Lady Global Power Magazine - Dr. Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes

Letter From

The Editor HAZEL HERRINGTON

MEET ETHICS AND DIVERSITY DEEP TECH LEADER DR. INGRID....

The Diversity and Inclusion within.

GLOBAL WOMAN IN BLOCK CHAIN: The Challenges of....

Breaking Down Barriers for Those with Invisible....

Meet Lisa Levy Surprise… More Disruption on the....

Joanna James

WRITTEN BY: HAZEL HERRINGTON

Article by Linda Fisk

Steps to Drive Results in a Recession.

Our world changed in 2020, COVID-19 disrupted most aspects of our business and personal lives. As leaders, we overcame,.....

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MEET DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHAMPION GAURI DAS

I strongly believe in “can be” and not “is” and when we move from is to can be, we become limitless and possibilitarian When we look at that great classmate who is amongst the top 3 always or a.....

Meet Global Power Angela Clark

Women, Diversity and Media

Why Diversity is the New Way of Doing Business in....

Everything is ‘figureout-able’!

Learning to Love Yourself is one of the most important lessons that I have learned in life. It is not about your body image or your age, it is all about your attitude towards how you live your life and most.....

Article by Toni Lontis

Cathy Dimarchos

H.E Laila Rahhal El Atfani

Article by Annie Gibbins

In this month’s issue of Lady Global Power Magazine, we discuss Global Women in Block Chain and why diversity is the new way of doing business.

We are proud to feature the Deep Tech Queen Dr Ingrid VasiliuFeltes in this month’s issue. Dr Ingrid is a CEO at Softhread and her expertise are in Deep Tech, Web 3.0 she is a Precision Health Exec, Innovator, Investor, Forbes Business Coach, Strategist, Ethicist, Globalist, Futurist, SDG Advisor & Board Certified MD, Consultant, Author and Speaker.

This issue celebrates women in technology and women who have excelled. Our focus on Women Leaders in Technology aims to inspire other young women who aspire to have careers in technology. As the number of women in leadership roles in technology increases, so does the number of young women who view technology careers as viable options. When looking at the top 100 companies by market capitalization in the United States, only 15% of them have female CEOs. While this is an improvement from 10 years ago when only 9% of the companies had female CEOs, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

We believe that by featuring inspiring women leaders in our magazine, we can help more women enter Deep Tech and block chain businesses. These businesses are rapidly growing and there is a great need for qualified women leaders. We want to provide role models for other Deep Tech businesses who are looking to hire women into leadership positions. Deep Tech is a rapidly growing industry and it is important to have qualified women leaders in order to continue its success. We believe that by featuring inspiring women leaders in our magazine, we can help Deep Tech businesses succeed and continue to grow.

Hazel Herrington

Editor-in-Chief, Lady Global Power

Thanks for helping us make a difference!

Letter From The

HAZEL HERRINGTON

Letter From The EDITOR HAZEL HERRINGTON

MEET ETHICS AND DIVERSITY DEEP TECH LEADER DR. INGRID VASILIU-FELTES

HH:.

Who is Dr. Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes?

Is a healthcare executive, futurist and globalist who is highly dedicated to digital and ethics advocacy. She is a Forbes Business Council member, digital strategist, passionate educator and entrepreneurship ecosystem builder, known as an expert speaker, board advisor and consultant. Throughout her career she has received several awards for excellence in research, teaching or leadership. She is the recipient of numerous awards most notably:

Top 10 Most Influential CEOs 2022

Top 100 Investors in 2022

World Iconic Business Woman 2022

Most Impressive Woman Leader 2022

Top 100 Global Privacy Leaders

150 Women B2B Leaders

Top 50 AI Business Influencers

WBAF World Excellence Award-Social Entrepreneurship 2021

Top 5 Global Leaders in Health Tech

Top 20 Global Leaders in Digital Twins Technologies

Top 25 Global Leaders in Quantum Technologies

Top 50 Global Ecosystem Leaders

Top 100 Visionary In Education Award 2021

Top 150 Women In Business for Privacy, Digital Transformation and Business Strategy

Top 100 Global Women in Leadership Award 2021

Top 100 World Women Vision Award 2021-Innovation & Tech

Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise 2021 ( nominee) Nations of Women Change Makers Award ( finalist)

Top 100 Healthcare Leader 2020 Award

Top 100 Finance Leader 2020 Award

Top 100 Women in Crypto 2020

Excellence In Education Award 2020 Women Leader Award 2016

Teaching Award 2010

Excellence in Research Award 2001

Additionally, she serves as an Expert Advisor to the EU Blockchain Observatory Forum, and was appointed to the Board of Advisors for several organizations.

During her academic tenure she taught several courses within the Medical School, as well as the combined MD/PhD and MD/MPH programs. Throughout her career, Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes held several leadership positions and is a member of numerous prestigious professional organisations. She holds several certifications, such as Bioethics from Harvard, Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy from MIT Sloan, Blockchain Technology and Business Innovation from MIT Sloan, Finance from

Harvard Business School, Negotiation from Harvard Law School, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes is CEO of Softhread Inc., the Founder and CEO of The Science, Entrepreneurship and Investments Institute, Founder & CEO of Revexpo Consulting and currently serving as a Country Director for WBAF USA, Senator of WBAF, Faculty Member of the WBAF Business School- Division of Entrepreneurship, and teaching the Executive MBA Business Technology Course at the UM Business School. She is also acting as the Chief Innovation Officer for the Government Blockchain Association. Most recently she served as President of Detect Genomix, Chief Quality and Safety Officer Chief and Innovation Officer for Mednax, Chief Quality and Safety Officer and Chief of Compliance for the University of Miami UHealth System.

Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes is an Honorary Advisory Board Member of several companies, entrepreneurship incubators or accelerators, as well as an Editorial Board Member for several international publications, an author, keynote speaker and TV/Media partner.

Interview by Hazel Herrington

HH: What does leadership mean to you?

In my opinion leadership is a complex concept and there is no single definition that can fully capture all nuances. In my view it is a blend of integrity, authenticity, courage, resilience, empathy and decisiveness. Furthermore, various life circumstances or social, political, cultural, religious or economic factors will influence the type of leadership required or preferred. A great leader needs to adapt to the environment, the purpose and the people in order to be successful.

I believe in a trifecta: education, skills of the future and social power dynamics. This combination has the potential to act as a catalyst and reduce the existing gender divide or inequalities.

