Monday, 9 a.m. A team video call: nine people, six countries. Over the weekend, violence shook a major city thousands of kilometers from headquarters. The director has seen the footage. He opens the meeting with the quarterly figures.
One camera stays off. A colleague who is usually the first to speak says nothing. Near the end, someone types in the chat: “Thinking of those of you with family there.” The director didn’t know two people on his team had family in that city. He did not want to get political. Saying nothing felt like the professional thing to do.
In this example, as is often the case, the leader does not know where the families of his remote colleagues live, or what ties each of them to a particular place. But the same scene could just as easily happen in an office.
The silence the leader believes to be neutral is not received the same way by everyone. Those following the news from a distance feel relieved: the meeting moves on. Those affected up close hear something else: what they are going through has no place here. They keep working, camera off.
What is not said in the meeting gets said elsewhere: after the call, in a private message, among those who recognize each other.
One sentence is enough. It acknowledges what happened, without commenting on it.
The leader does not need to comment on the news or take a position. He can, however, say something human early on. The Inclusive Leadership Compass offers four reference points.
Presence. Before the meeting, ask who might be affected. During the meeting, pick up on what has changed: a camera off, an unusual silence. These are signals, not certainties.
Courage. Open the meeting with a few words, in your own name: “This weekend was hard for some of you. I’m thinking of those of you with loved ones there.” One sentence is enough. It acknowledges what happened, without commenting on it.
Connection. Then leave room, without imposing it: “If anyone wants to talk about it, now or later, I’m available.” No one has to speak, and no one has to speak on behalf of a group. For those who will not speak in front of others, say where confidential support can be found.
Clarity. Say what holds in this team, whatever anyone’s opinions: respect for everyone, and no remarks that target a person for who they are. The news can be debated. A colleague’s dignity cannot. This is what the organization’s values guarantee, along with the law of the country where it operates.
The next day, the director writes to the two colleagues concerned. A few lines, no questions: he is thinking of them, and they can call him if they wish.
The following Monday, he opens the meeting with a few words about the past week, then gives the floor to anyone who wants it. No one speaks for long. The colleague who had stayed silent simply says: “Thank you for saying it.” Then the meeting returns to the quarterly figures.
He took no one’s side. He made it known that what his colleagues are living through has a place in the team.
Recognizing a power play isn’t enough once the reference points shift. “Presence” to catch the signal before reacting, “Courage” to turn tension into something co-constructed — two directions of the Inclusive Leadership Compass for leading well when the rules stop holding still.
Hearing a reservation isn’t enough if it changes nothing in the decision. “Connection” to take in the signal without filtering it through your own frame, “Clarity” to name what it actually changes: two directions of the Inclusive Leadership Compass for turning listening into a reliable mechanism, in intercultural settings.
In a diverse or intercultural environment, there’s no shortage of opportunities to react rather than draw on your creativity. Journaling can become a regular practice for developing Presence and Clarity, two directions of the Inclusive Leadership Compass, and for making more room for creativity, even under pressure.
