The below response was to a question posted on "Diversity-A World of Change", which is a Linkedin group. I liked this response so much I wanted to ad it to my blog. Feel free to comment.
"I am very intrigued by your question: How is leadership affected by our diverse workforce? I would reframe the question to ask: How are bottom-line organizational results affected by the way a leader engages, motivates and inspires an increasingly diverse workforce. The implied objective is that better results can be achieved when everyone is fully engaged, acknowledged and rewarded. And, It starts with leadership and a culture of inclusion.
I have been working with leaders within our company to discuss raise awareness and skill in understanding how leadership behavior impacts engagement, productivity and organizational outcomes. What we have learned from our internal analysis is that inclusive behaviors focused on building trust, expanding circles of influence, demonstrating personal leadership commitment, and providing equitable development for all employees have a significant effect on the engagement and motivation of the workforce.
A diverse workforce will make it an imperative that leaders understand and appreciate the differences that the new workforce brings. Having a better grounding in cultural competence, generational differences, and a better understanding of one’s own leadership skills and personal biases is a start. The bottom line however is about organizational results and outcomes. Innovation, productivity, engagement and retention are more likely achieved when a leader has a more expansive rather than restrictive view of human differences." (Effenus Henderson)
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/How-is-Leadership-affected-our-56579%2ES%2E89762007?view=&gid=56579&type=member&item=89762007&report%2Esuccess=62WUlrnddR6bgwSqXhj6sMCTLzs-Mtpi3fLJWbNsWtuooxKwgTL8r5xsvgkbozKwEkXBakadko
