Inclusive Leadership Backfires: When Good Intentions Miss the Mark

Hang Múa, Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Alright, let’s keep going.

When Inclusive Advice Becomes One-Size-Fits-All

One of the most consistent patterns I’ve observed — both in the inclusion trainings I’ve taken and those I’ve delivered — is this:

We’re often taught what inclusive leaders should do, but not how those practices need to be adapted.

The result? Well-intentioned leaders trying to do the “right” thing… only to find their efforts falling flat — or quietly eroding trust and credibility — in certain contexts.

Two Leaders. Good Intentions. Unexpected Outcomes.

Let me share two examples that have stayed with me.

During a focus group I facilitated (as part of designing a DEI course for an organization spanning offices globally, each with a mix of Canadian and international staff), a senior executive shared a moment of frustration.

She had recently completed a leadership training that emphasized vulnerability as a cornerstone of inclusive leadership. Taking the learning seriously, when she moved to her new office (which was located in another country), she immediately demonstrated vulnerability with her team.

The reaction surprised her — and not in a good way.

Instead of increased trust or connection, as she had hoped, she felt a shift in how she was perceived. As she put it: “I lost their respect.”

In another leadership training, this time one I was leading with Canadian managers who were located in offices around the world, another manager shared that she had proudly implemented an open-door policy a few months prior, hoping it would signal approachability and psychological safety. Weeks passed. None of the local staff came through her door. She declared the approach a failure and how she had felt extremely dejected.

Both leaders were thoughtful.

Both were acting in good faith.

Both walked away discouraged.

The Issue Wasn’t the Principle — It Was the Context

In both cases, the issue wasn’t the principle — it was the lack of cultural adaptation.

This is exactly what a cultural lens helps leaders avoid.

In the first case, the executive was operating in a high power-distance culture, where leaders are often expected to project confidence, authority, and decisiveness. Demonstrating vulnerability — particularly early on — can unintentionally signal uncertainty rather than authenticity.

In the second, the open-door policy didn’t account for a context where hierarchy is respected, initiative flows downward, or approaching a leader without invitation may feel inappropriate. The absence of knockers wasn’t disengagement — it was cultural logic.

Why “Best Practices” Don’t Travel Well

As David Livermore, a global leadership expert known for his work on cultural intelligence, has argued, even widely celebrated leadership traits like transparency don’t translate seamlessly across cultures. In some contexts, teams don’t want leaders to openly share missteps — they want clarity, direction, and a plan for correction. Transparency, in certain contexts, looks less like disclosure and more like decisiveness.

As leadership author and researcher David Burkus recently shared, when McDonald’s introduced ‘Employee of the Month’ awards in India, the initiative landed poorly. In a highly collectivist culture, being singled out as an individual can feel uncomfortable — even negative. Rather than abandoning recognition altogether, McDonald’s adapted the practice. The program became ‘Team of the Month’ instead. Same intention. Very different impact.

This Pattern Shows Up Everywhere

Doctors trained in low power-distance systems may struggle in contexts where patients expect authority, not shared decision-making.

Global mergers that ignore cultural differences consistently underperform those that invest in understanding them.

Even something as small as opening a presentation with a joke can backfire — Livermore once shared how a translator simply didn’t translate his humour because it would have undermined his credibility to his audience.

So too must we adjust leadership styles.

Inclusion Requires Flex, Not Formulas

Inclusion isn’t about applying a universal checklist of “good” behaviours. It’s about reading the context and flexing accordingly. A practice that builds trust in one setting can quietly dismantle it in another.

The cost of getting this wrong is real:

Teams don’t feel seen.

Leaders feel demotivated.

And inclusion initiatives get labeled as ineffective — when they were simply misapplied.

Key Takeaway

Inclusive leadership isn’t about fitting everyone into the same model — it’s about shaping the model to fit the people, the culture, and the moment. A small shift in approach can be the difference between an initiative flopping… and flying.

This is a core part of my coaching practice: helping leaders strengthen their intercultural adaptability muscles so inclusive intentions translate into inclusive impact.

Next up, I’ll dig into the research behind this — and unpack what culturally intelligent leadership looks like in practice across global contexts.

Stay tuned!

(This article was originally published on my LinkedIn on December 15, 2025.)