There are thousands of publications on this topic that all highlight numerous valid reasons why it is important for women to be represented in leadership roles. In my view there are at least 3 crucial reasons.

First, a pure statistical reason as women represent 49% of the worldwide population and are integral to the global workforce. Second, they bring a unique set of values, perspectives, opinions, knowledge, skills and empathy that enriches leadership teams.

Third, it is a moral imperative. As a society we must uphold basic moral values and principles of justice and fairness.

HH: What do you think are the benefits of having more women in leadership roles? Diverse teams tend to be more creative, more efficient and have demonstrated increased ESGfocused impact and increased financial returns.

HH: Do you think that there is a need for more female leaders in today’s society? If so, why?

Absolutely. In order to change the paradigm and reconfigure the ecosystem for future generations of girls and women it is essential for them to have great women leaders to serve as their role models. This can empower them, shape their education, influence societal norms and set different career expectations.

THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION WITHIN.

A lady appeared at the classroom door and after gently knocking announced, “Jodie Simpson you’re wanted in the principal’s office”. My heart flew into my throat, I was 7 years old and I was in trouble.

The escort to the other end of the grounds was never ending. The concrete seemed to go forever and ever, the cold chilled my bones and you could cut the air with a knife. I had never been in trouble before, I was terrified.

The lady left me at the door and signalled to a brown fabric seat inside. “Come and sit down,” he said. He stood up slowly from behind the desk. His suit was brown and the room smelled of old school lunches, there was a pile of magazines beside me and behind him there were bars on the window.

“Do you know why you are here?” he asked.

“No’ I fumbled, shaking my head and trying hard not to cry.

“You’re not in trouble” he paused. I looked at him confused.

“Your mother came to see me about your worries about school, she said that you are feeling lonely?”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I was stunned, when did mum talk with him?

HH: What do you think are some ways in which we can empower more women to become leaders?

HH: Why do you think it is important for women to be represented in leadership roles?

The start of a new school had been difficult and I spent most of my lunchtimes alone. Every day I went home and cried, because I had no friends.

“Well he said not to worry come with me and we will sort this out”

I didn’t dare ask what was about to happen, but just obediently followed him back up the long corridors to the classroom where it all began. I loved my teacher, she was so sweet, kind hearted and she smiled at me as if to say “ it will be ok don’t worry” I was petrified.

At the front of the room I could see all eyes upon me. The dialogue in my mind had the volume dial turned right up. I could hardly raise my eyes - I couldn’t bring myself to look at anyone.

“Does everybody here know who Jodie is?” he asked, the kids began to nod their heads. “Well Jodie has been sad as she feels she doesn’t have any friends” a very long pause was excruciating.

“ You’d all agree that Jodie is a nice girl don’t you? `Long pause again, slowly heads started bobbing up and down as he began to move his head. “Well I’d like you all to make an effort to be Jodie’s friend” he nodded his head again. ``Who here will do that for me?” slowly the kids around me nodded and agreed. “ Great” and just like that he gestured for me to sit down.

The plastic chairs were never comfortable but in that moment I was so relieved not to have all the eyes in the room on me. I wasn’t sure what to make of that excruciating moment, I was humiliated and relieved at the same time and thankful it was over. The teacher moved to the front room and she carried on with her lesson. I could not make sense of my conflicting feelings. What happened next was amazing. The bell rang and as per usual it was lunchtime. I stood up to walk out although this time I had a swarm of people around me asking to sit and eat lunch with me. Could it really be that it was that easy? The kids liked me now because the principal had asked them to include me? I couldn’t make any sense of my feelings. Why did they include me now? I was exactly the same person, nothing had changed, and yet everything had.

That was the moment I made a life decision - no matter what occurred in life I would always be inclusive. I knew first hand the pain of being excluded, how it felt to be the outcast on the fringe.

Just like the mix of emotions I felt that day Diversity and Inclusion are often seen as two sides of the same coin. I’d like to suggest that it’s important in life and in Business to consciously separate them as they each play a role on their own. Inside and outside our work we often overlook how we can be more inclusive, even within situations that do not display diversity at all.

I have found over my many years in business that being appreciated and feeling a part of something is a fundamental need for every person working within a company. I have also seen that the better a leader’s ability to create opportunity for inclusion the more effective their results. Typically their ability to deliver this has a direct proportion of their ability to integrate and include all parts of themselves. People tend to think of inclusion as being an external thing, where we bring other people in, however this is only possible when we start from within.

The first step towards becoming more inclusive needs to be questions about yourself.

Here are a few questions to ask in what way could I be more inclusive of myself?

1. What personality characteristics do I regularly hide from others?

2. What natural qualities do I reject about myself?

3. What natural strengths am I not using to my full advantage?

4. Do I listen to my intuition as effectively as I can?

5. What decisions have I made that I regret in some way?

The process of self enquiry helps us to see how we are excluding parts of ourselves, creating a new lens to see how we may inadvertently be doing the same to others externally.

Likewise Diversity operates on many levels beyond the obvious ones of: gender, race, nationality, religion, age and experience. Diversity also includes diversity of thought, varying personality types, different learning styles and experience.Creating diversity in teams requires looking at things from a diverse range of perspectives. Just like a kaleidoscope the unique combination creates a stand alone pattern of its own. This pattern is the sum combination of all the diverse aspects of varieties within a company. To me the beauty stems from a deep diversity of thinking and life experience within a team, this naturally creates products, services and ways of doing business that operate outside of the norm.

After all, business is about finding the sweet spot and delivering with excellence, this requires a deep appreciation of how to combine the differences and deliver consistently. Just as is the case with inclusion, everything in life is an inside job, and you have an opportunity now to review the diverse aspects of yourself. This process will assist you in becoming an example of a person who appreciates the diversity within yourself. Embarking on this process affords the opportunity for you to do the same externally.

1. Name two behaviours that are on opposite ends of a spectrum that you can alternate between? (ie you can be both courageous and cautious in different situations, or you can be conservative with spending, but extravagant with giving)

2. What is different about my life experience to other people fulfilling similar roles and responsibilities?

3. How do I combine my abilities in a way that is truly unique to me?

4. How do I combine my personal skills with my professional ones?

5. Am I able to create synergy with others by contributing in a complimentary way without losing my ability to hold a differing position?

