In today's dynamic business landscape, projects are crucial for organizational success, leading to a greater emphasis on project-based operations. While traditional measures of project success, such as cost, time, and budget, remain relevant, they are increasingly recognized as insufficient. This study investigates the influence of inclusive leadership on project success within Pakistan's construction industry, focusing on the mediating role of project citizenship behavior (PCB) and the moderating effect of project complexity. Data were collected from 644 employees across various public and private construction projects in Pakistan using a cross-sectional survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed using SmartPLS 4 software for data analysis. The results indicate that inclusive leadership has a positive and significant impact on project success. Furthermore, project citizenship behavior positively and significantly mediates the relationship between inclusive leadership and project success. Finally, project complexity negatively and significantly moderates the relationship between inclusive leadership and project success, but not the relationship between inclusive leadership and project citizenship behavior. This study contributes to the project management literature by highlighting the importance of inclusive leadership and PCB in driving project success. It also provides practical implications for managers in construction SMEs, emphasizing the need to cultivate inclusive leadership styles and foster a supportive environment that encourages PCB. The study concludes with limitations and directions for future research, including exploring other leadership styles, moderators, and mediators, utilizing longitudinal designs, and examining smaller-scale construction subsectors.