In the social impact world—where the mission is to shift systems, reduce inequality, or build more inclusive economies—leadership bias can quietly sabotage even the best-designed interventions. 

Not bias in the loud, obvious sense. But the kind that shows up in who gets selected as a mentor. Who is trusted to lead a project. Whose voice gets airtime in partner meetings. Whose lived experience is seen as “strategic insight”—and whose is dismissed as “too local”. 

If you’re a funder, programme manager, or ecosystem builder commissioning or running leadership or mentoring initiatives, this is your call-in. Inclusive leadership isn’t a bonus value—it’s the engine of relevance, trust, and lasting impact. 

When Bias Shows Up in the Social Impact Sector 

Bias in this space often hides behind good intentions. We’ve seen it in: 

• Mentor recruitment that defaults to corporate professionals over informal sector entrepreneurs with deep contextual knowledge 

• Programme design that reflects donor preferences rather than community priorities or context 

• Leadership development opportunities that go to the most vocal or visible, not the most embedded or effective 

Across many of our mentoring initiatives we’ve seen how mentor effectiveness isn’t just about technical expertise or career seniority. When mentors bring sector-specific knowledge and lived experience from similar contexts, trust deepens, and mentees are more likely to engage fully. It’s a reminder that relevance matters as much as reputation. 

This isn’t just a mentoring issue. It’s a leadership issue—and it’s holding back innovation. 

What Inclusive Leadership Looks Like in Practice 

Inclusive leadership isn’t about optics or quotas. It’s about building systems that actively redistribute power, surface overlooked insights, and build stronger, more adaptable teams. Here’s how: 

1. Make the Unconscious Visible 

Start with self-awareness. If you’re leading in regions or communities different from your own background, assume your worldview has gaps. Tools like 360 feedback, cultural humility training, and advisory boards with grassroots representation can help leaders challenge their assumptions before they get embedded in programme design. 

This kind of leadership reflection was core to the New Economy Leaders Academy, where diverse leaders from 11 countries explored how their unconscious filters shaped how they listened, made decisions, and built partnerships. 

A recurring insight from the programme was how participants began to notice the unconscious filters shaping how they listened, responded, and made decisions—especially when working in diverse or cross-cultural groups. 

Deloitte’s research confirms this: inclusive leaders who build awareness of their biases and proactively seek challenge create more adaptive, high-performing teams, especially in complex environments like social impact ecosystems (Deloitte, 2020). 

2. Create Space for Constructive Dissent 

Too often, dissent is seen as disruptive. But in dynamic, multicultural settings, it’s essential. Inclusive leaders don’t just tolerate disagreement—they design for it. 

In our MAVA Leaders for Nature Academy, intergenerational mentoring intentionally paired junior professionals with senior leaders. It wasn’t always comfortable—but it surfaced ideas that would’ve been missed in hierarchical settings. Participants learned to engage with difference, rather than smooth it over. 

Inclusive teams that embrace dissent aren’t just more inclusive—they’re more innovative. Research by Deloitte found that teams led by those who actively seek out alternative perspectives are better equipped to adapt in unpredictable scenarios (Deloitte, 2020). 

3. Shift from Equality to Equity 

Treating everyone the same is not fairness. Inclusive leadership in social impact requires distributing resources based on need, not simply offering the same opportunities to all. 

In the GoRise Mentoring Programme, we adapted our mentor preparation and support systems to reflect varied digital access, availability, and prior experience. This equity-first approach meant mentors could contribute meaningfully—whether they were seasoned tech CEOs or early-stage founders with deep local networks. 

As the Stanford Social Innovation Review argues, equity in leadership means acknowledging and correcting for structural imbalances—not just offering everyone a seat at the table, but ensuring everyone has the support to contribute fully once they’re there. 

4. Embed Inclusion into Decision-Making 

Inclusion can’t be left to intention. It must be baked into decision-making frameworks. 

We encourage programme teams to adopt tools like: 

• Check & Challenge: Before finalising a major decision, pause and ask: Who has shaped this? Who will it benefit? Who’s left out? 

• Rotating Power: Share agenda-setting, meeting facilitation, and speaking time across levels and identities 

In our Running Effective Mentoring Programmes (REMP) course, we help programme managers reflect on who is shaping their mentoring programmes—and how to design more inclusive, adaptive systems. Through tools like contracting, feedback loops, and reflection frameworks, they learn how to course-correct in real time and avoid defaulting to the same voices, ideas, and assumptions. 

5. Measure Inclusion—Not Just Outcomes 

Most funders still focus on outputs: how many people trained, how many sessions delivered. But inclusive leadership also tracks how people experienced the process. 

Do mentees feel heard? Do local partners feel ownership? Do underrepresented team members feel safe challenging decisions? 

Gallup research shows that when people feel their voice matters, they’re more engaged, committed, and willing to contribute ideas—critical in the social sector where innovation depends on trust and local relevance (Gallup, 2020). 

In our work with the Sickle Cell Society UK, 100% of mentors reported increased confidence and stronger relationship-building—results made possible not just by training, but by inclusive facilitation that centred lived experience. 

What Inclusive Leadership Unlocks 

Inclusive leadership isn’t just morally right—it’s operationally smart. 

• McKinsey shows that diverse leadership teams are 35% more likely to outperform financially 

• Catalyst found inclusive companies are 6x more innovative and 8x more likely to achieve better outcomes 

But in social impact, the ROI is deeper: 

It’s more trust. More relevance. More lasting change. 

Ask Yourself: Is My Leadership Limiting Our Impact? 

Before your next decision, pause and reflect: 

• Who’s influencing this design? 

• Who’s being trusted to lead? 

• What assumptions might I be reinforcing? 

Because ultimately, inclusive leadership is not a skill—it’s a stance. One that’s practiced daily, in the small choices that shape big outcomes. 

Explore Our Inclusive Leadership Offerings 

At The Human Edge, we support funders, ecosystem builders, and social change leaders to embed inclusion into mentoring and leadership at every level. Our programmes blend self-awareness, practical tools , and lived experience to help teams lead more equitably—and more effectively. 

Explore: 

• Mentoring Skills and Practice (MSP) – Develop the self-awareness and questioning skills to mentor across lines of difference 

• Make the Most of Mentoring (MMM) – Prepare mentees to show up confidently and equitably in relationships 

• Running Effective Mentoring Programmes (REMP) – Train programme leads to design inclusive, high-impact mentoring systems 

Want help making inclusion real across your programme or portfolio? Get in touch with us.