I recall in my younger years just how uncomfortable it was for me to be in a place where a vast difference of opinion was expressed. The many times I could cut the air thick with tension and that often deep sinking feeling of “ oh no, so and so has really rocked the boat”. I often found myself playing the role of the peace keeper, jumping in to bring a better understanding amongst the parties. Somehow it just felt uncomfortable when people couldn’t understand each other. It wasn’t until well into my 40’s that I realised that diversity of opinion is entirely different to diversity of thinking.

For much of my life I struggled, being a jill of all trades and a master of none. I often questioned what was the true contribution that I was even making. I envied those around me who appeared to have clarity, had I somehow missed out on my speciality, my niche, my expertise? As all sudden insights do, it hit me one day, variety was my masterskill and this is exactly what I used everyday to create a difference in the lives of others too.

The good, bad, the ugly and everything in between I was starting to collect all the separated parts of me, and reclaim the woman I truly wanted to be. It was time to live the ultimate diversity and include all aspects of me equally, for the first time in a long time I felt authentic at my core. When you take the time to review Inclusion and Diversity within yourself you will be able to integrate them separately and together as a leader in your business world.

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are a few questions to ask that may assist you to appreciate more fully the diversity of your own life experience?

WRITTEN BY: HAZEL HERRINGTON

GLOBAL WOMAN IN BLOCK CHAIN: The Challenges of Women in Blockchain

By 2020, it is predicted that blockchain will be a $20 billion industry. But despite the growth potential, women remain significantly underrepresented in the blockchain space.

The challenges for women in the blockchain industry are many. However, women experts in this field have paved the way for others to follow and there are ways to get into this exciting industry.

One challenge facing women in the blockchain industry is a lack of access to capital. According to a study by RefToken, only 6 percent of blockchain companies have a female founder and they receive only 2.5 percent of all venture capital. This is likely due to the fact that many people in the industry are still sceptical of the technology and its ability to scale.

Another challenge is a lack of female role models. With few women in leadership positions, it can be difficult for young girls to see themselves in these roles. This can lead to a lack of confidence and interest in pursuing careers in blockchain technology.

However, there are also many positives for women in the blockchain industry. First, the community is very welcoming and supportive of newcomers. There are many online forums and groups where women can ask questions and get help from more experienced members.

Second, the technology is still in its early stages and there are many opportunities for growth. Women have an advantage in this industry because they are seen as being more risk-averse and better at building relationships and networks. These skills will be essential as the industry continues to grow.

Finally, blockchain technology has the potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as gender inequality and access to education and health care. Women have a unique perspective that can help solve these problems and they should not be afraid to enter the blockchain industry.

However, there are plenty of women who are experts in this field. For example, Elizabeth Rossiello is the CEO of BitPesa, a blockchain company that provides payment solutions for frontier markets. She has over 10 years of experience working in emerging markets and has been recognised as one of the most influential women in payments.

There are also many ways for women to get involved in the blockchain industry. For example, they can participate in online forums and chat rooms, attend meetups and networking events, or read whitepapers and case studies. By getting involved in the community and learning as much as possible about this technology, women can overcome the challenges that they face and become successful players in the blockchain space.

Breaking Down Barriers for Those with Invisible Disabilities

iversity definitions have now expanded to include less visible characteristics like parental status or religion. But, today, leaders are not only focused on embracing the strengths of a diverse workforce, but they are incorporating inclusion strategies as well, clearly demonstrating their drive and commitment to engage the unique qualities and abilities that every single employee can bring to a job.

And, while definitions of diversity in the workplace have now expanded to include religious beliefs, sexual orientation and even parental status, whichare not visible differences, it’s important to highlight that about 1 in 10 people live with an invisible disability. And, many times, those invisible disabilities can impair the ability to work under normal conditions, or participate in social activities at work. People with invisible disabilities can have dramatic limitations on typical work activities – and can be difficult for co-workers to acknowledge, recognize and understand the disability.

Of course, it is the right of the individual to disclose their disability or not to their employer.

Due to the social stigma directed at people with disabilities, within the workplace and outside of the workplace, some employees with an invisible disability choose not to disclose their diagnosis. In fact, a recent study found that 88% of people with an invisible disability had negative views of disclosing their disability to employers, of a fear of being labelled. Invisible disabilities can range from epilepsy to dyslexia, and hearing and vision impairment to chronic pain, PTSD to autoimmune compromise and diabetes, and mobility impairments to anxiety and depression. In the United States, 96% of people with chronic medical conditions show no outward signs of their illness. About a quarter of those with some sort of chronic medical condition have activity limitations, ranging from mild to severe. In the time of COVID, the incidence of invisible disabilities are certain to grow as people confront an increasing number of physical and mental health issues.

as abilities, qualities and characteristics. But, a lack of sensitivity to another’s disability, especially an invisible disability, can create misunderstandings, resentments and frustration, worsening the situation. Co-workers may consider someone with an invisible disability to be lazy, weak, antisocial, incompetent, aloof or distant.

Those suffering from invisible disabilities should be offered the same considerations and protections as all other disabilities – and no person should be discriminated against because of disability, whether it is hidden or visible. As leading employers recommit to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, invisible disabilities should be identified, discussed and considered.

When an employer focuses on individual abilities, and provides a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, teams flourish, employee loyalty soars and performance skyrockets.

Inclusivity breeds employee support, builds morale and nurtures employee loyalty - even down through line operations where the message can still too often get lost. By focusing on individual abilities, and rewarding exceptional performance, the company can engender the sense of fairness and just rewards that diversity and inclusion was always meant to instil. Smart leaders will take hidden disabilities into consideration, re-configure diversity and inclusion programs to meet the needs of all, and become sensitive to the growing population suffering from invisible disabilities. Many of those who have seemingly recovered from Covid-19 are expected to face chronic health problems for the rest of their lives. Savvy leaders will rethink their diversity and inclusion programs to include invisible disabilities, giving those suffering appropriate accommodations and a safe place to disclose their unique disability.

Today, one of the single best indicators of an exceptional work environment is a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. When it’s clear that an employer values every individual’s contribution, and all employees are provided every chance to succeed, you’ll find a more engaged, committed, loyal and highperforming workforce. When an employer focuses on individual abilities, and rewards exceptional performance, the employees have the assurance of fairness and equity that diversity and inclusion initiatives were always meant to inspire.

