Inclusivity, Belonging, and the Work Of Real Leadership

Diversity and inclusion work in organizations sound like a compliance requirement. Get the numbers right, put a statement on the website, and call it progress.

Reality has caught up. Research from firms like McKinsey shows that organizations in the top quartile for diversity are significantly more likely to outperform peers on profitability. Inclusion is not only a moral issue. It is a performance issue that shapes innovation, retention, and long term growth.

But metrics alone do not answer the real question employees are asking:
Do I actually belong here, or am I just filling a slot?

On The Bliss Business Podcast, we sat down with Frederick Abramson, a multidisciplinary problem solver whose career spans science, technology, business, and law. Trained in mathematical biology and genetics, he pioneered early big data approaches in healthcare before moving into law and business advisory work. Today he teaches at Johns Hopkins, advises companies on contracts and intellectual property, and helps leaders align legal strategy with real business goals. His view of inclusivity is grounded in lived experience across academia, government, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

Inclusivity Begins With Belonging, Not Labels

Frederick starts with a simple but often overlooked truth.

Inclusivity is not just about who is in the room. It is about who feels like they belong there.

In his view, most organizations stop at visible diversity. They focus on race, gender, or nationality and assume that if the group looks different, then the culture is inclusive. That is only the starting point.

The real work is behavioral.

• How do people engage each other in daily conversations.

• Whose ideas are genuinely considered in decisions.

• How are honesty, integrity, and collaboration rewarded, not just tolerated.

Frederick often sees leaders treat inclusion like adding a different letter to a room full of Xs and expecting magic. True inclusion comes from how people behave with one another, how much space they give for different perspectives, and whether the culture fosters collaboration instead of quiet judgment and blame.

Listening That Proves People Have Been Heard

Every leader says they listen. Frederick draws a sharp line between hearing and listening.

He quotes the line from “The Sound of Silence” about people “hearing without listening” because it captures what happens in many organizations. Hearing is passive. Listening is active and visible.

Real listening has three parts:

• You pay full attention to what the other person says.

• You reflect it back so they know you understood.

• You invite clarification and next steps together.

Frederick models this in his teaching. In a university classroom, he will ask one student to describe a paper, then ask another student if they agree. The discussion becomes a shared learning dialogue instead of a lecture. Students later report that his course is the one class they still use in life many years later because they felt included in the learning process, not just spoken at.

He brings the same pattern into leadership conversations. When a leader restates what they heard, checks if they got it right, and then asks “Where do we go from here,” it signals something powerful. Inclusion is not just “you speak, I decide.” It is “we understand, then we move forward together.”

Vulnerability, Mistakes, And Psychological Safety

Frederick is clear that vulnerability is not a soft accessory to leadership. It is a core ingredient of inclusive culture.

Leaders in non inclusive environments often default to blame:
“How come you did not remind me.”

Inclusive leaders flip the script:
“I screwed up. I forgot to do it.”

Admitting mistakes does two things at once. It humanizes the leader and lowers the fear level in the room. People see that imperfection is allowed, and that the standard is honesty, not image maintenance. Over time, that honesty builds psychological safety, which is the foundation for true collaboration and learning.

Designing Simple Systems That Create Inclusion

Frederick does not leave inclusion at the level of good intentions. He argues that cultures are built by repeated behaviors, and behaviors are reinforced by systems.

One of his favorite tools is the acronym A R C A R:

• Acknowledge

• Restate

• Clarify

• Affirm

• Resolve

It is a simple relational pattern leaders can use in any conversation.

1. Acknowledge: “I appreciate you asking that question.”

2. Restate: “You are asking what leaders can do this month to be more inclusive.”

3. Clarify: “When you say leaders, do you mean only executives or anyone who steps up.”

4. Affirm: “That is a powerful distinction. Thank you for naming it.”

5. Resolve: “Here is one practical step we can take, and here is how to learn more.”

By using A R C A R, leaders build a repeatable structure for inclusion. People feel seen, understood, and invited into next steps. Over time, this pattern normalizes collaboration and reduces the fear of speaking up.

Neurodiversity, Genetics, And Seeing People Clearly

One of the most compelling parts of the conversation comes from Frederick’s work in genetics and “wellness DNA.”

