Sandra Sampson: Embracing diversity and inclusivity

So, Chiefs are double champions and ‘Made in Devon’, not just top of Europe - they have also won the Premiership, a truly amazing achievement and whether you are a rugby fan or not, I feel compelled to applaud this.

To win and succeed you need diversity and inclusivity.

There were team members of different heights, speeds, shapes, colours, nationalities all coming together cohesively to achieve something amazing. They all had a particular role to play in making the team work.

I have always tried to be inclusive in my dealings with both women and men and young and old as I have found the more diverse a team, the stronger it is.

I try to surround myself with people that know more than me and come with a different viewpoint.

It is really important for our current predicament as I believe it is only when we harness difference, inclusivity and diversity will we be able to overcome our current challenges.

I also believe that two brains are better than one, more likely to resolve matters in business or at home.

Seeking opinion and perspective, talking things through, because we are all different, this allows me to arrive at a decision that I can fully justify.

As a business leader, it is really important to have a diverse team around you to challenge you.

If you cannot justify a decision when challenged, then perhaps you should think again.

Challenge comes from diversity; the problem with most leaders is they select people like themselves, with similar blind spots, and hence they remain unchallenged, after all they have become successful so surely those around them need their same qualities to succeed as a leader?

A team is only as strong as its weakest link but a good team is something that is far greater than the sum of its component parts.

The Chiefs’ togetherness and diversity have overcome all comers.

By the time you read this America will have retained its 45th or chosen its 46th president.

Looking in, you realise how America has turned into a bipolar state Republican or Democrat, wear a mask, don’t wear a mask!

Not what we need when confronted with the global threat of Covid; this is when coherency and cooperation are required. Such a threat requires a unity of global effort if it is to be defeated, rich and poor, black and white, elderly and young working without prejudice, just as the threat knows no boundaries so should we.

What diversity does need is strong leadership to focus it and to optimise its potential.

Without it, it is all too easy for it to become an ‘Irish parliament’ with no real decision being agreed upon.

As I write this our Government is meeting to decide upon the next steps in terms of the new lockdown introduced today (Thursday, November 5).

East Devon will be challenged by those same global issues and we will need local leaders to set our course and to marshal our wisdom.

One leader I very much admire is Jacinda Ardern - she has struck the balance between decisive but inclusive leadership, she demonstrates true empathy and connects with fellow New Zealanders.

In such difficult times a recent quote stands out for me: “Do you want to be a leader that looks back in time and say that you were on the wrong side of the argument when the world was crying out for a solution?”

Surround yourself with a diverse team, one that covers all the bases in terms of knowledge, intelligence, background and beliefs. One that will challenge you into making better decisions, one that will enable you to cover all the consequences of any decision and one which will enable you to have thought through every scenario.

Only then will you truly be making wise and inclusive decisions.