It’s important to note that if a person has a disability, that does not mean they are disabled. Many living with invisible disabilities are still fully active in their work, families, sports or hobbies.

Some with disabilities can work full or part-time, but may struggle to get through their day. Others may need assistance, and may have difficulty with daily activities which would make it difficult to maintain gainful or substantial employment due to their disability. Everyone with a disability is unique, with varying challenges and needs, as well

Your diversity model can set you apart – and offers a significant recruitment edge for your company. Your organisation can cultivate a reputation as offering a fair and equal playing field when it comes to career opportunities. That message provides a sustainable competitive advantage for your company – and it breeds industry excellence. It motivates every kind of talent in your business, supports external relationships with vendors and customers, and it enhances your competitive position in the industry.

Your commitment to diversity and inclusion can provide a sustainable competitive advantage for your company – motivating every kind of talent in your business. Now more than ever, it defines the kind of corporate culture that we want to shape and cultivate in the next century.

Article by Linda Fisk

Meet Lisa Levy

Surprise… More Disruption on the Horizon!

Our world changed in 2020, COVID-19 disrupted most aspects of our business and personal lives. As leaders, we overcame, adapted, and reconsidered everything; in many cases we found ways to thrive. Some of us managed to re-write the rule books.

We also know, there are many managers who do extraordinarily well when things are going well who are unable to pivot. They are now desperately reverting to the way they’ve always run business. This is frightening, as we prepare for the next possible downturn… recession!

This is the time to apply the lessons we learned in the past two years! We know what works and what doesn’t, and we must resist old recommendations; even the ones that feel comfortable and safe.

It is time to reinforce the positive changes and fight the tendency to go back to the old way. Reinforcing the changes is critical to long term success. We know how to lead with agility, challenge the status quo and make positive impacts. Do this, and you will keep everyone aligned to drive results for your business.

Building An Innovation Engine to Drive Value NOW!

It’s time to ask some pointed questions: What do our customers need? How can we help them solve their problems? Do our customers find value in our products and/or services? Are they raving fans? If you don’t have the answers to these questions, go out and ask your customers!

Charter a team to solve their problems. Create an innovation engine and encourage ridiculous or bizarre ideas, which opens the door for genius. Remove all perceived constraints and honour out-of-the-box thinking. This is a time to act BIG. Assemble a gigantic collection of ideas. Do not overthink or limit creativity. Simply, get them out of everyone’s head and onto paper.

By stimulating innovative or design thinking, you will develop remarkable patterns and the momentum to make positive impressions. Reevaluate your underlying principles and work, from the outside in. Listen to the voice of your customers. Design for what your customers need, not how you do the work.

Play with conference room prototypes to tease out the nuances of the new ideas. Design simple prototypes. A quick sketch on a white board will get the job done. Keep the focus on driving value for your customers. Some ideas will warrant a deeper dive and others will fade away. This is how the innovation engine works. Choose the best ideas to move forward and mitigate risk.

Steps to Drive Results in a Recession.

It’s time to make some ideas real. Plan how to bring them to market. Use an agile approach. Iterating allows you to create value over time and establishes a foundation for continuous improvement. Everything is an experiment and a work in progress. This approach keeps the focus on learning and removes failure from the equation. Acknowledge we learn more from unexpected results than success! Empower you team to want to do more. When everything is an experiment, anything is possible. The purpose is not to actualize perfection but to continuously improve and deliver value. Nurturing an innovation engine positions your business to respond to disruption.

Facing Uncertainty and Achieving NEAR-TERM Results!

Knowing how to navigate uncertainty sets the stage for any business to deal with disruption. It means embrace change, walk away from the outdated business models, and maintain a laser focus on your customers. Smart change makes a huge impact. Now, more than ever before, your actions need to be clear and meaningful. The innovation engine sets you on a path, now it is time to execute with precision. This is the time to formalise a plan, leverage your processes and do work on purpose; shooting from the hip will not get the job done well. This is the time to ensure people, processes and technology are aligned to run the business. The foundational elements for success are BEST practices; leveraged across all business functions to achieve compelling outcomes by combining strengths in unique ways. The key components are Project Management, Process Performance Management, Internal Controls, and Organizational Change Management.

Creating Accountability Based Culture, aka Producing LONG-TERM Value!

Creating long-term results stems from clear alignment across all levels of the organisation. Teams working together toward results pave the way to long-lived success. Consider a Rubik’s Cube as a visualisation of a performing business. The solved puzzle represents our business in its best form. Each side is designed on purpose to drive the business forward.

The white side is the strategy. It represents the BIG vision sets the stage for everything our teams will do. Everyone understands the goals and objectives. They know their role in driving progress forward. The organisation is aligned.

The red side are our teams or business functions. Their team members know their roles and responsibilities. Everyone understands the capabilities needed to be successful in those roles and for those teams. Within these roles, we also understand who the decisionmakers are and where to go to resolve issues. Communicating unified expectations is paramount to positive and powerful leadership.

The blue side demonstrates the operational policies, processes, and procedures. Team members know the operational risks have been discussed and understood and that we are on the road to improving productivity and efficiency! Everyone clearly understands everything is an experiment. Unexpected results are addressed with open communication and collaboration. People speak up and raise concerns and solve the problems or determine it’s time to walk away from the experiment.

The green side signifies our customers. Keeping our customers at the centre of our universe is critical to success. We must understand who they are and what they want, as well as if they are getting what they want and need—which may not be the same thing. Continuously aligning with the voice of the customer, will ensure that strategic goals are delivering value.

The orange side of the cube represents the commitment to organisational change; the part that builds in the willingness for people to embrace change. Employees must understand that what the business does today, as awesome as it may be, will not be the same a year or two years from now.

An accountability-based culture removes blame from the conversation and focuses on delivering positive outcomes and learning from unexpected ones.

The yellow side is our technology systems. They are designed to enable our people and processes. They are evaluated, monitored, and updated as needed to support the needs of the business to deliver value to our customers.

Moving Forward…

The pandemic disruption caught us by surprise, but it provided a chance to respond and develop our ability to adapt. Lesser managers are still hoping for a return to pre-disruption business as usual. They failed to learn anything! Uncertainty is constant, it always is. We were forced to remove our blinders. Right now, we have an opportunity to take the lead, build a stronger business, and make a difference for our customers. Regardless of what lies ahead, it is possible to position yourself for success.

