Inclusive Leadership Among Diverse Members

Leadership is often misunderstood as an individual with straightforward confidence and the ability to produce effective outcomes. Indiana HOSA is a diverse community of students, teachers, and other future health professionals. Along with the diversity of Indiana HOSA comes its core leadership values, rooted in the developmental abilities that foster growth in others. Inclusive leadership reads exactly how it’s written. Inclusion is recognizing the differences that shape individuals’ backgrounds and experiences, and leadership, in this context, is shaped through ensuring that the differences set in stone are respected while also being meaningfully included.

Firstly, inclusive leadership can begin by developing an interest in others’ cultures and their community while maintaining a supportive and understanding perspective. Diversity refers to the essential presence of difference. This can look like race, gender, socioeconomic status, geographic background, ability, and access to opportunity. Furthermore, inclusion is the action and the human drive to allow individuals, separated by diversity, to feel valued and empowered to participate. Research on the impacts of inclusivity on diverse groups found that diverse groups without these inclusive practices of unconditional support often experience disengagement and inequity, while inclusive friend groups and work environments encountered stronger collaboration with increased creativity. Although representation does not automatically decide how included an individual might feel, it is often the first step paired with intentional leadership.

We can extrapolate these effects into our work with HOSA and the practical effects caused by inclusive leadership. Often, students enter into organizations, specifically competitive scenarios, with varied cultural backgrounds and assorted competitive experiences. Consequently, this causes a distinct segregation between those who know what to do and those who don’t. Moreover, leaders who assume standardized starting points risk unintentionally favoring those who overpower in terms of confidence and resources. However, when looking at inclusive leaders, researchers highlight that they instead approach the participation of their group with awareness. Leaders recognize the silence offered by some individuals and reflect on it by considering situational effects rather than jumping to unpreparedness. Additionally, many pick up that hesitation among team members signals structural and systemic barriers rather than inability.

Defined as the shared belief that individuals can express their opinions and creative ideas without fear of beratement, psychological safety is considered a central component of inclusive leadership. As future health professionals, many students join HOSA in order to develop their professional skills, and as such, psychological safety is especially important. When leaders invite delightful, open seminars where people of differing viewpoints can participate, they signal a welcoming environment. Over time, this causes an environment where diversity can be utilized as a powerful, successful tool.

In a previous blog post, we covered active listening, and here it comes around in a full circle moment. Inclusive leadership depends partially on intentional and active listening. Beyond simply hearing a team member out, leaders enforce a culture of actively seeking different perspectives and following up with questions that might be overlooked. Particularly with diverse groups, researchers have discovered that an increase in active listening and an emphasis on empathy is more likely to develop a fair environment paired with strengthened group cohesion, an interest highly keen to interviewers. Once again, we can see the parallel comparison on how HOSA leaders should take the first step forward and check in with their respective chapter or adjust programs/guest-speakers.

Furthermore, we can distinguish two key terms within inclusive leadership: equity and equality. Equity is different from equality primarily since it acknowledges that different individuals require differing levels of support for the same success. Equity is found in mentorship and specialized guidance, ensuring the success of the disadvantaged and further participation. In students coming from underrepresented backgrounds, research has shown that equitable access to leadership has been associated with an increase in engagement and confidence. This incentive pushes inclusive leaders to distribute opportunity and support in a meaningful manner, provoking growth in their members. Additionally, inclusive leadership challenges society's views and the narrow universal definition of what leadership looks like. Traditional models of leadership typically idolize dominance and a cut-throat approach to leading people, yet modern research counteracts that claim and highlights that approaches like humility and collaboration maximize aggregate potential. Pushing the valuation of varied leadership styles can also expand upon who feels invited to contribute, once again fostering a growth-oriented environment.

Of course, leaders are still human and can make mistakes, but what matters is the accountability taken. For Indiana HOSA, inclusive leadership reinforces our age-old mission to exceptionally prepare the future of healthcare with expert professionals. Healthcare is a field that demands the utmost care, empathy, and ethics; thus, by inspiring leaders who are inclusive, we can ensure growth. Ultimately, by teaching the next generation to create space for diverse individuals now, leaders will continue to build stronger organizations down the line!

Thomas Bezza

Representative

2025 - 2026