have your say: Peter Mousaferiadis | Founder and CEO | Cultural Infusion
A LEADERSHIP JOURNEY IN BUSINESS AND LIFE word ‘power’ can be substituted with a range of alternative words including ‘potential’, ‘ability’, ‘strength’, ‘vigour’, ‘realisation’, ‘recognition’, and ‘opportunity’. Recognising that each individual has their own lived experience - social movements, ethno-religious-linguistic backgrounds and worldviews, among other factors. I am forever striving to approach encounters from a non-socially normalised, non-ethnocentric, non-value-centric position. Every setting is different. The challenge of the increasingly globalised world we are finding ourselves in will require new forms of communication, forms of language that are able to overcome what sometimes seem to be incommensurate differences.
Symphonic conducting was the first style of leadership I was acquainted with, when I found myself studying it in my youth in the early 90s. The Western Classical Orchestra tradition is probably the only leadership position left in western society which will tolerate a dictatorial approach to leading.
In my case, I have found it helps to make a regular admission of vulnerability. The more I learn the more I realise I don’t know. It’s this approach that allows me the room to grow in my role every day.
Can you imagine if our Prime Minister, or any other liberal country leader, attempted to rule this way?
As with most things, language is an important aspect of leadership. Language defines and shapes our reality because it gives expression and shape to how we think. It defines how we behave towards each other, but often is unconsciously deeply interconnected to colonial history.
Suffice to say, I do not imagine it would go over well! Almost three decades on, I now know there are many more styles of leadership available to me, fortunately, with our ever-changing environment and the emergence of different waves of social justice movement. Most recent, and most notably particularly in the business world, there has been an explosion of diversity, equity and inclusion leaders. This has given leaders, from CEOs to politicians, no choice but to adopt a more adaptive and consultative leadership style than ever if they want to succeed. 58 business franchise MAGAZINE
As a leader, I find that the best ideas are those that include everyone so keeping in mind that we all start from different places and perspectives is important to creating inclusive environments which can foster innovation, growth and acceptance that all opinions are valid.
I strive daily to decolonise the language embedded in our unconscious - for example, the word ‘power’ is one I avoid. Why, you may ask? The word ‘power’ lends itself to weaponisation - the dominance of one party over another. Historically, this dynamic has led to misuse and abuse, so we prefer to use other terms to describe leadership and those working in the DEI space. Depending on the context the
The global pandemic is hurtling us ever forward and creating history at what seems to be a fast-tracked pace. I find every single one of us is surrounded not only by uncertainty, but by lightning pace change. Countless decisions are required by every individual on a daily basis - possibly the same number of decisions a contemporary adult makes daily, is as many decisions our grandparents made in a lifetime. I have adopted the daily mantra that the only sustainability is adaptability. This is the only way I find strength in change and living in the moment. How, then, do we deal with change being so constant? Social theorists hypothesise that the amount of change that will happen in the next 10 years will be more than humanity has experienced in the last 1,000 years. Change is a reality, for governments, organisations and individuals all. We have a choice - we can resist, and be left behind, or we can embrace change with positivity and enthusiasm. There is uncertainty, yes, but we need to see the opportunities opening up to us. Change is so ubiquitous that strategic plans become redundant before they are even finalised. I now like to think of life as a journey and that every moment of it is a destination. Adopting this thinking allows me to incrementally build and pivot in an appropriate way to the changes in my environment that turn up in rapid succession.