Why Diversity is the New Way of Doing Business in Technology

H.E Laila Rahhal El Atfani President & Founder of Business Gate

WHY DIVERSITY IS THE NEW WAY OF DOING BUSINESS IN TECHNOLOGY

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to promote diversity in all workplaces, but especially in the technology sector. This is because the industry has long been dominated by white males, and women and other minorities have often been excluded from leadership positions.

There are several reasons why diversity is important in the tech industry. For one, it can help to create products and services that are more inclusive of all users. Additionally, a more diverse workforce can bring different perspectives and skill sets to the table, which can lead to more innovative solutions.

There are several ways to promote diversity in the tech industry. One is to increase the number of women and minority employees at all levels of an organization. Another is to create mentorship and networking programs to help women and minorities advance in their careers. Additionally, companies can provide training on unconscious bias and create policies that promote diversity.

Technology companies that embrace diversity will be better positioned to succeed in the future. A more diverse workforce can bring new perspectives and ideas to the table, which can lead to more innovative products and services. In addition, customers will increasingly expect companies to reflect their values, and those that fail to do so may lose business. Promoting diversity can help attract and retain top talent, as women and minorities are increasingly seeking out workplaces that are inclusive and supportive.

Women leaders in technology are increasingly championing diversity as the new way of doing business. In a male-dominated industry, they are recognizing the importance of creating an inclusive environment that embraces different perspectives and backgrounds. By doing so, they are opening up new opportunities for innovation and creativity.

In a rapidly changing world, technology companies need to be agile and adaptable to survive. Women leaders who embrace diversity are helping to position their companies for success in the future. As the UAE and Australia move towards becoming leading hubs for deep tech, they are setting the stage for a more diverse and inclusive tech industry. Women leaders who embrace diversity are at the forefront of this shift, and they are poised to lead the way in the years to come.

Everything is ‘figure-out-able’!

One of the biggest lessons I have learnt in business is to be prepared to perform a u-turn at any moment. It’s very easy, and understandable when inspired by a new venture, to fixate on the solid, hard route to the brand we want. Whilst being focused, and crystal clear with your business is necessary; to stay on-point and authentically committed, switching up your concept is the versatility that business thrives on.

In my experience, rigidity stunts creation. Being hell-bent on the perfect outcome is one thing being hell-bent on the perfect outcome with negative results is another. As a mother of five beautiful children, shifting mindsets daily was a much-needed skill. Nothing goes to plan as a mother. Playdates change, children get sick, meetings get cancelled, and routine is nothing more than a distant memory. Of course, mealtimes, bedtimes, and the health of my children was a priority, but absolutely everything outside of these parameters was open to change. Oddly, as humans we always crave change, however when the option to manoeuvre to a different pathway presents itself, we fear the unknown.

I consider myself lucky because I am a self-confessed curiosity thrill-seeker. I love learning, troubleshooting, and finding different ways to improve a finished product. Curiosity is everything. It allows us to explore new technology, expand our networks, and discover different ways to do things better.

Curiosity also led me on a path to education, despite raising two sets of twins just 26 months apart. With the arrival of my fifth bonus baby, gaining an education seemed like a crazy prospect. However, I saw something in myself that many did not. Family and friends for much of my younger years, didn’t believe I had the aptitude for business. However, as I have often shared in articles and keynote speeches, juggling babies and million-dollar budgets are not that different.

Sure, education and intellect play a pivotal and necessary part in success. However, with an inquisitive mind, I was thirsty to learn. Year after year, course after course, degree after degree, I was challenging myself in ways I thought were never possible. If there was a role I wanted, I went for it. If there was a deal to be made, I pitched it. If there were lucrative incomes to stream, I would find it. Combining academia with passion, makes for a very successful leader.

So, what happens when our dreaded fear, ‘Imposter Syndrome’, comes knocking at your door. Even the most senior leaders, inventors, innovators, and pioneers are not exempt from self-doubt. However, the key ingredient to their success is versatility. They are open to failure and will share how their best ideas came crashing down. To learn, we must fail. In fact, innovation is nothing without failure.

One of the primary things that ѕtорѕ реорlе from expanding their соmfоrt zone and bесоming more successful is their fear of failure and more importantly, fear of rеjесtiоn. The only wау to fail is the mindset you apply. Is it a failure, or is it an opportunity to understand what hasn’t worked? No-one bеѕidеѕ уоu can say whether you’re a failure or not. Suссеѕѕful реорlе make their own definitions аbоut ѕuссеѕѕ and failure, and that’s the beauty about freedom of thought. What if уоur new definition of ѕuссеѕѕ was giving it уоur all and learning something from the situation? And, what if уоu decided the only wау уоu соuld declare yourself a failure wаѕ if уоu gave up and didn’t try something else or change уоur approach. Whatever уоur rulеѕ are, define your definition of success, before anything else.

One of my favourite quotes regarding failure comes from the incredible Brené Brown: “Talk about your

failures without apologising”. This quote is about accepting the fact that you will experience failures, and this is not something about which you need to apologise. Everyone will fail at some point, and you should not feel ashamed. Mistakes and failures are both important parts of the learning curves of life and business.

When I became a CEO the first time, I was determined to stay firmly on point. With all the eyes and ears of my Board and employees on me, I was determined to do everything ‘the right way’. Over the coming years I learnt there is no right way, there are many ways and the best way is what brings out your unique style and skill set. Since founding The Women’s Business Incubator and The Women’s Business Tribe, I don’t wait around to switch up my tactics if something needs tweaking. This strength is iron-clad in flexible thinking.

When people ask me, ‘what advice would you give a person starting out in business’, I will always advise entrepreneurs to focus on the goal and then work backwards from there.This can feel unnatural and back-to-front at first. However, setting out tasks will not guarantee the outcome and instead, the brand becomes foggy and confused. Knowing your mission and travelling back through the workflow, not only exposes new possibilities, but challenges you to believe and back your brand.

Always ask yourself, is there a better way?

At one of my recent events, I coined the term ‘everything is ‘figure-out-able’. I know this sounds overly simplistic but it’s incredibly true. Have you ever stood at an airport or bustling train station, to look up at the departures board to read that your flight or train has been cancelled? At that moment, we panic, fuss, and fear how we are going to get from ‘A to B’. In these moments, we don’t just resign ourselves that we won’t make it home. We activate the need to solve, adapt, and resolve. When we plan for a big meeting, and then our children get unexpectedly sick, we don’t leave them at home and hope for the best. Instead, we prioritise, reschedule, and create a different way to address our needs.

