“When we talk about inclusion, we’re not trying to change who you are,” said Derek Gordon, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Colgate-Palmolive. Gordon pointed out that he sees individuals resist inclusion in the workplace because they assume it means inclusion for all, except them. But that’s not the way effective inclusion works.

 “We’re offering a very big tent for everybody to see themselves benefiting from a world in which there are no barriers beyond the capability that you bring to the work and the impact that you can bring to the company,” Gordon said. “We want you to be successful within the organization.”

During a fireside chat titled “The Present and Future of the Chief Diversity Officer’s Role” during From Day One’s February virtual conference on measuring and accounting for progress in DEI, Gordon shared his vision for inclusive leadership. He was joined by Fortune senior editor Ellen McGirt, who guided the conversation.

The Three Qualities of an Inclusive Leader

Inclusive leaders share three qualities, said Gordon. The first is that they can cultivate trust within their teams. This means creating a setting in which employees are “unafraid of speaking openly about opportunities” and are confident that their leader is willing to listen and “set aside their own perspective to understand what other people on the team are recommending,” he said.

The second is that they have to be coaches and understand the importance of investing in collective growth. Gordon believes that inclusive leaders are courageous. Courageous in the results they aim for and courageous in their willingness to recognize people for bringing progress to the table.

“I’ve always believed that leaders inspire others to accomplish something that they would not otherwise do,” he said. “They have to have this vision for the future.”

The third characteristic of an inclusive leader is one that can affect business outcomes. DEI isn’t only about doing good–though it is that–it’s about doing right by the business, said Gordon. Without that in mind, some leaders just won’t bite.

“It’s not just about doing the right thing, because, let’s face it, in the DEI space, we’ve been talking about doing the right thing for 50 years, and there’s been no change. Ultimately, then, you have to make sure that people understand that diversity and inclusion delivers better business results,” he said.

To Gordon, influencing the business means “not chasing a bunch of small things,” but working at the scale of the whole company. For instance, Gordon noted the importance of employee resource groups, or ERGs. Employees who participate can benefit by building community and a sense of belonging in their workplace. In tandem, the company can benefit from the ERGs by asking for specific groups to weigh in on advertising campaigns to ensure they’re inclusive of their demographic. ERGs are also useful for recruiting, “particularly at more senior levels of the organization,” said Gordon, and for building diverse interview panels.

Inclusive Leadership Cannot Be a Trend

And to make inclusion meaningful for everyone in the business–from leadership to the rank and file–they need to be able to see inclusion at work at all levels of the organization. “That means this kind of change is not an initiative,” he added. Everyone in the organization has to see, feel, and believe that inclusion is not just a trend or a “flavor of the day.”

To underline the point, Colgate has baked DEI metrics into its ESG strategy and employee bonuses. It publishes a diversity report on progress at least once a year. “You need to measure the results that you’re trying to get to,” Gordon said. “And you have to hold people accountable for delivering against that.”

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance reporter who covers the future of work, HR, recruiting, DEI, and women's experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Fast Company, Quartz at Work, and Digiday’s Worklife, among others.