When Inclusion Isn't Easy with Dr. Riza Kadilar

In this episode of People First!, Morag Barrett explores workplace relationships, leadership trust, and human connection with Dr. Riza Kadilar, discussing how leaders build Meaning-FULL Connectivity™ in increasingly disconnected workplaces.

Dr Riza Kadilar is a global executive, leadership thinker, and author of The Contemporary Leader.

They first met at Thinkers50 in London — a moment that became a living example of inclusion in action — and that spirit carries through this wide-ranging, honest conversation about what inclusive leadership really requires when things get uncomfortable.

This is not a conversation about slogans, policies, or box-ticking. It’s about power, privilege, maturity, and the inner work leaders must do if inclusion is going to move from intention to impact.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why diversity is inevitable — but inclusion is not
• How well-meaning leaders unintentionally undermine inclusion through everyday behaviour
• The difference between being invited to the party and actually feeling able to dance
• Why inclusion is as much an inner journey as a societal one
• How privilege shifts with context — and why awareness matters more than guilt
• The paradox of inclusive leadership and the loneliness many leaders experience
• Why exclusion is easier to spot than inclusion — and how that awareness becomes a choice
• How curiosity, discomfort, and humility shape the contemporary leader

This episode is for leaders who genuinely want to build cultures where people feel seen, heard, and valued — not because it’s fashionable, but because it’s essential for performance, resilience, and humanity.

If inclusion feels complicated, uncomfortable, or even threatening at times — you’re not alone. This conversation helps name why.

📘 Learn more

• The Contemporary Leader (Wiley)
• Connect with Dr. Riza Kadilar on LinkedIn