So, success really is no different.

Business is no different.

If we are not making the income we need, or if our Ads aren’t driving the impressions we hoped for, we don’t close our website and shut our digital doors. Our best response is to move forward, remedy negative results and prepare to switch-up your success model, whenever required.

Article by Annie Gibbins

Women, Diversity and Media

In 11 out of 12 markets, the majority of top editors are men, including in countries where women outnumber men among working journalists. No market in this sample has a majority of women top editors this year.

The percentage of women in top editorial positions varies significantly from market to market, from 7% in Brazil to 50% in the US”

Article by Toni Lontis

Around the world, where media, in all its forms, is the most likely way people engage with content, watch, read and listen to stories and news, women are far less likely than men to be seen. Women, as the subjects of stories, only appear in a quarter of television, radio, and print news. In a 2015 report, women made up a mere 19% of experts featured in news stories and 37% of reporters telling stories globally.

By 2022 according to a Reuters Institute, the statistics only changed slightly. The gender breakdown reflected in the top editors of 240 major online and offline news outlets in 12 different markets, across five continents, looked at 10 top online news outlets and 10 offline news outlets were as follows:

“Only 21% of the 179 top editors across the 240 brands covered are women, despite the fact that, on average, 40% of journalists in the 12 markets are women. Last year, the topline figure was 22% across the same markets.

Among the 51 new top editors appointed across the brands covered, 23% are women. In some countries (Spain, the UK, and the US), half or more of new top editors appointed in the last year are women, but in many others few or none are.

When we compare the percentage of women working in journalism with the percentage of women in top editorial positions, we find a weak positive correlation. Despite this, in 11 out of 12 markets, there are considerably more men working as journalists than there are women among the top editors.”

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/women-andleadership-news-media-2022-evidence-12-markets

Similar and disheartening statistics continue across Hollywood with the directors nominated for Golden Globe Awards, Academy Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, and Critics’ Choice Awards 20082022:

- 325 nominations were presented, of which 91.1% were given to male directors and 8.9% were given to female directors.

- Nine women accounted for the 29 nominations and only 3 women directors from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds received awards recognition.

The Academy Awards and the DGA Awards were the least likely to recognise women. The Golden Globes featured 10.5% women directors while the Critics’ Choice Awards gave 10.4% of its nominations to women.

Across all 4 award shows, 19.4% of nominations went to underrepresented minorities, whereas 80.6% were awarded to others.”

https://womenandhollywood.com/resources/ statistics/2022-statistics/

Looking more broadly at gender inequality in society and the percentage of women in top editorial positions, we find no meaningful correlation. Countries that score well on the UN Gender Inequality Index, such as Finland and Spain, have relatively few women among the top editors. There is notable variation in the number of people who get news from outlets with a female top editor. The percentage of online news users in each market who say they get news from one or more major outlets with a woman as the top editor (whether offline or online) ranges from, at the high end, 81% in Kenya and 80% in South Africa to, at the low end, 24% in Brazil and 5% in Japan.”

Only 27 percent of C-suite positions in media and entertainment are held by women. We found similar patterns when we took a closer look at one segment of media and entertainment in particular: the news media (see sidebar, “Women in news organisations”).

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technologymedia-and-telecommunications/our-insights/ shattering-the-glass-screen

We know that a gender-imbalance, underpinned by the underrepresentation of women in media – across all genres and roles – can lead to the perpetuation of harmful gender stereotypes. It is clear that the media must change how it reflects the world – but who can change media itself? Well we as women can firstly!

Understanding the need for greater diversity in media to change the perspectives of the global community is important. The desire to have women show up in an authentic and real way in the media has seen the slow rise of independent networks, channels and other types of media content that is not only led by women, but supported by women. This movement has been a driver for the foundation of Everyday Women’s Network a globally syndicated TV streaming, video on demand, multifaceted media platform. Everyday Women’s Network is led by women supported by women producing feminine inspired content.

One way to make diversity a priority in the media is to start with ourselves, as women. Examining our own assumptions and biases makes us aware of what we may be perpetuating. One of the keys to this shift in thinking is to frame the thought from “things should be different” to asking “what can I do differently”. It’s a simple distinction that can have a profound ripple effect across the globe. Diversity in the media starts with each of us taking the time to learn and grow. A change in our viewing and reading habits can have an impact. When we do that, we open up the possibility for real change in the world and more specifically in the media. What are we watching, what are we reading, how are women represented and are we supporting women? Then speaking up where we are not happy with what we have seen and how women are represented and respected.

Diversity in media is not a static goal. We need to continue striving for better, be doing more to foster a more diverse and inclusive world and better representation of women in the media. Thankfully we are starting to see more and more women in positions of power and with that power comes change and responsibilities of managing ongoing change. Diversity in media is becoming more important than ever before. Be part of the change!

Meet Global Power Angela Clark

Learning to Love Yourself is one of the most important lessons that I have learned in life. It is not about your body image or your age, it is all about your attitude towards how you live your life and most importantly doing the things that make you happy. I am a simple woman at heart, devoted to my family, supporting my sons in their careers and caring for my elderly mother. I love spending special time with my grandson watching him grow and develop into a caring young man. Yes, I still do all those domestic goddess duties of cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing however I have also recognised the importance of having some “Special Just For Me Time”.

The World of Fashion is a very tough and competitive industry to work in and you really have to back yourself to push past the fear of rejection or being told that you are just too old for this kind of work. I learnt how to turn these obstacles into challenges and I faced them head-on. I decided that I would be brave and bold as well as determined and committed to Believing in Myself. Thanks to the support of my family and friends I have been able to enjoy continued success locally and internationally as a Fashion Model. I love exploring more creative and innovative ways to continue to develop my career goals and aspirations working with others in the World of Fashion.

Iproudly embrace my Armenian Russian heritage and like to express the sophisticated style and elegance of my culture in my work. I enjoy the diversity of the life of my people in the country and in the city as well as our world-renowned classical music, ballets, the arts and architecture. My journey has not been and is not an easy one. I have had to work very hard to overcome many challenges including relocating to Australia, learning a new language and creating a lifestyle that enables me to focus on my family, helping others to build their businesses and their financial freedom and success. I have already achieved what many believed was an impossible dream of becoming an International Fashion Model and realised very early on that to achieve this dream I needed to develop greater self-confidence to engage with others in the industry while remaining authentic to who I am as a person in everything that I do.

