐Hunt (she/her). Melissa is a Black cis woman, non‐disabled who has experienced periods of disability, born and raised in the United States. Her parents were both teachers; her father is a Southern Black man who was part of the Great Migration in the early 1940s, and her mother's family hails from the Caribbean and immigrated to New York City. She is currently the Senior Associate Dean of the residential full‐time MBA program and the John Forbes Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business and the Professor of Public Policy at the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Prior to that she was the inaugural Head of Global Diversity and Belonging at Airbnb, where she led the strategy and execution of the global internal diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging programs. Her happiest place is anywhere she's with her family, and her second happiest place is any place where people are engaged in connecting with one another.

The Psychologist is Dev Modi. Dev is a British Indian, born in the UK. His parents sought refuge in the UK after they fled East Africa following the 1964 revolution in Zanzibar and found their home in the leafy suburbs of Harrow, NW London. His roots in India and Africa are core to his cultural identity and informs the work he does. He is an award‐winning Chartered Organisational Psychologist, with a career spanning two decades working with executive teams and senior leaders of the world's best loved brands. In the midst of the Covid pandemic, he wrote The Inclusive Leader Scorecard, the precursor to some of the ideas in this book. He now focuses on executive coaching, team dynamics, and leadership development as his core areas of specialism. His approach to Western professionalism blends with Eastern wisdom such as mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, and yoga. In his spare time, he runs leadership retreats in the Andalusian mountains of Spain.

The man with one leg is Marc Woods. He is a British, White, disabled man who grew up in a small town on the northeastern coast of England. One day young Marc woke with a swollen and painful ankle which stopped him doing the things he had been planning with his teenage friends. After 18 months, and many medical tests later, he was told he had bone cancer and subsequently had to have his leg amputated. Unsure of the lifelong implications, he literally and figuratively immersed himself in his childhood love of swimming, going on to represent Great Britain in international competitions for 17 years, including winning 12 Paralympic medals from five games. His fascination with how to achieve potential didn't stop when he hung up his swimming goggles, and he now works as an executive coach and keynote speaker to help leaders build effective teams.

Marc—The Changing Room

As a swimmer you have to lay yourself bare—well, almost. Once you're in your swimwear, there is little left to the imagination, so I very quickly got used to people looking at my artificial leg and, when I took that off, staring at my stump. Children will look straight at me, but adults tend to look out of the corner of their eye and try to hide their thoughts. Just occasionally, they let the mask slip—and you get an insight into how negative impressions of disability pass from generation to generation.

One particular event springs to mind....