Using a Mantra to Be a More Inclusive Leader

Focusing on a clear intention can help you act in a way that’s consistent to your values.

by

and

Lori Nishiura Mackenzie

by

and

Lori Nishiura Mackenzie

February 24, 2022

MirageC/Getty Images

Summary.

One of the greatest challenges facing leaders today is creating a culture of inclusiveness, where all members are treated equitably and feel equally valued. To develop truly inclusive behaviors, leaders must start by understanding the psychological mechanisms that are holding them back. Then, they can take actions — including using the “mantra” technique — to ensure their behavior has the intended impact. A mantra is a phrase that is repeated silently before entering a challenging context to focus the mind and body on a clear, unambiguous intention. The authors teach mantra as a tool to help leaders behave in a way that’s consistent with their values. Here, they offer simple steps to help leaders harness the power of mantra in creating inclusive spaces.

Cohesive teams are critical for organizational success, innovation, and fostering a sense of belonging. Yet one of the greatest challenges facing leaders today is creating a culture of inclusiveness, where all members are treated equitably and feel equally valued. In teaching hundreds of executives and students about leading diverse teams, we’ve found that, although most leaders believe they’re acting inclusively, they’re often inadvertently doing the opposite.

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Deborah Gruenfeld is the Joseph McDonald Professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Her research on power and group dynamics has appeared in many academic publications and been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Fast Company, Psychology Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. Gruenfeld teaches courses on power, teams, and leadership to a wide variety of audiences around the world. She is on the advisory board of the Lean In Foundation and is the author of Acting with Power: Why We Are More Powerful Than We Believe (Penguin Random House, 2020).
Melissa Jones Briggs teaches Acting with Power at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business as a lecturer in organizational behavior. She also lectures in the flagship Stanford Executive Program, among others. She is an affiliate at Stanford’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research and, in the UK, Melissa serves as an associate fellow of the Oxford Character Project at the University of Oxford. Off campus, Melissa works with executives and teams at top global corporations and hyper-growth startups, as well as NGOs and national institutions. Trained as a performing artist in London and New York, she is an advocate for equity in arts education, and her international nonprofit work focuses on social justice.
Lori Nishiura Mackenzie is a co-founder of Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab and lead strategist of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

New!

HBR Learning

Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Course

Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

How to build a better, more just workplace.

Start Course

Learn More & See All Courses

Using a Mantra to Be a More Inclusive Leader

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