Love Leading Collection - Monthly Update - June 2021
Welcome to the very first Love Leading Collection Monthly Update
The Love Leading Collection is where we’ll be sharing ideas and inspiration for all leaders. This is to support our main aim at Purple Sky, to enable leaders to Love Leading.
This Monthly Update brings together all the resources shared in May from the Purple Sky LinkedIn page. This will include the weekly #FridayShare and other key topics. This Monthly Update pulls together these topics into one place and we’ll build on them as a learning resource for all leaders.
Friday Share 1 - “Leadership is a practice” – Simon Sinek
The first clip we shared was from Simon Sinek. I love Simon’s work, because he brings a really human element to leadership practice.
The clip outlines his thoughts on how great leadership is about continual practice, its about learning, changing, evolving and being curious.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the clip yet, have a quick look before continuing. It is just under 2 minutes, so it won’t take long.
https://youtu.be/XGQo-Vge-WU
Now that you’ve watched this clip, what are the key points for you?
The key points for me are, that if you want to be a great leader and be recognised as a great leader, you need to be prepared to learn and grow. You also need to care and learn about your people. You won’t always get it right, but how you handle it will show who you are.
To help you with this in your own leadership practice, consider these questions:
When did I try something new with my team?
What isn’t working quite in the way that I would like it to? What could I do differently to influence that?
How much time have I spent with my team this week? How did I use that time?
When you’ve answered those questions, consider if there is anything new you want to practice or try out in the coming weeks.
Make a note of it and then come back to it, reflect on how it went and how it made you feel. What will you do now?
Friday Share 2 - “How ‘white fragility’ reinforces racism” - Robin DiAngelo
On the week of the 1st anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, I shared this powerful video from Robin DiAngelo as part of an article from The Guardian. It is powerful, challenging and at times scary but it is so important.
The role leaders have in bringing important and challenging topics into reality, to shape the experiences and environments of their teams is crucial.
This can be daunting, especially around topics that we are not confident or comfortable with. Embracing your need to understand, learn and enable others to do the same, will be the difference between creating an inclusive and safe environment for your team, or not.
There are so many factors and issues that reinforce racism, in all its forms. As a leader you are part of the change or part of maintaining the status quo….which one do you want to be?
I am deliberately talking in this section to white leaders. I am not assuming that all the leaders who read this are white, but the reality is, because of structural racism, the majority of leaders are not people of colour. As a white leader you must take an active role in changing this.
If you are leader who is a person of colour, then I have no doubt you have faced many issues, challenges linked to direct and indirect racism, on your path to where you are today. I can’t make that better and I will never understand the pain of that. I am sorry that it has been part of your life, I want to learn to understand and to be part of the solution for it not being your future. If there is any feedback you want to share with me directly - I am open to hearing you.
What we do want to do at Purple Sky is enable leaders to develop in a way that is inclusive and anti-racist. As Robin says in the video clip, this is a continuing multi-part process of work. We will keep focused on it and commit to keep the conversation alive. We won’t always get it right and we will remain open to being challenged.
This video is just over 5 minutes but worth every second.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvIO2GU8yTU&t=32s
Now that you’ve watched this clip, what are the key points for you?
For me, the key points are that we all have to accept that racism exists and that it remains the status quo. I have to own my ignorance of experience and privilege. As leaders you have a particularly important role in understanding how racism can be understood and overcome in your own team and organisation. You cannot wait for someone to tell you what to do. You are part of changing and influencing the experience of people of colour.
Taking action starts now - why not take Robin’s advice by:
Completing Dr Eddie Moore 21-Day Challenge 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge — America & Moore (eddiemoorejr.com)
Read or listen to Layla F Saad’s book - Me and White Supremacy Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World: Amazon.co.uk: Saad, Layla, DiAngelo, Robin: 9781529405101: Books
I’d also ask you to consider these questions:
Do I understand and accept my own privilege?
How many conversations have I had with my peers or team about racism?
How open am I to being called out for racism or behaviour that maintains the status quo?
How would I react and behave if someone challenged something I said?
When you’ve answered those questions, consider if there is anything new you want to practice or try out in the coming weeks.
Make a note of it and then come back to it, reflect on how it went and how it made you feel. What will you do now?
It would be great to hear your thoughts on these deeper looks into our #FridayShare posts. What insight has it given you? What have you tried and learnt?
You can share by adding comments to the #FridayShare posts on the Purple Sky LinkedIn page or if you’d like to share anything directly please contact me at anwen@purpleskyconsulting.co.uk
What topics matter most to you as a leader?
We’d love to hear what topics or areas of leadership you’d like us to talk more about in our #FridayShare and throughout the Love Leading Collection.
Help us shape your development and leadership practice by letting us know where we can help you most. You can share with us here.