Good Comms | Where fairer systems begin

Chared

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What Montessori taught me about inclusive leadership

When I enrolled my child in a Montessori school, I wasn’t looking for leadership lessons. I just wanted him to be seen, not just tested. But as I observed how the classroom worked, how the guide watched before speaking, how the space invited belonging, how even toddlers had real agency, I realised I wasn’t just looking at an educational method. I was looking at a masterclass in inclusive leadership.

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Inclusive leadership
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Flat as a pancake: what Dutch workplaces taught me about hierarchy

This year, my eldest niece turned 18. A milestone. She can now vote, buy a beer legally, and roll her eyes with full adult authority. For me, though, her birthday meant something else: I’ve also been living in the Netherlands for 18 years. Long enough to gain citizenship, develop a sixth sense for spotting free samples at Albert Heijn, and, perhaps most shockingly, get used to calling my boss by their first name.

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Inclusive leadership
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What the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement taught me about SLOW Leadership

I’m writing this from a small restaurant in Bra, Italy, where the slow food movement began in 1986. What started as a protest against fast food culture has become something much deeper: a philosophy about honoring ingredients, respecting traditions, and creating space for authentic connection around shared tables.
As I savor my meal in this historic place, I can’t help but see the profound parallels between slow food principles and what I’m calling “slow leadership.” Both movements ask us to slow down, pay attention, and recognize that the best outcomes emerge when we honor what each contributor brings to the table.

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Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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The credit roll revolution: Why organisations need to start naming names

Walking through Turin’s Museum of Cinema, I found myself wondering about the evolution of film credits. A 1920s silent film listed perhaps ten names. A 1980s blockbuster scrolled hundreds. Today’s inclusive productions credit cultural consultants, accessibility coordinators, intimacy directors, mental health advisors. These roles were always essential but never acknowledged.

This is cinema’s credit roll revolution: the radical act of naming everyone who shapes the story. Organizations desperately need the same revolution.

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Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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The Rosetta Stone and inclusive communication: lessons from multilingual ancient Egypt

During a recent visit to the Museo Egizio in Turin, I found myself captivated by an entire floor dedicated to the history of writing in ancient Egypt. Among the many remarkable artifacts, one story stood out—the story of the Rosetta Stone. Although the original resides in the British Museum, its presence in the Turin exhibit reminded me how powerful written language can be, both as a means of recording history, and as a tool for connection across cultures and communities.

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Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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Privilege: What it is, how not to abuse it, and how to use it for good

Privilege. It’s not a slur, not a guilt-trip, and definitely not a reason to get defensive. It’s a reality. Some of us have unearned advantages that help us move through the world more easily. That doesn’t mean our lives are easy. Just that they’re not harder because of things like our skin colour, citizenship status, gender, or body.

Let’s get honest about what it is, how it shows up, and how we can use it to build a more equitable world.

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Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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The power of nuance in an age of superlatives

In a previous post, I explored how nuance is often matched with native speakers sometimes have the privilege of being imprecise with language. When words come easily, it’s tempting to reach for dramatic phrases without thinking carefully about what they really mean. But nuanced thinking doesn’t belong only to native speakers. In fact, people who’ve had to learn languages carefully—weighing each word choice—often develop sharper skills for recognizing complexity and avoiding oversimplification.

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Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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How inclusive leadership, internal and change communication can help navigate current workplace landscape

With employee engagement at just 21% globally and a 32-point trust gap between associates and executives, the workplace is transforming rapidly. Female managers are experiencing 7-point engagement drops while employees adopt AI three times faster than leaders realize. Organizations face “Constant Change” as 2025’s defining theme, creating unprecedented opportunities for professionals with expertise in internal communication, inclusive leadership, and change management.
Discover five strategic actions that position your integrated expertise as essential for navigating 2025’s workplace revolution.

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Employee communication, Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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‘Ading’ and the way language defines relationships

In Ilocano, ‘Ading’ means younger sibling or cousin. But to me, it’s always meant more than that. It’s a word wrapped in affection, responsibility, and the quiet joy of being looked after. Some words don’t just define relationships, they shape them.

In this reflection, I explore how Ilocano, Filipino, Dutch, and English each hold different emotional blueprints for care and connection. From Ate and Kuya to my all-time favourite Dutch word vertroetelen, language doesn’t just express culture, it teaches it. And sometimes, one word can remind you of who you are, where you belong, and why being called Ading still makes me feel forever young.

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Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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Good communication goes beyond mother-tongue fluency

‘Native speaker’ sounds like a standard of excellence, but is it really? In many organisations, someone’s mother tongue is still seen as the gold standard for language skill. But look closer, and that assumption doesn’t hold up, and it often excludes talented professionals. In this blog, I make the case for a more inclusive understanding of language expertise: one that focuses not on where you’re from, but on what you can actually do with language.

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Inclusive communication, Inclusive leadership
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