The Boldly Inclusive Leader: Transform Your Workplace (and the World) by Valuing the Differences Within

by Minette Norman

To create cultures where diverse teams flourish, we need boldly inclusive leaders. Organizations have made public commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, yet their leaders rarely have the skills to lead inclusively. Leadership consultant and former Silicon Valley executive Minette Norman is committed to changing that by sharing some of the most important things she’s discovered over the decades she spent in the corporate world, such as • every human being needs to feel they belong, • teams thrive when everyone feels safe enough to share their unique ideas and experiences, • innovation is a group activity, • empathy and compassion are leadership superpowers, and • leaders set the tone by what they say, do, reward, and tolerate. This is not a book about quick fixes or paying lip service to the hot topic of inclusion. This is for leaders who want to boldly transform the workplace and are willing to leave their comfort zones. As a leader, you will learn to maximize your team’s potential and appreciate that inclusive leadership is an ongoing journey. As Minette shows, there is no flipping a switch or a neat, three-step formula. Inclusive leadership takes commitment and practice, but the rewards are enormous.

Genres: Nonfiction, Leadership, Business, Self Help, Professional Development

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2023

About the author

Minette Norman is an award-winning author, speaker, and leadership consultant who previously spent decades leading global technical teams in the Silicon Valley software industry.

Minette knows that when groups embrace diversity in all its forms, breakthroughs emerge, and innovation accelerates. Her most recent position before starting her consultancy was as Vice President of Engineering Practice at Autodesk.

Responsible for influencing more than 3,500 engineers around the globe, she focused on state-of-the-art engineering practices while nurturing a collaborative and inclusive culture.

As the author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader and the co-author of The Psychological Safety Playbook, Minette is committed to helping leaders unleash the full potential of the people in their organizations.

Named in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the San Francisco Business Times and as “Business Role Model of the Year” in the 2018 Women in IT/Silicon Valley Awards, Minette is a recognized leader with a unique perspective.

Minette holds degrees in Drama and French from Tufts University and studied at the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris.

Reviews

[Phreak Grrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I just finished reading Minette Norman’s “The Boldly Inclusive Leader”, and laughed out loud recalling how many times I internally said “Preach!” as I read (and enthusiastically highlighted) words and suggestions that resonated with me.

A couple of excerpts that stood out to me:

Being a Human Leader (from Chapter 4):
“Being a human leader means showing up as an imperfect person, with all your strengths and all your flaws. It means being in touch with your emotions and using emotions as data that helps you process information. Being a human leader means inviting other perspectives and letting go of the need to be right.” This chapter struck a chord with me. I have worked in the tech industry my entire career, and this is, unfortunately, an anomaly.

Inclusive Meetings (from Chapter 8):
“Meetings embody and reveal your team culture. They expose who has the power, who gets listened to, and who feels comfortable speaking up.” I liked Minette’s suggestion of setting ground rules and facilitating for inclusion as I have also experienced many of the examples she discussed (which led to toxic, disjointed teams).

Thank you, Minette, for writing this much-needed book - I will take action on your daily and weekly practices included at the end of each chapter. Now, how can we get these topics included in Business Management curricula in high schools and universities?

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no shortage of book about leadership and an ever-increasing number on diversity, equity, and inclusion. To date, I have read several on the former and a handful on the latter. It seems as if books on both topics are becoming as numerous as Google results! Fortunately, Minette Norman has written THE BOLDLY INCLUSIVE LEADER.

There is much to appreciate in this book. It is wide in scope and filled with illustrative stories and practical suggestions for all readers. I found more than a few ideas to try in my own life as a leader. We can all benefit from ways to improve our listening and find new opportunities to be curious about and learn from the experiences of those unlike ourselves.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this slim volume from the author, and I'm excited to share my thoughts.

[Valarie Gilbert]

Minette Norman delves into the essential aspects of effective leadership in her compelling book. This invaluable 'How To' guide delves into the intrinsic behaviors that attract team members to a leader. Through the lens of emotional intelligence, attentive listening, and effective communication, Minette employs captivating anecdotes to convey the profound impact of these skills and enrich your comprehension. For any 21st Century leader aspiring to foster high-performing and cohesive teams, this book is an absolute must-read.

Within each chapter, you'll encounter real-life examples of leadership challenges and valuable insights. In the chapter titled 'Getting Uncomfortable,' Minette encourages you to envision confronting your first significant mistake, whether it's unintentionally insulting a colleague, making an inappropriate remark, or grappling with the difficulty of an apology. When the idea of diversity and inclusion seems daunting, Minette empowers you to embrace curiosity, authenticity, and vulnerability as a leader. Recognizing that perfection is not always attainable, she demonstrates how to confront discomfort and mend any damage that may occur.

