Inclusion and belonging in managerial roles refers to a leader's ability to create environments where all team members feel valued, respected, and able to fully participate regardless of their background, identity, or perspective. This competency is vital for today's managers as it drives innovation, employee engagement, and organizational performance.

Effective managers who excel at fostering inclusion and belonging demonstrate several key abilities: they create psychological safety where team members feel comfortable expressing themselves, they recognize and address both conscious and unconscious bias, they actively seek out diverse perspectives, and they ensure equitable treatment and opportunities for all team members. This competency extends beyond simply assembling diverse teams—it's about creating the conditions where diversity can thrive and contribute to organizational success.

Evaluating a candidate's capacity for inclusion requires careful assessment across different dimensions. For more junior managers, focus on their awareness of inclusion principles and willingness to learn. Mid-level managers should demonstrate concrete examples of implementing inclusive practices, while senior leaders should show evidence of systemic impact and strategic vision for organizational inclusion. Regardless of level, look for candidates who approach inclusion as an ongoing learning journey rather than a destination they've already reached.

When interviewing candidates, use behavioral questions to uncover how they've actually handled situations requiring inclusive leadership. Listen for specifics about their actions, thought processes, and lessons learned. The best candidates will share authentic examples that demonstrate both successes and challenges they've faced in building inclusive environments. Structured interview questions that focus on past behavior provide the most reliable insights into how candidates will perform in inclusive leadership roles.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you recognized that a team member wasn't fully included or didn't feel a sense of belonging, and what you did about it.

Areas to Cover:

• How the manager identified the exclusion (whether through observation, feedback, or other means)
• Specific actions taken to address the situation
• How they approached the excluded individual
• Any systemic changes implemented to prevent similar situations
• How they measured success or improvement
• Challenges faced in addressing the situation
• Long-term impacts on team dynamics

Follow-Up Questions:

• What signals or behaviors helped you recognize that this person wasn't feeling included?
• How did you approach the conversation with the team member, and what did you learn?
• What resistance or challenges did you face when trying to create a more inclusive environment?
• How did this experience change your approach to team leadership going forward?

Describe a situation where you had to address biased or exclusive behavior from a team member or colleague. How did you handle it?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific behavior they observed and its impact
• How they prepared for the conversation
• The approach used to address the behavior
• How they balanced accountability with maintaining relationship
• The outcome of the intervention
• Any follow-up actions or monitoring
• Lessons learned from the experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• What made you decide this behavior needed to be addressed?
• How did you ensure the conversation was productive rather than defensive?
• What was most challenging about handling this situation?
• How did you follow up after the initial conversation to ensure lasting change?

Share an example of how you've modified your leadership approach to better include someone with a different background, working style, or perspective than your own.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific differences they recognized
• The self-awareness demonstrated in identifying needed changes
• Concrete adjustments made to their leadership approach
• How they gathered feedback on their effectiveness
• The impact of these adjustments on the individual and team
• Ongoing learning and adaptation

Follow-Up Questions:

• What helped you recognize that you needed to adapt your approach?
• What was most challenging about modifying your leadership style?
• How did you know your adjustments were effective?
• What did this experience teach you about inclusive leadership?

Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision or implement a policy that affected different team members in different ways. How did you ensure fairness while accounting for diverse needs?

Areas to Cover:

• The decision or policy context and considerations
• How they identified different impacts on team members
• Steps taken to gather input from diverse perspectives
• How they balanced competing interests and needs
• Communication approach for the decision
• Flexibility incorporated into implementation
• Results and lessons learned

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify the different ways this decision would impact various team members?
• What trade-offs did you have to consider, and how did you navigate them?
• How did you communicate your decision-making process to build understanding?
• What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation in the future?

Describe a time when you built a diverse team or improved diversity within an existing team. What strategies did you use to ensure that diversity translated into inclusion and belonging?

