In this article, Emma Pears, Founder & CEO of SELFA, explains how she creates opportunities for people to do great things. For Emma, inclusive leadership is about creating an environment where people feel safe to do their best work.
It took me a long time to see myself as a leader. Traditional models of leadership weren’t really something I identified with: those that told a narrative that people born into strong families of leaders are also destined to be leaders or that leaders are people who outline tasks and goals to their team and tell them how to achieve them.
I see myself more often as an inclusive leader who creates opportunities for people to do great things. It’s not about dictating, sending down orders, or micromanaging. It’s about creating an environment where people come in and really want to do their best work.
At SELFA Children’s Charity, our vision is a community where children and young people are celebrated and know they belong. I feel that if we celebrated each other more as a society, the world would be a better place! That, to me, is what inclusive leadership is all about—celebrating others and creating cultures where people feel safe to be responsible for their actions.
Very rarely do I feel like I need to lead from the front; one of the few times was during the global pandemic in 2020. People were looking to me for answers in a very scary world, and I needed to give them the safety and security that I was there for them as a leader. Even though I did not have all the answers, I showed that it was OK to be a vulnerable leader who would ensure that we got through those difficult times together.
However, most of the time, I lead from behind and let the SELFA team, our children, and young people get on with it. I honestly believe that is why our team is so strong.
When people come into our organisation, they often don’t know who the CEO is immediately because we are all celebrated as leaders and trusted to do our jobs. We are here to serve our children and young people, help amplify their needs, and support them in finding solutions to the issues they face.
Above: Emma with two young SELFA clients
Relationships are at the centre of everything I do, so the most important thing I do as a leader is to connect with other people and build a foundation of trust. Before people decide whether they want to put their trust in SELFA, they first decide what they think of me. They judge me—they think, “Can I trust this person?”
Lived experience leadership
I also think my lived experience is a really important part of who I am as an inclusive leader. Whether it is as the mother of a child with mental health support needs, the daughter of an alcoholic, or a single mum for nearly a decade, all of these have been great roles in which I’ve practised the traits of inclusive leadership. It helps me advocate for children and young people who have also faced similar experiences and support them to become inclusive leaders within our community.
I still make mistakes pretty much every day! These days, I question my ideas rather than who I am. I am comfortable saying things like, “I’m sorry I didn’t see it that way; you’ve made me change my mind.” I try to de-stigmatise failure by stating up front that it’s OK to get things wrong, and I use language like, “This is the messy part where learning takes place,” rather than finding blame for “mistakes.”
I admit that I don’t have all the answers, and I ask other people to help me come up with them. By asking open questions, I actively listen to understand rather than respond.
The best legacy I can leave as an inclusive leader is when children and young people exercise authority over themselves and others; developing their leadership skills is at the heart of everything I do.