CEO Today Magazine - October 2021

21 that when black women come together to network, learn, share and support each other, so much more becomes possible. Not just for the individual but also for the organisation that employs and the community. 7. Champion yourself and other black women As a black woman, you’re gifted and talented. You are ambitious too. This is the time more than ever to share what you’ve achieved, your skills, what you’ve learned or are learning from your success and the advice you would give to others coming behind you or choosing to follow a similar path. And, as you do that, champion and acknowledge the talent, skills and gifts of other black women. When black women amplify the voices of each other, it sends a signal to the wider community that you know who you are and what you’re about. I am increasingly making it my life’s work to do so. If I don’t – then who will? For many years I did not want to be labelled or seen through the lens of my race and gender. Now I’ve come to realise and appreciate that whilst this is not what defines me, it is an integral part of who I am. I can, through my own voice, join with others – sponsors, allies and advocates – to continue to press for change. A change that benefits all talent, including the black female leader. 8. Love-based leadership holds the key Love, as defined in the book Beyond Engagement – the value of love-based leadership in organisations, is this: it is an unconditional acceptance of all of who I am as a human being and an unconditional acceptance of all of who you are – who others are. It, therefore, is the ability and willingness to see who another human being is, beyond their gender and skin colour. Racial equality is one of the most needed and yet most complex issues that business leaders have to address. When you add the dimension of gender, it becomes doubly challenging. And it doesn’t stop there. When a leader operates from a place of love, it means an appreciation of a responsibility that goes beyond the bottom line; a willingness to sacrifice gains in the short term for the extraordinary results that can be achieved and sustained in the long term. It means a willingness to call out behaviour that goes against the values of the organisation regardless of how high performing and popular the perpetrator is. This is the key to gender and race equality. It is the key to inclusion. I could share yet more lessons learned. I, however, am thankful for today. There are increasingly more black females in positions of influence and critical decision making in organisations. I am hopeful that, one day, it will become challenging to count the number of black women leaders on one’s fingers. I am particularly inspired by the women and blackwomen in the younger generation who are determined, full of ambition and are motivated by the significant change they can and will effect in the world of work. THE CEO INTERVIEW Yetunde Hofmann is a Board level executive leadership coach and mentor, global change, inclusion and diversity expert, author of Beyond Engagement and founder of SOLARIS – a pioneering new leadership development pro- gramme for black women. Find out more at http://www.solarisleadership.com/