What I learned from having dinner with MLK’s parents

In 1972, I was lucky enough to have dinner with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s parents. Of course, at seven years old I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the importance of that occasion. But I do now.

My unlikely childhood path crossed with these incredible people because of Randy Taylor, Head of the United Reformed Church (pictured below). He and his family were like my adopted home in the US. They were very involved with the Civil Rights Movement, marching in protests (including MLK’s March on Washington) and leading the Church in support of desegregation and social progress.

It was only as I grew up with this family over the years that I understood—through Randy’s actions and the community he created—what it really meant to break open your own echo chamber and be able to bring in dissenting voices to challenge you.

I remember these lessons especially vibrantly now as Black History Month in the US sparks conversations, poses questions, and challenges my friends across the pond to consider what role they play in acknowledging systemic racism and oppression, and working to make our world more inclusive.

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Welcome back to the Leader’s Playground! Let's dive in.

Lessons in Leadership

One of our greatest ambitions at PotentialSquared is to “give Unlikely Leaders wings.”

“Unlikely Leaders” includes anyone who was not born onto the fast track of leadership success—often this means neurodivergent folks, women, those from underprivileged backgrounds, and people of color, among others.

And in our modern world—built via systems of oppression and even outright violence against those different from us—it is our duty to reflect, learn, and act. It is our duty to acknowledge how our history and actions make it more difficult for our neighbors to rise up to the fullest of their abilities, and to take actions to change this reality.

As we look at the role of leaders in providing wings to unlikely leaders, one of the greatest things they can learn to do is, as Darren Levy, my friend from New Zealand, says: “Learn to dance to the music that other people bring.”

So how do we leave our own music aside and really understand what it looks like to be inclusive?

How do we lean into connection as a means of beginning to understand the experiences and challenges our teammates and friends of color face in our working world?

How do we, as leaders, make choices that remove barriers for unlikely leaders?

And the toughest part of all of this is: How do we give people the chance to explore and experiment with conversations in this area without the fear of failing and causing pain to themselves and others?

One of the biggest keys is the ability—choice, really—to leave our egos at the door. We cannot understand the experiences that are not our own unless we are able to listen openly and with no agenda other than understanding.

We must leave our ego behind, be willing to be wrong (and be more wrong, again and again), and make meaningful changes… Which aren’t always the things we’d choose naturally.

This is the most challenging space for us to play, and it takes a lot of hard work!

What to Read This Week

The book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson had a profound effect on me.

Caste explores the unspoken systems of oppression and power that impact each of us, in different ways depending on which groups we belong to. “Modern-day caste protocols,” she writes, “are often less about overt attacks or conscious hostility. They are like the wind, powerful enough to knock you down but invisible as they go about their work.”

This powerful book reminds us that we participate in this system whether we wish to or not, and that it is our duty to make the changes we see fit for the world we want to live in.

“The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power — which groups have it and which do not.” —Isabel Wilkerson

The Leadership Tales Podcast

Absolutely fascinating chat—Gautam’s research on how we choose our leaders, and the phenomenon of “unfiltered” leaders who bypass the traditional and risk-averse selection process, is eye-opening for anyone in the leadership arena, whether they’re selecting leaders or leading themselves.

Gautam Mukunda is a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, author of Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter, and the host of NASDAQ’s World Reimagined podcast. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University.

In this episode, we discuss the filtration process that creates leaders, the difference between filtered and unfiltered presidents, and how leaders are chosen by organizations and nations.

Give it a listen today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen—and if you can, please subscribe and leave a review. Each review helps put our show in front of more listeners, which means more opportunities for those who need them.

And if you know of someone you think would be a great guest on the show, reply and let me know about them. I want to share stories from leaders making a positive difference in the world—and the more tales we tell, the better.

Until next time...

Thanks for joining again, and I hope to learn from you all as we experiment, fail, and learn about building connection, elevating unlikely leaders, and changing our world for the better—not just this month, but in our leadership and actions each day.

If you have questions or thoughts to share, please don’t hesitate to respond to this email. I’d love to chat with you. And if you like what I’m doing and have someone who might enjoy it too, please forward them this email or invite them to subscribe below.

See you in two weeks!

Cheers,Colin

To learn more about my book, Be More Wrong: How Failure Makes You an Outstanding Leader, click here.