“The Boldly Inclusive Leader” offers a multitude of remarkable principles worth sharing. The collection is so stimulating, you’ll likely find yourself consistently tagging and earmarking pages. Minette’s wisdom and experience radiate through her guidance. The insights provided, such as: “We don’t have to let our biases inform how we interview, hire, promote, reward…” or “As a boldly inclusive leader, you will need to counteract the natural human tendency to hear only the voices you most easily connect with” serve as potent guidance for fostering inclusive climates.

I wholeheartedly endorse this timely narrative and enthusiastically intend to use it as a valuable reference and resource in my workshops and webinars on “Authentic Leadership” and being deliberately inclusive. Bravo Minette!

[Nate Shalev · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many leaders understand the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion work but don't where to start or how to do it right. Minette's writing offers a clear, easy to understand, and engaging pathway to inclusion work. The Boldy Inclusive Leader hits all the important points and leaves the reader with actionable, tangible ways to reflect on who they are as leaders and how they can make an impact on their workplaces, This should be required for anyone hoping to transform their workplace cultures!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minette is the kind, clear voice of reason and compassion in a world that so often lacks all those things. Like the Psychological Safety Playbook, the Boldly Inclusive Leader is imminently practical. Questions to ask yourself and Weekly Practices at the end of each book mean that you can start practicing bold inclusion right away. My biggest takeaway: being an iconoclast is part of practicing unflinching inclusion.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. Practical. On point.

Minette Norman artfully shares clear, practical steps to navigate the often difficult dynamics of work. Her deep wisdom & insight comes from decades of leading in the tech industry. With courage, clarity, & humor, she guides readers through the important work of our time, of creating workplace cultures of trust & respect & joy.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big thank you to Goodreads for selecting me as a Giveaway Winner of The Boldly Inclusive Leader by Minette Norman! I worked for many years at a global company that had offices in Canada, Ireland, India and the U.S. I recall when we first formed our team, we spent a great deal of time developing our norms and best practices. I wish this book had been written then. Minette Norman clearly and concisely outlines how she learned to be an inclusive leader by recognizing your biases and admitting and learning from your mistakes. She also, built an environment where everyone felt safe to share their ideas and to ask questions. She filled the book with stories from her own experiences that illustrated her topics. I highly recommend this book to everyone who is in a leadership role. The world needs leaders who can model these behaviors and who can sponsor others to build a boldly inclusive world!

[D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enlightening book with a different point of view on leadership. I learned a lot and have already taken some of the skills in this book to my own job. It is a book I will come back to over and over again.

[ZJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read, but chock full of practical tips for being a leader, AND practical considerations to help you be more inclusive while you're at it.

I wish I'd had this book the first time I became a manager.

[Jena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for anyone looking to become a better leader! This book doesn't dumb down the difficult task of creating a workplace where everyone can fully contribute. What it does is make one reflect on whether they are following the most important principles toward that goal, while also making the hard stuff more approachable with real-world stories and daily and weekly practices. I found the book un-pretentious, really practical and inspiring. I will keep it on my desk for continual reference.

[Unleash The Knowledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't just be inclusive. Be boldy inclusive!

Transforming yourself and your business to becoming more inclusive can be super daunting.

Especially these days, with the business-as-usual mindset.

Minette Norman understands that our current models of leadership haven't done a great job of adopting and changing business practices that prepare our companies for the ever-changing world.

That's why she poured her years of professional experience into writing The Boldly Inclusive Leader: Transform your workplace (and the world) by valuing the differences within.

She believes in the importance of our diversity and uses specific skills to change the playing field of the modern workplace while driving change in the businesses we run and eventually realizing our full potential.

She wrote this book so that we can make these business practices a reality.

The Boldly Inclusive Leader is designed to help you unlock a new mindset, perspectives, and empathy needed to improve your business.

It’s filled with stories of experience, tips, and daily/weekly guided advice that you can use to your advantage and start creating a high-performing, innovative business culture.

This book is going to help you understand what it means to be an inclusive leader and provide tangible steps to get there as a leader.

Minette makes it a point to teach you the skills you’ll need to break down the outdated barriers of past business practices, how to look within, and transform yourself into an Inclusive Leader.

So if you are in a leadership role, you could use a little help with developing your inclusive leadership skills, then you need to get this book ASAP.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Boldly Inclusive Leader, M. Norman has written a book that is a deceptively “simple,”easy and entertaining read, at once eminently accessible, inclusive, and relevant to anyone who works with other people - whether they are in leadership positions, or even if they are not. Her writing style and stories (including personal successes and failures) demonstrate what she advocates: clear compassionate communication, vulnerability in leadership, psychological safety, the power of storytelling, active listening, etc., etc. and by doing so, she is able to distill a large amount of research based information, personal experimentation, and experiential learning in under 200 pages, complete with practical exercises and reflections that make the transition from theory to practice approachable and non-threatening. Having studied and coached communication, inclusivity, and leadership in multiple and various arenas already, I was surprised and delighted that within a couple pages I was truly enjoying the storytelling, within a few pages I was grabbing my highlighter and pencil to take notes. And within a couple chapters I was experimenting with the reflections and exercises. I know I will be reading this more than once, keeping it on my shelf as a personal resource and recommending it to my peers across many different disciplines.

