This is the gap I keep running into, in every sector I work in. Not a values gap.

Most organisations I meet are full of people who mean well, including at the top. It's an alignment gap, between what leadership believes is true, what the systems are designed to produce, and what people are actually living day to day.

There’s a question I ask every leader I coach, usually somewhere in the first few sessions, and almost without exception it produces a pause that tells me everything.

The question is this: When did you last say something true that cost you something? 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to locs. There was something about their beauty, strength, and sense of identity that captivated me. But for years, I hesitated. I allowed fear to control my choices. Fear of being seen as unprofessional, unfit for leadership, or as someone who didn’t align with the “brand” of the organisations I represented.

In the wake of recent far-right riots in the UK, the call for courageous leadership is more urgent than ever. Now is the time for leaders to step forward—not just with words but with real, tangible actions that champion inclusion and fight racial injustice.

When we try to create change in the world, the most effective change happens when people appreciate and understand what’s in it for them. For some of us, we are driven by the fact that creating inclusivity in the workplace is morally the right thing to do, but for some (I’m looking at CEOs and CFOs here), we need a bit more. We need to know how inclusivity in our organisations, will benefit our businesses.