Some leaders only provide information to their teams on a need-to-know basis. When their organization struggles or things go awry, these leaders work behind closed doors to try and solve the problem. However, by leaving employees out of conversations and problem-solving initiatives, leaders often miss out on valuable ideas.

According to Joe Ferreira, an author who is the CEO and president of the Nevada Donor Network, there’s value in involving everyone—especially in smaller organizations where every person contributes to the culture and operations.

If your organization’s management team typically excludes employees from important discussions, you might want to consider what Ferreira calls “uncomfortable inclusion.” According to Ferreira, involving the entire organization in strategy and problem-solving can reinforce synergy, cooperation and unity while cultivating better ideas and innovation.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Ferreira’s thoughts on the three traits you can develop to embrace an inclusion approach.

1. Transparency. Uncomfortable inclusion means being transparent to the point of discomfort, Ferreira says. This means that if you don’t feel a little odd about involving sales reps in certain decisions, you are likely not being inclusive enough. It’s even better, according to Ferreira, to include your critics. They can often serve as the biggest catalysts for innovation and growth.

2. Accountability. Accountability is important not just for the leaders in your organization, but for all employees. You can take steps to build a more inclusive culture by taking your values seriously and holding everyone accountable—regardless of their title. Ferreira says that it is not enough to be technically competent. Everyone must also adhere to the organization’s values. Employees must stay committed to quality and excellence and also be held accountable when they don’t succeed.

3. Commitment. Building a more inclusive culture might seem like a daunting task to undertake, but it doesn’t involve reinventing the wheel. Instead, Ferreira says it simply takes willingness and an openness to learning and implementing actions that can facilitate transformative success. This can be difficult and uncomfortable, he says, but he encourages leaders to keep at it because success is achievable.

Your sales reps are on the frontlines every day. They have valuable insight and can provide useful input when it comes to planning and strategy. You can begin to involve them in more discussions by embracing transparency, accountability and commitment. Instead of keeping things secret and reserving important conversations for managers only, involve your sales reps. You can help improve performance on your sales team and help create a welcoming, inclusive culture for your entire organization.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Joe Ferreira is the CEO and president of the Nevada Donor Network. He is also the ForbesBooks author of Uncomfortable Inclusion: How to Build a Culture of High Performance in Life and Work.