Areas to Cover:

• Specific actions taken to increase diversity
• Recognition that diversity alone isn't sufficient
• Concrete steps to foster inclusion beyond recruitment
• How they onboarded new team members from diverse backgrounds
• How they measured or assessed belonging
• Challenges encountered and how they were addressed
• Long-term results and sustainability of the approach

Follow-Up Questions:

• What obstacles did you face in building a more diverse team, and how did you overcome them?
• How did you ensure that diverse voices were actually heard and valued in team discussions?
• What signals helped you gauge whether team members felt they belonged?
• What specific structures or practices did you implement to sustain inclusion?

Share an example of when you helped a team navigate cultural differences or misunderstandings. What was your approach and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the cultural differences or misunderstandings
• How they identified the root issues
• Their approach to facilitating understanding
• Education or awareness-building techniques used
• How they created common ground while respecting differences
• Resolution process and outcomes
• Preventative measures established afterward

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare yourself to facilitate across these cultural differences?
• What was most challenging about navigating this situation?
• How did you balance respecting cultural differences with establishing team norms?
• What lasting impact did this situation have on team communication?

Tell me about a time when you advocated for a more inclusive approach, policy, or practice within your organization. What motivated you, and what steps did you take?

Areas to Cover:

• What sparked their recognition of the need for change
• Research or data gathering to support their advocacy
• How they built support among peers and leaders
• Specific actions taken to influence organizational change
• Obstacles encountered and how they were addressed
• Results achieved and implementation experience
• Lessons learned about creating organizational change

Follow-Up Questions:

• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• How did you build allies to support this change?
• What evidence or arguments were most effective in making your case?
• How did you ensure the change was implemented effectively beyond just policy?

Describe a situation where you had to give feedback to someone from a different background than yours. How did you ensure your feedback was fair, understood, and constructive?

Areas to Cover:

• How they prepared for the feedback conversation
• Cultural or stylistic considerations they accounted for
• Approach to delivering feedback with sensitivity
• How they checked for understanding
• Follow-up support provided
• Outcomes of the feedback process
• Learning gained about cross-cultural/cross-background feedback

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare differently for this feedback conversation compared to others?
• What specific adjustments did you make to your communication style?
• How did you ensure your feedback wasn't influenced by cultural biases?
• What indicators helped you know your feedback was received as intended?

Share an example of how you've created psychological safety on your team, where people feel comfortable speaking up, taking risks, and being their authentic selves.

Areas to Cover:

• Specific techniques used to establish psychological safety
• How they modeled vulnerability and openness
• How they responded to team members taking risks or making mistakes
• Structures or practices implemented to encourage participation
• How they measured or assessed psychological safety
• Examples of behaviors that changed as safety increased
• Challenges maintaining safety during difficult periods

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you know that psychological safety was an issue that needed addressing?
• What specific behaviors did you model to encourage psychological safety?
• How did you handle situations that threatened the psychological safety you were building?
• What feedback have you received about the environment you created?

Tell me about a time when including diverse perspectives led to a better decision or outcome for your team or organization.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific situation and initial approach
• How they intentionally sought diverse perspectives
• Techniques used to ensure all voices were heard
• How they navigated disagreements or conflicting viewpoints
• The impact of diversity on the final outcome
• How they measured or assessed the improvement
• Lessons learned about leveraging diverse thinking

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify which perspectives were missing from the conversation?
• What techniques did you use to draw out ideas from people who might be hesitant to speak up?
• How did you handle potential tension between different viewpoints?
• How did this experience influence your approach to decision-making in subsequent situations?

Describe a situation where you had to help a team member from an underrepresented group navigate organizational politics or barriers. What was your approach?

Areas to Cover:

• How they identified the barriers or challenges
• The approach to mentoring or sponsoring the team member
• Specific guidance or support provided
• Any systemic issues addressed beyond individual coaching
• Balance between empowering and advocating
• Results and feedback from the team member
• Organizational insights gained from the experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you build trust with this team member?
• What specific barriers did you help them navigate?
• How did you balance supporting them directly versus addressing systemic issues?
• What did you learn about organizational barriers through this experience?