[Faith Kapell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to transform your workplace by your inclusive leadership, The Boldly Inclusive Leader is a must read. Minette writes from a human, vulnerable and honest way lending credibility with her authentic personal leadership stories. She inspires leaders to act to promote workplace diversity, equity , and inclusion ever day despite other business priorities. Most important she shows how inclusive leadership inspires people to do their best work.

Sharing the most important principles Minette has discovered, during her many years as a corporate leader, she outlines daily, and weekly practices designed to meet the many challenges leaders face creating a workplace every human being needs, to feel they belong. To continue to grow as as inclusive leader, Minette also offers a plan to start with yourself, by providing insightful self-questions after each chapter.

As I coach managers and leaders, this inspiring book will be a valuable resource to promote inclusive leadership than can transform our workplaces and offer environments where diverse teams of people can do their best work.
Faith Kapell

[Daniel Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minnette's "The Boldly Inclusive Leader" offers a compelling blueprint for contemporary leadership. She underscores the significance of leaders recognizing and adapting to the emotions in any room, pointing out that understanding our emotions with precision allows for tailored communication. Particularly noteworthy is her chapter on embracing discomfort, illustrating how evading these situations denies us invaluable learning experiences. I deeply connect with her focus on honed listening skills, the art of managing distractions, and the necessity to curb defensiveness. Minnette champions the transformative power of curiosity to reveal our blind spots, particularly in understanding others' backgrounds and motivations. She also brilliantly delves into the essence of creating psychologically safe team environments where empathy, compassion, and genuine communication are paramount. Essentially, this book emerges as a comprehensive guide to inclusive leadership, converging familiar notions for a unified, potent narrative. A succinct read, yet packed with profound insights for those aspiring to be inclusive leaders.

[Joy Khoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boldly Inclusive Leader is a powerful and practical guide for anyone seeking to lead with authenticity, empathy, and courage. Minette draws deeply from her own leadership experience in the tech industry to illuminate what it truly takes to create environments where everyone feels valued and heard. The book moves beyond buzzwords and offers grounded practices — from fostering psychological safety to embracing vulnerability and curiosity — that help leaders build trust and connection across differences.
What stands out is Minette’s invitation for leaders to begin with self-reflection. She reminds us that inclusion isn’t a checklist; it’s an ongoing practice of awareness, humility, and intentional action. Through relatable stories, powerful questions and actionable weekly and daily practices, The Boldly Inclusive Leader offers both inspiration and tools for those ready to lead differently — with humanity at the center. Reading this book was a refreshing reminder that leadership is as much about inner work as it is about outer impact.

[Neha Mandhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you are a leader, creating an inclusive and psychologically safe culture is your responsibility and this book will both inspire you but also give you tools and practices on how you can translate your intentions into actions.

This book is simple yet incredibly effective. Minette is incredibly vulnerable and brave in speaking the truth and reminding us that being an inclusive leader is a journey and that our work will never be complete.

You will find this book valuable whether you are an experienced leader or a first time manager. As a coach, so many of my clients bring up these topics of creating belonging and inclusion for their people and I know I will be recommending this book to so many of them.

Read this book and put the ideas into practice and not only will you reap benefits, your people will thank you for the impact it has on them.

[Ji-Hyun PARK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides valuable insights and perspectives for every leader, even those who consider themselves as seasoned and bold leaders and managers. The author provides real-life examples (and conversations that take place in our everyday workplaces) and offers practical tips and actionable recommendations that we can incorporate easily into our day-to-day management. The list of questions at the end of each chapter (things we should ask ourselves before each meeting or after a week of grueling project) helps us become better stewards of her key principles through planning and introspection.

We all need to use different dials to manage teams of various sizes, culture, chemistry and purposes and this book gives you a tool to embrace the differences and build a stronger team with empathy and compassion. As Minette emphasizes, differences are part of healthy problems and great minds should NOT think alike all the time!

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where the Psychological Safety Handbook, which Minette co-authored with Karolin Helbig was full of practical and easy to implement steps, The Boldly Inclusive Leader is a book to think about and process in quiet moments. I did exactly that, and I needed it.
I do think of myself as both a bold and an inclusive leader, and this book gave me what I needed: a way to rethink my view of myself, to identify areas where I could do better and to finetune my approach.
Minette's book also increased my confidence in "leading from the heart", something that had always felt like I should be doing it, and that I had not always felt brave enough to do as much as I wanted. Now I will.
The Boldly Inclusive Leader has everything I look for when working on my own development: thoughtful insights that allow me to push myself and my leadership skills to the next level.

