Jungian psychology and the archetypes that derive from it have had their fair share of criticisms, but one of the theories that always got my attention was that of the Shadow. That part of our personality that we try to suppress from public view is very much a part of who we are. I often laugh when I hear leaders and managers telling their colleagues that they should bring their whole selves to work. I think to myself “Are you ready for that smoke?”

Your squad, personal advisory board, or however you want to label it, are those people who understand you, share your values, aren’t afraid to challenge you if they disagree with you, will champion you and will definitely listen to you.

I have witnessed a number of medium to large organisations wishing to get more underrepresented people on their boards but at best it can come across as quite tokenistic. That niggling feeling one gets as a person of colour, a women, or any other underrepresented cohort missing from most boards, when you KNOW you have been chosen more for optics than the skillset you have.

For all the strong desires to get leaders and their teams to think about how they can do things that are kind and compassionate in the way we work or pursue public life, the challenge can seem somewhat Sisyphean.

inclusive leadership is not perfect. Nothing really is. The point is for leaders to think widely and thoroughly about their impact

This weeks Motivational message is about staying curious

Individual, overtly racist acts, problematic as they are, reflect our tolerance to institutional policies and practices. This is what many of us are fighting. It might show its ugly face now and then, like in a football stadium, but it's what lies beneath; the structure that supports that behaviour in the first place is what is most concerning.

Solving the leadership challenges of the police are what my colleagues would refer to as a wicked problem, a problem with so many interdependent factors that it seems impossible to provide a solution.

A few thoughts on loving yourself first before you start thinking about loving others.

The purpose of organisational governance is to ensure practices and policies are in place to reduce conflict of interests, give clarity about the roles and responsibilities of those leading the organisation and, ultimately, be a guide for organisational decision-making on both internal and external matters.

So I write a weekly newsletter called The Coffee Shop. Here is the latest issue. Feel free to subscribe and share if it interests you.

Monday Motivation. A quick reminder on the importance of taking time out to think, as part of your daily routine

Two things
One. You don’t have to be charismatic to be a leader (but it can help).
Two. You don’t have to be an extrovert to be charismatic.

Do you need a business case for diversity?

I stopped having arguments about this a long time ago. Because, the fact is, sadly, yes, you do need a business case for diversity.

A weekly bitesize dose of positivity to get your week started

A core part of building resilience in teams and organisations is avoiding high stress and tense situations. Especially those of our own making.

This is not to say that people can say anything online and avoid consequences. But I wonder how much consideration is given to the age, experience and cultural norms of the person who said that really bad thing? After all, context is everything.

There is something quite personal around how employees hold boundaries around their core values - and how they align with company values. Today, they are assertive about the importance of workplace conversations. They are clear about what accountability should look like in their roles. Employees want to belong. You, the leader, needs to meet them halfway. And those difficult conversations, once avoidable issues are the best place to start.

It’s one thing to coach and facilitate others around how they can be inclusive and present as leaders, and another thing to see your own offspring do it right before your eyes. Even more inspiration for me to continue the work I am doing.

Photo by GR Stocks on Unsplash

As humans, we have always bounced back from wars, plagues and events that disrupt our way of living, and deep in the heart of this narrative of resilience are leaders who hope. Who recognise that while the present may be a struggle there is mileage in collectively looking forward to better days and times.