How to keep inclusion strong and future-ready in a changing world.
Mark Bateman | August 18, 2025
August 18, 2025
On August 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice released updated guidance reminding recipients of federal funding that participation in leadership development, mentoring, and other talent programs must not be determined by race, color, or national origin.
While this move stems from the U.S., its ripple effect is already being felt globally.
For CHROs, Heads of Talent, and inclusive leadership sponsors, and senior HR executives, the question isn’t just “how do we comply?” It’s “how do we lead wisely?”
Because this isn’t just legalese. It’s a chance to reset how we build and scale inclusive leadership strategies that perform — from Singapore to San Francisco, from London to Lagos.
The DOJ’s update clarifies that programs funded, even partially, by the U.S. federal government cannot favor or exclude participants based on identity. This includes:
Global companies—particularly those operating in or contracting with U.S. entities—must now reassess their inclusion strategy for legal risk.
But this isn’t a “ban on inclusion.” It’s a call to build leadership development models based on behavior, merit, and impact — not labels.
At WeQual, we work across 80+ countries with Fortune Global 500 firms. Here’s how organizations are responding by region:
Globally, HR and L&D teams are under pressure to evolve their leadership pipeline development while maintaining compliance, equity, and business performance.
This moment is bigger than a compliance checklist. It’s a global leadership strategy challenge:
Doing the bare legal minimum won’t fix your pipeline — and could erode culture, reputation, and readiness.
The opportunity? To move toward a behavior-based leadership program that scales, adapts, and sustains across regions.
To help companies pivot from identity-first to behavior-led design, WeQual developed a globally scalable model that drives outcomes:
L1: Getting It Right
Goal: Legal compliance, quick stabilization
Risk: Fixes surface-level issues without addressing structural blockers
L2: Doing the Right Thing
Goal: Strategic redesign
Outcome: Builds real capability and inclusiveness
L3: Deciding What’s Right
Goal: Sustainable, future-proof systems
Strength: Legally resilient and business-aligned
To build a globally compliant, inclusive leadership strategy, we recommend:
WeQual exists to fix broken leadership pipelines by focusing on what drives success — not identity labels, but leadership behaviors, sponsorship, visibility, and merit.
We believe this new era demands better:
This moment isn’t the end of inclusive leadership. It’s a call to do it smarter, stronger, and globally aligned.
If you’re navigating these shifts, let’s talk.
Discover how our WeQual Executives and WeQual Rising Leaders programs are helping global organizations build leadership pipelines that perform — with compliance, clarity, and measurable outcomes.
No. It requires federally funded programs not to exclude or prioritize based on race, color, or origin. It promotes inclusion through broader, legally compliant frameworks focused on performance and leadership behaviors.
Yes. Local laws differ. For example, the EU supports gender-balanced leadership. The key is regionally tailored design aligned with local policy.
Use behavior-based frameworks like WeQual’s L1–L3 model. Focus on leadership behaviors, merit, and performance — not identity filters.
They may not be legally compliant in the U.S., and often miss the deeper barriers like lack of sponsorship, visibility, or role clarity.
It means building systems where leadership capability, not labels, drives progression — and where everyone has equitable access to opportunity.
Through tools like WeQual ICSR and progression tracking tied to specific behaviors and performance outcomes — not representation alone.
Inclusive leadership strategy isn’t going away. It’s getting better. Smarter. Stronger.
More sustainable. The real question is: Will your organization evolve with it?
Let’s build leadership that delivers. For everyone.