[Vaibhav Bansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential Reading for Leaders Who Want to Create a More Inclusive Workplace

The Boldly Inclusive Leader is a must-read for any leader who wants to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Minette Norman provides practical advice and insights on how to build a culture where everyone feels valued and respected.

Norman covers a wide range of topics, including unconscious bias, microaggressions, and allyship. She also shares stories from her own experiences as a leader in Silicon Valley.

The Boldly Inclusive Leader is a well-written and informative book that will challenge you to think differently about leadership and inclusion. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make a difference in their workplace.

[Jess Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Help build and encourage

It's hard to rate a book like this poorly asnit encourages you to put your feet into other people's shoes. Thats how we got to 3 stars. I especially appreciated the chapters mentioning psychological safety and workplace bullying. I did have a little bitter point that I dragged along while I read. I feel like this book only tells you/helps you work through some social barriers that you have on yourself. I didn't feel like it was meant to help you build your team, teach them and encourage them. It felt more like were working on accepting that someone is different than us and we should just accept it. That's sad to me. Maybe I just misinterpreted it wrong since I was soured in the opening chapters.

[Andrew Brentano · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is full of insightful reflections, reminders, and practical advice for exercising core skills like self-awareness, empathy, and compassion that everyone can develop to become a better and more inclusive leader at a human level.

The author draws from her extensive personal experiences to share stories that elegantly illustrate many of the inclusivity challenges we all witness and experience in the workplace, whether as a contributors or leaders on our teams, and provides straightforward practical advice for improving the dynamics of these situations. 

I highly recommend everyone read this book.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you strive to be the best leader you can be, and you want to truly embrace the differences every one of your team members brings to the table, this book is for you!

Each chapter is filled with valuable insights, perspectives, and real world examples and ends with actionable suggestions for how to incorporate the leadership principles into practice.

While I like to think of myself as an inclusive leader already, this book reminds me that almost nobody gets it perfect and that many of us still have lots to learn. It is also a good reminder that the best leaders are human leaders - they care about the work but more importantly they care about the people doing the work.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Minette Norman shows you things you can do to become an inclusive leader. Each chapter focuses on a single action that you can do and it incorporates stories to help drive the point home. Additionally, the chapters end with a daily practice, a weekly practice and questions to ask yourself.
There are many wonderful ideas in this book and I see myself rereading portions as a reference in the future. If you want to make your workplace or team more inclusive, you should pick up this book and begin your journey.

[Gale Daikoku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minette’s journey and wisdom shared as a Silicon Valley leader are very familiar to many of us in the bay. The book is a fast read with actionable guidance to refine and build your leadership skills. This book will be helpful to new and aspiring leaders, and anyone who leads projects of initiatives in communities or business. Every chapter ends with daily/weekly questions to put Minette's wisdom into practice. If this quote resonates with you as a leader, I recommend you check out this book: “One of the most important things you can do as an inclusive leader is show up as a human being.”

[Gary Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't many books that I can find that address the core issues Minette delves into in this book. For this reason alone, I highly recommend this book. Since Minette was in my organization for five years 20 years ago and was an excellent performer and always ranked high on the "Earns Trust' Amazon Leadership Principle while we worked together, I know she's speaking the truth. She has the right set of experiences - both good and bad - needed to provide great advice to others. Recommended!

[Sherry Deutschmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW... I really needed this book. Incredibly thought-provoking and a needed kick-in-the-pants to reflect on my own self-awareness, how to elicit honest feedback so I know how I come across to the team versus how I THINK I'm doing. All the tips and lessons here are easy to understand and assimilate. I would highly recommend this to all leaders of any type organization. Fantastic read!

[Caitlyn Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book balances the practical steps one can take to be more inclusive, while also highlighting the internal biases we all have and the emotional work that needs to be done to overcome them. The book seemed to be a little long, in my opinion. The information could have been shared in about half the pages. I do appreciate the consolidated practical advise at the end of the book.

[Barbara F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Norman has valuable insight for those in leadership roles. Her honest, open discussion of personal experiences and guidelines for becoming an inclusive leader could make a significant impact on self improvement in the business and social world.

[Amanda Szekula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for today's modern leadership roles. If you want to elevate your staff and company to its full potential I highly recommend this book. It gives you different perspectives to becoming a more inclusive leader.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encouraging and empowering

Encouraging and insightful on how leaders can cultivate more inclusive workplace cultures for all employees by practicing listening, curiosity, and bravery. Leaves you feeling like you got this. My copy thanks to a Goodreads giveaway