Taking good care of my physical, emotional and mental health has also been paramount in embracing the many changes in my life. I want to be a role model and inspire all women both young and old that your body is your temple and we need to nurture and cherish it every single day. My strength is that I learnt how to Believe in Myself and that I could manifest my dreams into reality. I love working with others to show them how they can achieve this for themselves as well.

MEET DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHAMPION

GAURI DAS

I strongly believe in “can be” and not “is” and when we move from is to can be, we become limitless and possibilitarian When we look at that great classmate who is amongst the top 3 always or a colleague who has a career graph as a high performer, the first thought is that no matter what we do, we won’t be there since their talent is innate. They were born with talent and there is no way we can become like that. With this, we get busy with our usual life knowing these things are beyond our locus of control.

What if I tell you that research has proved that it is not talent but hard work grit and mindset that decides high performance in any field.

Yes, Benjamin Bloom, a professor of education at the University of Chicago conducted a study to understand if talent was innate. He and his team Interviewed 120 Artists, Athletes and Scholars who were at the top of their game to find out what is the Key to Success. The study found that it is drive and determination and not inborn talent that ensures extraordinary performances and success. Subsequent research indicating that there’s no correlation between IQ and expert performance in fields like chess, music, sports, and medicine has borne out his findings. The sole innate differences that prove to be significant— and they matter primarily in sports—are height and body size.

How is it that some people are able to pull through years of practice in order to ace that performance while others are simply unable to practise even for a few hours. After all, it takes hours of deliberate practice to master a skill.

The difference lies in mindset. Fixed mindset or growth mindset.

In a famous study of hundreds of adolescent students, Dr Carol Dweck and her colleagues assigned all students ten fairly challenging problems. As planned students were then praised for their good performance with two different types of praise: either stating you have got so many right answers. That’s a really good score which means you are really smart. Others were told you have got so many answers right, you must have really worked hard for this. That’s a good score.One category was praise for ability and another one for effort.

Post this students were assigned harder problems. Most of the students didn’t do so well on these. The students who were praised for their ability led to thoughts that they weren’t so smart or gifted. While for students praised for efforts, this was an ask for increasing efforts. They did not think of it as a failure or lack of intellect.

The study also indicated that all kids enjoyed it when questions were easy and they got the answers right but as soon as the questions got more challenging, the ability-praised kids were devoid of all fun but the other ones not only enjoyed the challenge but also had more fun. Their performance improved as problems got harder.

Next, the researchers asked the kids to write to their peers about their experiences and scores. Forty percent of the kids who were praised for ability lied about their scores and tried looking more successful by reporting higher scores.

This study revealed multiple aspects of mindset.

Students with fixed mindsets rejected a challenging new task when they were given a choice. They tried not to expose their flaws by attempting something difficult

When they got good scores, they felt talented or intelligent, they felt deficient when unable to solve difficult problems

Students with fixed mindsets lied about their scores since they would look imperfect with low scores and that’s not acceptable

This study was done on students but I have observed it with my colleagues at work, friends, family members and even noticed I behave this way sometimes. This stems from the belief that talent is limited and we should always look smart. Saying “I didn’t participate in the race else I would have won” when I know I don’t have the skills and practice to win the race is an example of a fixed mindset. While I avoided failure by not participating, I actually lost a growth opportunity where I could move beyond my comfort zone and learn something new.

Dictionary definition of “mindset” is “the established set of attitudes held by someone.” It is our mindset that determines whether we are bogged down by challenges or take them as opportunities.

Society plays an important role in shaping our mindset. We are always told the smartest one wins and hence we consume ourselves in looking smart and better than others and avoid mistakes. This leads to a fixed mindset. With this mindset, we just try to prove ourselves right and don’t learn from our mistakes and setbacks, rather we avoid anything where we may fail. According to Dr Carol Dweck, people who believe their talents can be developed through continuous efforts, feedback and other strategies, have a growth mindset. These individuals achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset. Fixed mindset people believe that talents are natural gifts and hence can’t be increased. People with a growth mindset do better since they don’t worry about looking smart but work on learning and hence, they create more possibilities.

1 Focus on self-awareness –

Awareness is the first step towards change/ When we know our thoughts, actions, behaviours etc, we are better placed to analyse and make changes and hence the movement towards a growth mindset has to commence from high self-awareness. With self-awareness, self-acceptance is the next important step. As our understanding of self increases, we need to improve self-love and self-acceptance as well. Thinking no one is perfect and life is a work in progress.

To improve self-awareness, I rely on feedback and reflections. Reflections from both mistakes and successes. Reflection from success helps me strengthen my strengths further and reflection from mistakes help me understand things to avoid.

2 Create a new belief –

mindset is all about beliefs that we hold. If we think we are limited by the gifts we got at birth we will not use deliberate practice to improve but if we think otherwise, we will continuously work towards improvement. This reminds me of one of my colleagues who was a poor listener. Being eldest amongst 7 siblings his belief was that he needs to guide everyone and hence he will continuously speak. What opened his eyes and ears was a coaching session where he realised that this was an incorrect belief and at the workplace, all have their own experiences and he is not like a father figure but a colleague. This led to change and he started paying attention to others.

3 Look at failure differently –

the thought process that failure comes to those who are not capable stops us from venturing into unknowns and learning from there. In the process, we lose opportunities to learn and make progress. With a growth mindset, failure is an opportunity and essential part of learning and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

4 Be comfortable out of your comfort zone –

when we settle into a comfort zone, we do not want to move beyond since change from this zone to growth or learning zone is extremely uncomfortable. However, sticking with a comfort zone is a sign of a fixed mindset. Learning a new skill, working on a project beyond your regular work etc. is an example of moving beyond your comfort zone. I recently took up gardening. Loads of additional work and no skills. Multiple attempts in the beginning did not yield desired results. But now I am glad to be taking this up. It taught me many lessons on patience, hard work, connecting with nature etc.