He shares examples of traits that can influence behavior, such as a gene related to difficulty learning from mistakes or a gene associated with shyness. In one case, a parent brought genetic insight to a teacher and reframed their child’s behavior. The child was not “stupid.” They needed to be shown the right way the first time instead of being expected to learn by trial and error. The moment the teacher understood that, the teaching approach changed, and so did the child’s progress.

Another example involves an executive who discovered she was genetically shy. Once she understood that, she did not try to become a different person. She designed a simple workaround. At events, she stood at the doorway, greeted people by name, and made it easier for others to approach her.

These stories highlight a core principle of inclusivity:

People are not broken. They are different.

Inclusive leaders respect neurodiversity and build environments where different learning styles, temperaments, and strengths can contribute. That means adjusting how we evaluate performance, how we design roles, and how we build teams, instead of assuming everyone should fit one narrow mold.

The Power Of Belief: How Inclusivity Changes Lives

Frederick’s own academic path is a case study in the impact of inclusive belief.

As a teenager, he was pushed out of a college track in high school, told he would never go to college, and struggled academically early on. His undergraduate GPA was low, and by many traditional measures, he should not have been considered for top graduate programs.

Yet faculty members saw something in him that he did not fully see in himself. They watched him make brilliant comments one moment and baffling ones the next, and decided to bet on the brilliance. They wrote recommendations that opened doors to institutions like the University of Rochester and Stanford, and they stayed engaged with his development.

That is inclusivity at work.

It is not lowering the bar. It is looking beyond one metric and asking:

• What potential is hiding inside this person.

• How can we design support, feedback, and opportunity so that potential has a chance to emerge.

The same pattern appears in his sports stories. On a softball team he pitched for, everyone played in every game, even though some players were all stars. A teammate who refused to come off the field because he thought he was “too good” was told not to come back. The culture valued contribution, growth, and mutual respect over ego. That inclusive mindset helped the team win consistently, not because everyone was equal in skill, but because everyone was essential to the whole.

Purpose, Love, And Redefining Success

Underneath Frederick’s work on inclusivity is a deeper purpose. He loves solving problems that genuinely improve people’s lives, especially for those who have been overlooked or written off. His nonprofit work focuses on helping young single mothers discover strengths and traits that can anchor a new story about who they are and what is possible.

He also reframes success in a powerful way.

Success, for him, is “playing your best” regardless of the outcome. He recalls watching figure skater Scott Hamilton earn a gold medal while still being dissatisfied because he knew he had not skated at his highest level. Winning is a moment. Integrity and effort are the real scoreboard.

This view of success is deeply inclusive. It honors people for their growth, their courage, and their contribution, not just their latest metric. It also connects to love in business.

Love shows up as:

• Believing in people enough to tell them the truth.

• Investing time in listening and mentoring.

• Designing roles and systems that help people play at their best.

In teams, that kind of love creates loyalty and resilience. When things get hard, people stay in the game because they know they are seen, valued, and believed in.

Key Takeaways

• Inclusivity Starts With Belonging
  It is not enough to get different people into the room. They must feel that their presence and perspective matter.

• Listening Must Be Visible
  Inclusion is built when leaders restate what they heard, seek clarification, and invite shared next steps.

• Vulnerability Builds Trust
  Admitting mistakes and taking responsibility signals safety. Blame does the opposite.

• Systems Turn Inclusion Into Habit
  Simple tools like A R C A R help leaders practice inclusion in every conversation, not just when they remember.

• Neurodiversity Is A Strategic Advantage
  When leaders understand and respect different ways of thinking and learning, they unlock innovation and potential that would otherwise stay hidden.

• Purpose And Love Anchor Performance
  Focusing on playing your best and caring about people’s growth creates cultures that can innovate, endure, and outperform.

Final Thoughts

Inclusivity is often talked about as a program or a policy. Frederick Abramson reminds us that it is first a way of being. It is how leaders listen, how they respond, how they design systems, and how they choose to see the people in front of them.

When organizations treat belonging as a strategic priority, they do more than avoid risk. They build cultures where diverse minds can collaborate, where neurodiversity is welcomed, and where people can play at their best without fear of being dismissed for their differences.

Check out our full conversation with Frederick Abramson on The Bliss Business Podcast.