Written By Cari Borden

We’ve glamorized the word innovation as if it’s this lightning bolt of genius that strikes a lucky few. But here’s the truth: innovation is often born from friction, the good kind, where different perspectives, cultures, and lived experiences collide in the best way possible.

Inclusion isn’t a checkbox. It’s not a committee or an annual training module. It’s a daily, conscious choice to widen the lens and listen deeper, especially when it’s uncomfortable.

When everyone has a voice, everyone thrives.
Why? Because true inclusion doesn’t just protect people it elevates them. It allows the quiet analyst with a background in community organizing to challenge the assumptions of the seasoned executive. It gives the neurodivergent strategist space to reimagine outdated processes. It lets the frontline worker, who actually talks to customers every day, redesign the experience from the ground up.

Now flip the script.
What happens when only one way of thinking is allowed?
You get:

• Decisions made in back rooms by people too removed from the front lines.
• “Safe” solutions that replicate the status quo.
• A sea of nodding heads too afraid to say, “This isn’t working.”
• A culture where people survive, but no one truly thrives.

That’s not leadership. That’s maintenance.

And maintenance doesn’t change lives. It doesn’t grow companies. It doesn’t invite breakthroughs.

So the next time you hear someone say “diversity of thought,” don’t let it stop at a slogan. Ask:
Whose voice is still missing from this table, and what brilliance are we losing by not inviting them?

Inclusion is not a choice.
It’s a responsibility.
And it’s the only way we move forward, together.

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