How leadership shapes inclusive workplaces
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Why leadership behavior matters and how authenticity fosters a culture of belonging.
Imagine you’re an investigative journalist. When you investigate a story, would you rely solely on the first person you run into—perhaps the one shouting the loudest for your attention, or simply someone from your usual circle? Or would you paint the best, most complete picture by gathering as many different perspectives as possible before moving forward?
It’s that easy. Diversity, when in an inclusive environment, delivers better results and more resilient organizations.
First, understand diversity and inclusion
Let’s start by clarifying the difference between diversity and inclusion.
Diversity is about representation—the presence of people with different backgrounds, identities, and perspectives. But diversity alone isn’t enough. Without inclusion, those voices may remain unheard or undervalued.
Inclusion is about creating environments where everyone feels safe, respected, and empowered to contribute authentically. It’s the difference between simply putting diverse people in the same room and actually making diversity work. In an inclusive culture, different voices are not only present but actively welcomed, valued, and heard.
In quantum, alike anywhere, it is crucial for all community members to have at least an understanding of this difference, different forms of diversity and why DEI efforts matter. As awareness benefits not only the people most directly impacted, but will benefit our collaboration across teams, hubs and the community at large. If we can accept that building the quantum industry requires collaboration, we must also accept it requires consistend, impactful DEI efforts.
Why leadership matters
Leaders set the tone. The behaviors you demonstrate—whether or not you are conscious of them—become the blueprint for what others feel is safe or valued. If you want inclusive environments where diversity thrives, modeling inclusive behavior is non-negotiable.
When you actively empower others to show up as their true selves, you create a culture of belonging. Leading by example is one of the most effective ways to create meaningful, lasting change.
A workplace that fosters a sense of belonging allows people to achieve personal excellence from a place of comfort and support.
Let that sink in: personal excellence from a place of comfort. From any perspective, that sounds pretty great, right? That’s where successful DEI efforts will lead you, and it’s a catalyst for both individual happiness and collective success.
And, research shows this isn’t just about ethics or “soft” values. Boards with gender and ethnic diversity are more likely to explore innovative solutions to complex problems, improving organizational decision-making and long-term resilience.
To highlight this influence, I want to share an insightful clip from Harvard Business School featuring Tina Opie. She explains how underrepresented individuals often face hidden challenges and how leaders can model behaviors that change this dynamic.
The hidden burden on underrepresented groups
Tina points out that many people from underrepresented groups feel pressure to compensate—by being extra funny, overly nice, or suppressing sensitivity to others’ behavior—just to be valued. Many women in male-dominated environments will recognize this.
This invisible labor is real, and leaders have both the opportunity and the responsibility to address it. Don’t assume it’s not happening in your organization. In industries where leadership remains predominantly male, the chances are very high that it is.
From intention to action
If your organization’s leadership áctually embraces the importance of DEI, they will also be ready to allocate dedicated resources to the topic, alike they are doing to any other vital part of the organization.
If that’s not happening yet, the good news is you can choose today to take responsibility and start advocating for that change.
And if you’re a leader yourself, remember: the behaviors you model—listening with intent, acknowledging bias, and encouraging authenticity—set the tone for the culture around you. Leading from love, not ego, creates spaces where diversity actually works, for the people ánd thus for the organization.
Lead from love
So what does modeling inclusion look like? At its core, it means leading from love:
Stay present so you can truly listen.
Step away from ego and engage with people based on who they are in their hearts and minds—not on stereotypes or learned patterns.
Narrow the gap between your professional self and your private self. If you have the privilege and courage to bring your authentic self to work, do it. That authenticity gives permission for others to do the same.
Authenticity and compassion aren’t “soft” qualities, they are the foundation of workplaces where everyone feels safe, valued, and empowered.
Start doing better today
In my personal mission, I want to help the quantum community increase its DEIB efforts. By starting from scratch with simple, clear steps, I believe more organizations will feel confident easing into this work and creating environments where diversity actually works.
Especially in high-impact fields like quantum, it’s our responsibility to ensure that what we create benefits everyone—not just some and certainly doesn’t come at the expense of others. Including truly diverse perspectives is the key to achieving that.
That’s exactly why I created another FREE 30-minute online training ‘An introduction to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB)’. It makes DEI accessible, practical, and hands-on.
Signing up is simple: just your name and email—no strings attached.
Does this suit your organization or any of your projects? (juliette@colorfulmatter.eu)
Curious to learn more? Check out the Colorful Matter learning platform:
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