In our latest podcast I am joined by Daniela Papi-Thornton. Daniela has spent more than a decade designing and facilitating social change education programming around the world and she makes a compelling argument for systems-led leadership.

Systems-led leaders make decisions about their personal or organizational social-impact strategies based on understanding the systems within which they work. They envision wider system change goals – goals they know they can’t achieve alone but which help guide their actions so that those actions connect with, build upon, and contribute to the wider impact of the collective. Our guest poet, Chris Redmond takes the idea of ‘the collective’ to new heights (literally!).

This one is a goodie and well worth taking time out from your super hero timetable to consider your approach. We need greater social impact and fewer social super heroes…..

#SocialImpact #SocialChange #Leadership

The Aperture episode 4 the one about social entrepreneurship

 

In episode three of The Aperture I am joined by the amazing Sunny Dhadley. He talks candidly about his social leadership journey which began shortly after detoxing from heroin. He found his purpose and began developing peer-led services, which supported thousands of people and inspired many more. His work in developing collaborative interventions aimed at supporting vulnerable and/or marginalised communities in a holistic way has been seen as ground-breaking, being cited in many UK and European best practice papers.

Sunny shares how it was other people who began recognising him as a social leader long before he realised it for himself. This mirrors my experience, and our commitment to social leadership is what brought us together as we met through our involvement with LEX Move. LEX Move is a lived experience collective which works to support and develop lived experience leadership in the social sector.

Ibby is our poet on this episode and he also came into my life through social leadership, as we are both from the same Clore Social leadership cohort of 2016. He too is a fantastic example of a social leader so was perfect to be our poet on this episode.

This one is definitely worth a listen…

The anchor episode 3 the one about social impact flyer2

It seems that disabled people and purple allies have waited all year at the bus stop for something to celebrate and then we are inundated with party buses!

On International Day of People with Disabilities it feels appropriate to pull over to acknowledge the road well-travelled by past and present disability activists and allies. I raise a glass to celebrate these anniversaries:

• The fiftieth anniversary of the Chronically Sick & Disabled Persons Act (1970), the first legislation to recognise disabled people’s rights in areas as diverse as access, education, employment and mobility.
• The twenty-fifth anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), a landmark piece of legislation making it unlawful to discriminate against disabled people and to provide equal opportunities.
• The ten-year anniversary of the Equality Act which replaced previous anti-discrimination laws (including the DDA) with a broader, single Act.

A milestone is a stone set beside a road to mark the distance to a particular destination, so it feels like a very appropriate place to pull over and pause during Disability History Month (18 Nov to 18 Dec). Appropriately, the theme this year is, ‘Access: How far have we come? How far have we to go?’

Last month hosted Purple Tuesday, an international call to action to celebrate the purple pound – the spending power of disabled people and their families. It’s a milestone-awareness moment (there’s that word again!) for an issue that is recognised as being relevant 365 days a year. The Purple Tuesday bus was super-charged this year! The campaign:

• Trended in the top ten worldwide on Twitter for a large part of the day, which is extraordinary when you think it was US election day and two days before the second Covid-19 lockdown in the UK.

• Achieved a media reach of 17.4 million, across 272 pieces of media – up 51 percent on last year.

The folks behind Purple Tuesday are celebrating, but acknowledge it will count for very little if Purple Tuesday is perceived as a one-day awareness event and disabled people don’t feel, see and hear the impact.  It will count for nothing if Purple Tuesday doesn’t take on board the very loud feedback from organisations across all sectors, particularly SMEs, who say “we get it, we want it, but we need some support and guidance to do it right”.

We all have a part to play: disabled people need to be driving the bus; disabled people’s organisations need to be signposting in the right direction; policy makers need to be removing road blocks; and everyone needs to want to follow the route.

Yesterday, the route was lit up (literally!). PurpleSpace’s ‘Purple Light Up’ started in New Zealand and Australia at sunrise and finished at 17:00 in New York. It is a fully digital, worldwide broadcast sharing the growing commitment to disability inclusion, and appreciation of the economic contribution of disabled employees: a way to celebrate and connect with disabled people worldwide. 

Disability is a global issue, with 15 percent of the world’s population having an impairment – this equates to over one billion people, with a purchasing power of $8 trillion. That’s surely worth shining our purple headlights upon!

The questions to contemplate as we board the bus again are: how will we ensure the rights won twenty-five years ago are maintained; and how can we fast-track our route to full participation and equality of opportunities for disabled people? The road ahead remains long, but I get a real sense that more and more people are wanting to get onboard.

A milestone also signifies a change or stage in development, and the lemonade maker in me is optimistic that we are on the brink of real change. This year has been difficult in so many ways, but I have a sense that next year will mark a significant development in the acceleration to destination disability inclusion.

In Episode 2 of The Aperture I talk with Leyla Okhai from Diverse Minds about the role allyship plays in creating and maintaining diverse and inclusive workplaces. We talk about power and privilege, and systems that create advantage. We also discuss a question we both get asked frequently, ‘How can I be sure I’m being an ally not a saviour?’

So, what is allyship, and how can we be a genuine ally and avoid being a saviour?

An ally is someone who is not a member of an under-represented group but who takes action to support that group. Allies maximise their position to create a more inclusive workplace, with opportunities for everyone to thrive. 

Here are a few key differences between allies and saviours:

• Saviours talk more than they listen: allies listen more than they talk.
• Saviours speak on behalf of others: allies amplify others’ voices
• Saviours rush to help: allies step back and create opportunities.
• Saviours make other people feel ‘othered’: allies find ways to make their privilege work for others

As an ally, you will consider when to be passive and when to be active. Examples of what to do and what to avoid are given in the podcast. Here are some further suggestions:

• Recommend people from under-represented backgrounds for learning opportunities and leadership development.
• Talk about the expertise you see in others, especially during performance and promotion discussions.
• Share your colleague’s career goals with influencers.
• When someone proposes a good idea, repeat it and give them credit for it. For example: “I agree with Rasheed’s recommendation for improving our returns policy”
• Review the delegate lists for strategic planning meetings, events with key partners, and other career development opportunities. If people from marginalised groups are missing, advocate for them to be invited.
• Ask someone from an under-represented group to collaborate on a proposal or project.
• Read publications, blogs, or social media content by, and about, under-represented groups. Start by subscribing to The Aperture for regular social change thinking podcasts!
• Speak up if you witness behaviour or comments that are degrading or offensive. Explain your position so that everyone is clear why you are raising the issue.
• Believe the experiences of others, even though they may feel far removed from your own.
• Listen and ask questions when someone describes an experience you have not had. Do not jump in with your own personal stories and avoid asking questions that amplify power dynamics

Being an ally requires committing to being on a journey. In the podcast Leyla says, “It’s not a one and done, it’s a rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat…”. It is ongoing because the driver for being an ally is to dismantle discriminatory structures, not to achieve personal goals.

The Aperture episode 2 – the one about allyship

I am pleased to share the first episode of The Aperture podcast. We’ve had great comments from those who live and breathe disability and those who haven’t given disability much consideration. Take a listen and see what you think…

The Aperture podcast flyer (1)