sensitivity

Frame of reference

Does one person or one image describe a whole community?

Communities bring people with similar characteristics and common interests together. There are many ways to think about community, for example, we can look at a community from a system, social, virtual, or individual perspective. From an individual perspective, a poster with a LGBTQ+ or a black guy is not representative of the community, even if they hold a significant role or embody its collective identity.


I think that it's a huge responsibility to be Black in Denmark, and I would like to put in a disclaimer now, as my experience is not the same as every Black person’s experience as everyone has a unique experience.

Horse metaphor

c/o The New York Times

Horses possess acute sensitivity and are swift to respond to your energy. To illustrate this concept, I use a metaphor of a horse and its rider. In this metaphor, the horse represents your emotional self - the raw animal energy, the hormones that elicit anger or excitement, and so on. On the other hand, the rider symbolises your rational self - your prefrontal cortex, your executive decision-making processes that employ logical reasoning to achieve your goals.

““Horses jump over obstacles and Macbeth’s ambition will propel him to clear the obstacle of Duncan. However, the word also has other suggestions, which Macbeth realises. Ambition is something of a problem – it may help the rider clear an obstacle, but it may also make the rider go down.””
— ShakespearesGlobe.com

Leaders will always

Some people believe that leaders are made and others believe that great leaders are born. I think leadership can be learned even if you were born with the personality traits and communication abilities required to become a leader. The soft skills like awareness, sensitivity and understanding are not possessed by all leaders. Good leaders will always:

⁃            Set high standards
⁃            Have excellent organisational and execution skills
⁃            Embrace change and course-corrects when needed
⁃            Take risks
⁃            Embody fearlessness
⁃            Exude passion
⁃           Earn and give trust

Unfit to lead

Yesterday, John Amaechi OBE said, “The passing of a leader who failed to live up to their promises is nothing more than an opportunity. An opportunity for the successor to prove every day and with every interaction that now - finally - integrity will be an unbreakable principle of their leadership.”

I really hope that the next leader will have better awareness, sensitivity and understanding of leadership skills required. Sometimes we forget that not everyone is cut out to hold a leadership role. So, we must ask the candidates what motivates them to want to lead other people. And if they don't emphasise the importance of helping others grow, succeed, and thrive, we should look at other applicants.