When the World Is Watching: Leadership Legacy on the Biggest Stage

Welcome to Lead With Inclusion! This newsletter is a resource for EVERY professional. Whether you’re a manager ready to be a more inclusive leader, or an employee ready to be a champion for equity in your workplace, inclusive actions lead to inclusive outcomes. Leading with inclusion simply means starting with inclusive actions in everything you do. It means identifying the areas where bias is at work, and shifting mindsets to make change. 

If you’re not sure where to begin, start here.

The Super Bowl! Wow! What a performance. And while people are focused on whether or not Spanish should have been spoken (it should) and lamenting over the fact that some people may not understand the lyrics (oh the irony), what I’m going to focus on is the fact that Bad Bunny managed to build a global brand while remaining true to his values.

Over the years I have been asked many forms of the same question and it’s usually something like, “Do you really expect the CEO of a company to have the same values as the company he or she is leading?” The person asking the question will usually further explain that the company is separate from the individual and the individual should not let their own personal values dictate what a company does.

Sound reasoning? Maybe, maybe not. My knee-jerk reaction to that question is Yes! I absolutely expect the CEO of a company to mirror the values of the company they’re leading. But I'll be honest. While I’ve wanted to shout that from the rooftops, sometimes I have equivocated. I have hesitated and I have made excuses. I mean, maybe a leader shouldn't have to align themselves fully with the stance of the corporation they lead, right? So, let’s read that again: a leader shouldn’t have to align themselves with the stance of the corporation they lead.

Does that sit right with you?

If you read it out loud, s-l-o-w-l-y it actually sounds quite ridiculous.

While Bad Bunny isn’t a corporate entity separate from himself, he is a brand. He made it very clear from the beginning that he would only sing in Spanish and he stuck with that. Could his path to success have been easier if he sang in English? Probably, maybe . . . I think so, yes. But that would have meant compromising his values.

Let’s say that again for the people in the back: Singing in English would have required him to compromise his values because it was important to him for a Spanish speaking artist to be successful.

What decisions have caused you to compromise your values while at work? It’s not always the big, easy to spot decisions like deciding not to partner with a company that manufactures cigarettes or pollutes the ocean or exploits child labor. But what decisions this year have caused you to waffle or to capitulate entirely?

If you are a leader in an organization and you have decision making power, then your values should be aligned to that of the organization. If they don't, and you still work there, you are either lying to yourself about who you are or you are lying to your customers and clients about your values.  

And yes, you could be leading an organization that on its face causes harm, but your role is to find ways to reduce, mitigate or eradicate that harm, and if that’s the case, your values are in alignment and you’re making my point. I’m also not saying you shouldn’t work for a company that some might find morally reprehensible, I’m simply saying your values should be in alignment – whatever those values may be. Take Pam Bondi as an example*. Her values are squarely in alignment with the administration she represents.

So, back to Bad Bunny. He managed to remain values-aligned while building a multi-million-dollar brand. It can be done. He went from supermarket cashier to performing at the Super Bowl. The decisions along the way aren’t always easy, but they’re definitely easier when you are able to curate a willing coalition of team members who want to work with you, rather than against you, because they see your vision.

If you have found yourself frustrated at the lack of cooperation from colleagues, team members or direct reports or if your team is suffering from a reduction in innovation and productivity along with high-turnover, I have a roadmap to guide you back on track. Don’t try the overused and ineffective method of micromanaging. Even worse, please don’t start citing policy and curtailing freedoms. Instead, let’s adjust your vision, align your values and craft a communication plan that will have your team experiencing joy once again (if it was ever there to begin with).

One call, two meetings and three months from now you’ll wonder why you weren’t leading with values (and inclusion) sooner.

About Stacey Gordon:

Stacey Gordon is a Global Talent Advisor, Bias Disrupter and an unapologetic evangelist for inclusion. As the Founder of Rework Work, she works with leaders to anchor decisions in action based in three-guiding fundamental management principles, while facilitating mindset shifts. She is a global keynote speaker, Top Voice on LinkedIn and a popular LinkedIn Learning [IN]structor reaching nearly two million unique learners who enjoy her courses. Want to work with Stacey live? Consider booking her for your next strategy mastermind session, conference keynote, leadership development meeting or consulting engagement.

*Please note, I didn't include links here because you can research her behavior for yourself.