Why Inclusive Leadership Still Feels Hard – And How Male Allyship Can Drive Real Change

After returning from the Web Summit in Lisbon, Begonia Vazquez Merayo from net4tec shared a question that keeps surfacing in conversations with leaders, teams, and organisations across the world – a question I hear almost every day in my own work:

If everyone agrees inclusion is important, why is it still so difficult to achieve?

We talk constantly about diverse teams, belonging, and psychological safety. But the everyday behaviours that determine how inclusive a workplace really is often remain unchanged. And this isn’t usually because people don’t care. It’s because habits are deeply rooted, blind spots are real, and many of us continue relying on ways of working that have served us in the past – even if they no longer serve the people around us.

The truth is simple: what got us here won’t get us there.
In this new era of work – shaped by complexity, AI transformation, hybrid collaboration, and rising expectations – inclusive leadership is no longer optional. It has become one of the core capabilities every leader needs. And yet many leaders, especially men who want to be allies, still feel unsure about what inclusion really requires from them. Some underestimate the influence they have. Others fear getting it wrong. Many don’t see the everyday barriers that colleagues experience until someone names them. None of this is a sign of ill intent, it’s a reminder that real inclusion begins with awareness, humility, and practice.

As Begonia said so well, inclusive leadership is both simple and demanding. It asks us to question our own patterns, to listen even when the conversation is uncomfortable, and to consistently model the behaviours we want to see in others. Culture doesn’t shift because we write new policies or launch new initiatives. It changes when people change. When leaders change. When we take responsibility for the impact of our actions and choose to show up differently.

That’s why I’m looking forward to joining Begonia this Wednesday, 26th November, from 12–1PM CET, for a live conversation about why inclusion still feels hard, what male allyship looks like in practice today, and how leaders at every level can move from good intentions to meaningful action. It’s an opportunity to explore what inclusive leadership really demands of us — not as an abstract concept, but as something we practice in every interaction.

If you’re committed to building teams and workplaces where everyone can thrive, I’d love you to be part of the discussion.

You can book your place here.

Let’s keep building momentum. The future of work depends on the leadership we choose to embody today.