Why You Need "Uncomfortable Inclusion" In Business Today

By Joe Ferreira

The organization I am part of at Nevada Donor Network (NDN) facilitates organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation throughout the state of Nevada. Our team of more than 160 employees includes clinical and administrative staff. As part of our culture at NDN, we practice what we call “uncomfortable inclusion.” Here’s an example of how it works: Before and during the height of the pandemic, in the spirit of inclusion, we quickly assembled a team of stakeholders largely composed of staff members and some leaders. From the onset of the crisis, the leadership team sought feedback from the front-line staff on how we should move forward in this new reality. During the dialogue with staff on how to accomplish things in the face of a once-in-a-generation disruptive event, many themes emerged that caused great discomfort to those of us in leadership who felt that the only way to succeed in this new environment was to maintain in-person contact and meetings on some level.