Tell me about a time when you had to recognize and address your own biases or blind spots related to diversity, equity, or inclusion.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific bias or blind spot they identified
• How they became aware of it (feedback, reflection, etc.)
• Their emotional response and processing
• Actions taken to address the bias or blind spot
• Changes in behavior or approach as a result
• Ongoing learning and development efforts
• How this experience influenced their leadership

Follow-Up Questions:

• What made it difficult to recognize this bias or blind spot initially?
• How did you work through any defensive reactions you might have had?
• What resources or support did you seek to help you grow in this area?
• How has this experience changed how you approach potential biases now?

Share an example of how you've helped create a culture of inclusion and belonging beyond your immediate team, influencing broader organizational practices or policies.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific organizational opportunity they identified
• Their approach to influencing without direct authority
• Stakeholders engaged and coalition-building efforts
• Specific initiatives or changes implemented
• How they measured success or impact
• Challenges encountered and how they were addressed
• Sustainability of the changes

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify opportunities to influence beyond your team?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• How did you build support among peers and leaders for these changes?
• What have you learned about creating organizational change in this area?

Describe a situation where you had to make difficult decisions while ensuring fairness and inclusion. How did you balance competing priorities?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific context and competing priorities
• How they identified potential equity issues
• Their decision-making process and considerations
• Stakeholders involved in the process
• Communication approach about the decision
• Results and impacts on different groups
• Lessons learned about balancing fairness with other objectives

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify the potential equity implications of this decision?
• What frameworks or principles guided your decision-making process?
• How did you communicate your decision and rationale to those affected?
• Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently to enhance inclusion?

Tell me about a time when you took specific actions to create an inclusive onboarding experience for a new team member from a different background than the majority of your team.

Areas to Cover:

• How they prepared the team before the new member arrived
• Specific adaptations made to standard onboarding
• How they gathered information about the new member's needs
• Buddy or mentoring systems implemented
• Follow-up and feedback process
• Outcomes and lessons learned
• How this experience influenced future onboarding practices

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare yourself and your team before this person joined?
• What specific adjustments did you make to your standard onboarding process?
• How did you balance making the person feel welcomed while not singling them out?
• What feedback did you receive about the onboarding experience?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why focus on behavioral questions rather than hypothetical scenarios when assessing inclusion and belonging?

Behavioral questions based on past experiences provide more reliable insights into how candidates have actually handled situations requiring inclusive leadership. Hypothetical questions often elicit aspirational or theoretical responses that may not reflect how a person would truly act. Past behavior is generally the best predictor of future performance, especially for complex competencies like inclusion that require both awareness and action.

How can I tell if a candidate is truly committed to inclusion versus just saying what they think I want to hear?

Look for specificity and reflection in their answers. Candidates with genuine commitment to inclusion will provide detailed examples with concrete actions taken, challenges faced, and lessons learned. They'll also demonstrate self-awareness about their own growth journey and limitations. Be wary of perfect stories or textbook answers without personal reflection. Ask probing follow-up questions to go beyond rehearsed responses.

Should I expect different levels of inclusion competency based on a candidate's background?

While candidates from underrepresented groups may have personal experiences that inform their understanding of inclusion, all candidates should be evaluated on their demonstrated behaviors and skills related to creating inclusive environments. Experience with exclusion doesn't automatically translate to inclusive leadership skills, and candidates from majority groups can develop strong inclusion competencies through intentional learning and practice.

How many of these questions should I include in an interview?

For a thorough assessment, select 3-4 questions that are most relevant to your specific role and organizational context. It's better to explore fewer questions deeply with substantive follow-up than to rush through many questions. Remember that the follow-up questions are where you'll often get the most revealing insights about a candidate's approach to inclusion.

How should I evaluate candidates who have limited management experience but show promise in inclusion competencies?

For candidates with limited management experience, look for transferable experiences from team projects, volunteer work, or other collaborative settings. Focus on their self-awareness, openness to learning, and concrete examples of how they've navigated diverse relationships or advocated for inclusion in non-managerial contexts. Consider their potential for growth and commitment to continuous learning in this area.

Interested in a full interview guide with Assessing Inclusion and Belonging in Managerial Roles as a key trait? Sign up for Yardstick and build it for free.