Diverse perspectives #WeeklyNRG

This week’s theme? Diverse perspectives — how they strengthen you as a leader, and how they can feel challenging in the moment. 

The Weekly Debrief 

Last week was a battle with the heat: daytime temperatures at nothing less than 36°C and nights that never dropped below 26°C. I’ve come to appreciate traditional French heat management. The choreography of when to open the windows, when to close them, blinds and shutters firmly shut at the right times, and every small habit that keeps the house just about bearable. It’s a very practical kind of wisdom. 

In the middle of all that, I played cricket in the blazing sun. We won (and I was not out again), but what struck me most was the team itself: a genuinely mixed side made up of Afghans, French and British, the men… and me. I suspect I’m also the oldest player. It’s another living example of diversity. Different backgrounds, ages and experiences all working towards the same goal. 

The real trigger for this week’s theme, though, was an email I wanted to send. On a sensitive issue, I drafted a message I thought was right, only for a colleague to suggest I had pitched it wrongly. Instead of hitting send anyway, I decided to talk to a couple of other colleagues and really listen. I saw all sides of the argument and, on reflection, rewrote the email and took their advice. It was a tough decision, but putting several brilliant minds on it meant we got the best message, not just my message. 

I also spent time with a couple of older neighbours, watching how they manage in the heat and how they need to take things slowly. For someone who rarely does anything slowly, I had to adapt over the weekend. Listening to their stories and noticing their rhythm of life gave me a new respect. If you pay attention, there’s a lot of quiet wisdom in how older people navigate their days. 

The Week Ahead 

This week, Kyle is back from the UK, so alongside the usual work meetings I’m hoping we can carve out some time for just the two of us to go somewhere and switch off for a bit. A different kind of perspective: remembering that life is not all about work, even when the calendar suggests otherwise. 

Before that, there’s plenty to do: cleaning a couple of gites, speaking at an event for The Institute of Leadership, and the usual admin that never quite disappears. Each of those spaces, hospitality, leadership, and behind‑the‑scenes paperwork- brings me into contact with different people, different expectations and different viewpoints. The challenge (and opportunity) is to stay open to all of them without losing my own centre. 

Lessons Learnt 

This week has reminded me that diverse perspectives are both a gift and a stretch. Whether it’s learning how French neighbours manage intense heat, playing in a truly mixed cricket team, or re‑shaping a sensitive email after listening to colleagues, the pattern is the same: things get better when you invite other views in, even if it feels uncomfortable at first. 

As leaders, it’s tempting to move fast, trust our first instincts and press send. But the best outcomes often come from pausing, asking, listening and allowing other voices to shape the final decision. It doesn’t mean abandoning our judgement; it means refining it with input from people who see things differently, 

sometimes younger, sometimes older, sometimes from entirely different backgrounds. 

Here’s to embracing the stretch that comes with diverse perspectives, even when it slows us down or challenges our assumptions. In the end, it’s that mix that gives us stronger decisions, deeper relationships and richer #NRG. 

Where in your work or life could you invite one more perspective this week — and what might it change?