Now that we understand the importance of a growth mindset, let us explore if it is possible to have one. Though not easy, it is possible to move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset

5 Rely on the power of NOT YET –

A high school in Chicago does things differently. If students do not pass a course they get the grade “Not Yet”. This indicates that they were not ready yet but can soon be there and they are on the learning curve. And this leads to a growth mindset. These terms were developed by Psychologist Dr Carol Dweck. Not yet leads to the future. It gives a purpose to strive for and also indicates that the task at hand is not impossible. A good example of Not Yet can be a feedback process where feedback is given on a scale so if you were at 3 in a particular skill, where have you reached after 6 months? Is it 4 or 5 or 6 ? This indicates you are on the growth trajectory and if you targeted a 9, you have hope and the possibility of reaching there since you are making progress in the right direction.

6 Convert hollow praise to objective criticism –

As Peter Drucker says, Feedback is breakfast for champions. Likewise to champion a growth mindset, one has to rely on feedback. However, the feedback should not be a heap of praise on what you are great at but it should offer you a path to improve. It should help your understanding with blind spots and increase overall self-awareness. Feedback should be sought on specific behaviours to improve. For example, when I started my journey as a professional speaker, I would ask my mentors for specific feedback on my pitch since I had a tendency of high pitch. Or when the world became virtual I asked for specific feedback on my screen presence. How I could make it better and what was working or not working for me.

I am concluding with this story of Gunder Hägg. Gunder Hägg was a Swedish runner and broke multiple world records in the 1940s. Hägg had grown up with his father in an isolated part of northern Sweden. As a teenager, he loved running in the woods. He and his father thought of measuring how fast he could run. They mapped out a course of around 1,500 metres long and his father timed the clock for him.

Once the run was over his father told him that he completed it in four minutes and 50 seconds. This was good timing. As he would later recall in his autobiography, Hägg was inspired by his performance to believe that he was great at it and started working on it with determination. He became one of the world’s leading runners and broke 15 world records during his career.

Many years later, his father confessed to lying. Hagg actually took five minutes, 50 seconds. One minute more than what his father mentioned. This was nothing great. As we now understand, Hägg didn’t have exceptional talent when he started and his growth mindset helped him achieve exceptional results.

We all know that the inclusion of Diversity in all areas of our life is important to ensure success, but do we truly understand the impact this has in life and in business?

Being a more inclusive leader means that we are first prepared to understand how we ourselves contribute to these situations and allow ourselves to check in and better understand our own triggers so that we might learn and change as we continue to grow and be challenged.

I often find myself “checking in” with myself to see what has triggered me and why, and this process enables me to challenge my thought process and my beliefs. It is a way I begin to better understand myself, knowing I still have much to learn.

“Diversity and inclusion is not a stand-alone function and can be embedded in everything we doGlobal Award winning business advisor

Cathy Dimarchos”.

2. Know the difference between diversity and inclusion

Often these two words are used intangibly so I continue to explore this to allow us to better understand the difference between the two terms. I see “Diversity” by definition to mean “difference”. It is possible to have diversity at any given time and it is seldom something we can control. It means the things which make each of us diverse are often beyond our control like ethnicity, our age, gender etc.

However, it is the inclusion practice that needs more focus with because no matter how diverse your people are, if those voices aren’t heard it defeats the purpose. Being conscious of the voices that are missing is the key to making things work and inclusive. In simple terms, diversity is the combination of people and differences, and inclusion is enabling the combination to have a voice and to be heard.

When combined and acted upon it can boost the culture of any organisation, and team or group, as it increases productivity, innovation and financial outcomes.

As leaders, understanding who you are and the things you have flexibility with, and those that you are not negotiable on, are important when talking about inclusivity and diversity. Boundaries are the things I call non-negotiables. It is important that you are clear on your values and boundaries, and that you communicate them as they speak to the way that you behave. These characteristics are not transferrable regardless of the people you are with or the country you are in.

On the flip side your flexible topics are those things that have formed part of you, depending on the situation and person you are with. An example of this is when I might be the only woman in a room, even though may not like it, the one thing that is a boundary in these situations is to ensure that there is an inclusive space to speak and to be heard.

When we better understand these topics and what they mean for us, we help each other in making decisions that create a diverse and inclusive environment for those around us and people in general.

As we know icebergs give us 10% visibility of what sits below the surface, and this too is the case with diversity. When it comes to people, we often relate diversity to those physical attributes we can see like age and ethnicity. The other 90%, is the stuff that sits underneath the surface, that is the inclusion. This 90% however is what often forms the core of who we are as individuals. If we want to be inclusive leaders, we will benefit from setting time aside to better understand the people surrounding us so that we begin to think about intellectual diversity.

It is individual perspectives that will create the diversity, but we too need to be mindful that intellectual diversity also requires demographic diversity as lived experiences look to bring all sums of differences together to gain a wider insight.

It is important to consider the invisible aspects to each of us as individuals, some of these things include socio- economic status, marital status and various lived experiences that may never have been talked about. Therefore, it is important to be aware that one person can present many different factors.

1. Establish your own boundaries – know what is flexible and what is not

3. Look beyond the surface. It is not in the tip of the iceberg that shows us what is really happening

I share five tips and takeaways for you to consider as an inclusive leader. Things that I bring to my awareness daily:

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4. We all have unconscious bias, we just need to manage it

No matter who you are and where you have come from, you have judgement. While perhaps not intentional, unconscious bias is like an automatic reaction, but seldom talked about. These unconscious biases can occur anywhere, in the workplace or as you sit on bus, without you even realising. They will often arise in situations where you find yourself vulnerable or stressed.

We often are drawn to people who are like us and yet we don’t recognise that as part of our bias. That familiarity makes us feel safe and we are drawn to doing things the same way. This forms bias when not acknowledged.

While these behaviours are not aggressive forms of bias, they still commonly occur so it’s important to be conscious of them and to address them as you become aware of them. This requires us to pause and “check in” with ourselves on our triggers and reactions and to seek out differences. Addressing the situation and executing an action plan that is practiced is showing others how they can do it too.

As an inclusive leader I suggest you consider both your intent and the impact of your words on other people. You need to think about how your intentions may be received because at times they land with a negative impact. “Inclusive leadership is all about being aware of your own bias, preferences and then to seek out different views and perspectives. There needs to be intent on your part if you want to be an inclusive leader. It doesn’t happen automatically; it requires conscious effort on your part. We don’t always get it right, but if we continue to be intentional with what we are attempting to achieve and then continue to check in with ourselves then we are on the path that we aim to make.

This could be you?

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5. Knowing the impact you want to make and the intention that sits behind it is important