No Room for Exclusion

Leadership is a word that gets thrown around very easily, and the role of being a leader is conducted differently by everyone given the privilege of responsibility for others. Many succeed, in their own way. Others have tasted failure.

Leadership is not authority. It must always be about purpose and people. Most leadership failures stem from the need to be in charge as opposed to realising that it’s about serving others.

Those at the top in the biggest businesses, and in governments in the world, are monitored constantly – leaving almost no room for error. Truthfully, the best leaders will make mistakes, and that is how they learn and grow, we all do, if we are willing to become the best version of ourselves.

It becomes far too easy for us to pick out the negatives when it comes to leadership, but it might not be about finding the positives, it’s now about making the positives happen. The constant scrutiny is never helpful, but that is part of the price to be paid when accepting high profile leadership roles.

One thing has become extremely clear and can never be forgotten – inclusion and empathy drives performance, and it is the change we all need in our lives.

So, as we navigate through growth and change to business operations, leaders have a duty to understand that they must become someone to believe in and give their team something to belong to. Time and again we feel as though we sound like a broken record, advising and telling leaders everywhere, times are changing, and we must adapt quickly if we want to succeed.

Before we get into business and politics, it feels very relevant to discuss some interesting, prideful and for some, hard to accept, news for Britain.

The talk around what it means to be British certainly comes down to each of our own personal feelings, but statistics are recently revealing that UK citizens belief to be born in the UK makes you “truly British” has fallen from 74% in 2013 to 55% in 2023.

Those who believe it is important to have British ancestry has also dropped to 39% from 51% a decade ago.

?As expected, there have been those to criticise such numbers. Some believe it is a shift and loss of pride towards Britain’s history. That is a view that is outdated – Britain itself is filled of many different backgrounds and 4 separate nationalities – English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish, which has caused the majority to feel as though welcoming other cultures and embracing nationalities is what it means to be British – it’s our difference that makes us who we are, and diversity should be embraced. The stats demonstrate this growing inclusive culture borne out of our tolerance and friendliness.

This is not a loss of pride; it is a sign of being more inclusive and becoming even better human beings. The ‘traditional’ meaning to being ‘truly British’ is held by those who fear change. We haven’t lost any of our identity; we have gained humility.

Caring about others has become much more important in people’s values and way of life.

The change in meaning, or people’s views is comparable to how much business is changing – more specifically, the meaning behind how to be a true leader.

Today, the focus is not just on managing tasks, and we are long past managing our colleagues – the focus is on nurturing a thriving and inclusive team. Generous and inclusive leadership can foster an environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to bring their authentic selves to the office, a virtual meeting or a lunchtime coffee.

Work should not be something your team dread, nor should you be someone they are threatened by.

Informed by the hybrid work revolution where 72% of business leaders support a flexible future, the spotlight is on the importance of being a generous and inclusive leader.

Overlooked though it might be, we consistently tell leaders and teams, generosity, care, and inclusion go a long way, personally and professionally. To get the best out of our colleagues, ourselves, and our business, it takes just one person to step up and begin the change – all of us can do it. A huge part of taking care of your people as a leader is learning what works best for them, how can you get the absolute best out of your team to thrive? It’s no surprise that work-life balance sits right at the very top. Work should not take over your life, we all deserve to enjoy it.

Generous leadership focuses on more than just tangible rewards. It involves offering time, empathy, and recognition. As discussed in a recent Entrepreneur article, generosity in leadership cultivates trust and loyalty within teams. This trust is the bedrock of high-performing teams, enabling them to navigate uncertainty with resilience and innovation.

Inclusion ensures every team member feels valued and heard. An inclusive leader recognises the diverse strengths within the team, fostering a culture where every voice contributes to the collective success. When leaders combine generosity with inclusivity, they create an environment where employees feel empowered and invested in their work, driving long-term engagement and growth.

An important reminder for every one of us is that it is never too late. Mistakes, periods of damage and failure are part of the journey – we can decide the future we want, and we can seek out for a much better outcome.

My team and I discuss business and politics wherever we go, whatever time of year. We are all aware of the political mess over the past decade, and we are all aware of the fight for a better future that the new government are up against, despite the bleakness we have been used to, and the never ending fight put up by the far right – it is never too late for Britain to get on track, by no means will it be easy, but together, it is possible.

I’ll stray away from business for one moment to apply the ‘never too late’ mindset to a much more light-hearted event. The much beloved Oasis band are getting back together – Noel and Liam Gallagher have seemingly put their differences behind them and given Britain, their family, and deep down, what themselves want. 15 years of no contact, of what seemed to be an impossible thought, has now become a reality. If you know anything about the story of Oasis – once one of the biggest bands in the world, and at their very top it ended – but even they know, we all need to adopt an attitude that it is never too late.

I have always coached, and been coached that if in doubt, treat others how you’d like to be treated but today that has shifted drastically. True leadership calls for us to learn and understand each other, so we can treat others how they want to be treated. There is beauty in our uniqueness, now’s the time to embrace it and work together.

The change for inclusion starts with us.

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Thought of the week:

Inclusion is a mindset we must all adopt.

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Tips for becoming an A player:

• Never let anyone destroy your passion
• Listen intently and you’ll learn quickly
• Learn to have an open mind
• Embrace change and fear sameness
• Be the leader that you would want

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