Making Space: How Inclusion Starts Inside the Team

Inclusion isn’t a box to check. It’s a practice that starts long before DEI statements hit your website—and it starts with leadership.

At Spring Digital, we’ve learned that building a culture of inclusion doesn’t begin with programs or policies. It begins inside the team. It begins with how we communicate, how we collaborate, and how we show up for each other. Creating an environment where people feel safe, seen, and supported isn’t optional—it’s foundational to doing great work.

Leadership Sets the Tone

As a CEO, I’ve come to understand that my role isn’t to have all the answers—it’s to make space for others to shine. That means creating room for difference: in perspectives, work styles, identities, and lived experiences.

Real inclusion isn’t passive. It requires actively challenging biases, encouraging respectful disagreement, and ensuring no voice gets drowned out by hierarchy or ego. In meetings, in brainstorms, in reviews, leaders have to model the behavior they want to see—listening with curiosity, inviting feedback, and being open to change (Deloitte).

Safety Builds Innovation

Psychological safety is one of the strongest predictors of high-performing teams. When people know they won’t be punished for asking questions, proposing ideas, or admitting mistakes, they think more creatively and collaborate more freely (HBR). This kind of trust doesn’t happen overnight—it’s built through consistency.

We protect that safety at Spring Digital through check-ins, team rituals, and intentional communication. We don’t micromanage. We don’t assume. We listen. Because no one can do their best work while bracing for judgment.

Inclusion Requires Visibility

Hiring for diversity is one step. But inclusion requires visibility—and visibility requires intention. Are all team members given equal time to speak in meetings? Are their contributions recognized and credited? Are decisions made with a diverse set of perspectives in the room?

At Spring Digital, we believe visibility is an equity issue. That’s why we rotate leadership in client presentations, create space for emerging voices, and acknowledge everyone’s role in shared wins. When people see themselves reflected in leadership, they’re more likely to believe in their own future (McKinsey).

Empowerment Is a Strategy

Inclusion also means knowing when to step back. Micromanaging stifles creativity. Empowerment fuels it. We want our team to feel not only trusted—but trusted to lead. That might mean giving someone their first shot at running a project or encouraging a bold new idea that breaks the mold.

When people feel like they belong, they take more risks. They solve harder problems. They bring their whole selves to the table—and that’s when the work gets good.

Inclusion Is One of Our Core Values

At Spring Digital, inclusion is more than a cultural pillar—it’s how we build better strategies, stories, and experiences.

If This Resonated You’ll likely enjoy this related piece on leadership and the importance of trust, delegation, and curiosity in creative environments:

???? Let Them Be Brilliant: A Note on Modern Leadership

Our values center creativity, continuous learning, and balanced living—but none of that happens without teams that feel empowered and safe.

Explore our About Us page to learn more about the values that drive how we work and what we believe.