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Striving to transform interest into substance is a beneficial pursuit.
The act of doing so is the act of building people up. You’ll interact with people interested in your success, interested in your personal habits, and interested in joining the teams that you lead. Should you be open toward the people who are interested in what you do? Or should you remain closed off in the name of protecting yourself and those you’re responsible for protecting?
This article will make an argument for being inclusive to outsiders in any domain. Other than the obvious things others provide such as the ability to work for, and benefit, your cause, being open to outsiders serves to benefit you and those you lead in more implicit ways. Your goal should always be one of growth. Whether it is your individual growth, your group’s growth, or the growth of those around you; success is dependent on growth. Inclusivity is a critical step in the process of growth, and thereby in the overall goal of growing your influence.
Openness Is a Powerful Attractor
Should someone want to join a group you lead, the act of being inclusive will serve to benefit your group even if the person in question has nothing of substance to provide. Inclusivity is a factor in the growth of interest. We are likelier to reach out and inquire into groups we see as being inclusive to others who inquire to join. You shouldn’t cheapen the value of your group by accepting anyone who is willing join – inclusivity and acceptance are different traits. The act of being inclusive can mean being responsive to inquiries from all, and not illogically discriminating against certain members of the population. It does not mean allowing all who inquire to join a group you lead, if there are clear parameters to be met.
If you lead a group which carries a powerful reputation, there will be many inquiries into joining this specified group of talented individuals. Examples of such groups can be a talented pick-up basketball squad, a managerial arm of your organization, or an after-school study group. If the groups you lead are successful in competition, you’ll have inquiries from people who are interested in joining. Take these inquiries as a sign of growth. As you acquire further success, outsiders will expect you to become more closed off. People have low hopes in being treated seriously when they inquire into things which are deemed as successful.
If your group carries a powerful competitive reputation and is still inclusive to outsiders who inquire, you’ll serve to keep stirring the waters of interest. You will attract even more people to inquire, which will naturally increase your chances of finding talented people to accept into your group. Those who do not meet the standard will still feel motivated to feel positive feelings toward you. They will feel validated through your habit of being inclusive, and are likely to come back when they improve their skill-set.
An obvious example of this notion is the act of receiving a personalized response for unsuccessful job applications. Nowadays, there is a tendency for companies to completely ignore those who are unsuccessful in their application for a job. Should the company be inclusive enough to reply back to our unsuccessful inquiries, we grow to respect the gesture. Even though our disappointment for not getting an interview may still exist, the act of being treated seriously enough in our inquiry to warrant a response makes us feel validated. We are encouraged to re-apply to such companies when we improve our resumes to more precisely include what they’re looking for.
Effects on Those Already Included
Those you lead also tend to respond positively to their leaders being inclusive to outsiders. Being inclusive means being open. Notwithstanding the fact that people like being part of groups which garner a high level of interest from outsiders, the act of being inclusive also gives the impression that you’ve got nothing to hide. The act of being open to outsiders raises confidence in those who are already included in the groups you lead. They feel that since the group they’re a part of strives to be open to those who inquire from the outside, its leaders seek a perpetual state of growth, and are confident in impressing newcomers.
The act of being open to outsiders can be related to the act of being open to new ideas and theories. Inclusivity doesn’t stop in one domain, and if a group is inclusive to outsiders it’s also likely to be welcoming to new ideas from its members. Those you lead will not feel entrapped, a feeling which can come about from leading a group closed off from the world around it. They won’t feel pressure to stay, as inclusivity to outsiders also projects the acceptance of the departures of those within.
In short, inclusivity to outsiders triggers a domino effect which leads to the group being perceived as fluid in ideology as well as structure. It will give the perception that those you lead have a chance of becoming leaders within the group, and that their ideas will be treated with the same openness that the inquiries of outsiders are handled.