Submitted by April Vance

(April is a Support Worker, Inclusive Leader and PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrow’s With Hope Facilitator who has been participating in Inclusive Leadership Education since 2012.  April explains that, “PATH is an artistic expression of your dreams and how you chose to proceed. I am living my PATH as we speak. There is something about putting intention out there and seeing it on paper. Then just watch the positive and possible unfold before your eyes.” In this post, April shares her observations about how Inclusive Leaders create safe spaces to grow and address our struggles to live inclusively).

The art of inclusion applies with all humans no matter gender, practices, age, race, creed or religion. Many people arrive at Inclusive Leadership with our own experiences of dissonance with what we have been taught or come to believe and our own determination to live inclusion in every aspect of our lives in peaceful manners with Love. Inclusive Leadership addresses struggles with ourselves and with others by being in a calm state and in a safe place to share and experience growth through the dissonance.

Our struggles are often with the people that we are closest to and with whom we have the least objective perspective. Many of these struggles confronting us are due directly to our practice of inclusion. Struggles range from expressing minor irritation and conflict to unloading grief caused by loss of deep relationships.

Participating in and practicing Inclusive Leadership Workshops or Online Learning Experiences provides opportunities to share strengths, and builds a sense of community, new friendships both international and domestic, ideas, and knowledge beyond our own corners of the world. 

Being in a calm state and in a safe place creates authentic opportunities to share, speak our truth and learn from each other. We go into the world having grown from being in a flight/fight/freeze state to more grounded, peaceful ways of living and interacting with each other with purpose and intention.

Calm and safe interacting births creative ideas for the variety of people involved for how they may go forward and practice these principles in their lives, feeling empowered to live our most authentic selves and to share, knowing we have made new friendships based on these principles that we can draw on. 

For more information about upcoming Inclusive Leadership weekends, workshops and online events go to our Events Calendar on our Home Page.

Click here for information about our Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential online course.