Someone suggested to me that this picture demonstrates that deep down we are all the same, when we bother to reach beyond the external labels that we give each other. These memes are eye-catching and headline-grabbing. Yet they sucker us into even more assumptions and bias.

Of course, we agree that difference is only skin-deep. Underneath we are all flesh and blood and skeletons. Forget difference, look at the common humanity that binds us all. Everyone has the same hopes, fears, desires: to be loved, to be happy, to be respected. This guides us to treat people equally, with compassion, with understanding and with respect.

But hang on. We are different, diverse and no two humans are the same. In organisational life we should harness this uniqueness, work in teams and collaborate. Not pretend we’re all the same. Diversity promotes productivity (multiple studies report this). This is what true leadership is all about. Others can see what you can’t. Their background, skills and cognitive abilities provide variation that is good for teams and organisations. So we need to pay attention.

And that’s how mindfulness helps leaders. It increases our awareness. We notice things differently. Similarities and variations. And both are important to us. And to your effectiveness. If you think mindfulness sounds like some soft pappy nonsense, you’re listening to the wrong people – ironically, you’re not noticing! Living in your world of assumptions. Check out the science.

For too long, Business Schools and Consultants have peddled the notion that leaders are at the front of culture change and their job is to “sell” it to others. Now, there is a new set of ideas taking inspiration from the origins of the word leadership which lie in the Norse word 'laed' - to set a direction for a ship. This recognises that a group of leaders are needed to change direction and culture – hero leadership is no longer an answer because no leader leads alone.

The key is to avoid change being pushed down from the top. To create collaborative leadership demands that a CEO takes a leaf from the coaching playbook using active listening and powerful questioning to ensure they have heard and understood the different perspectives. People can’t swallow what they haven’t had a hand in making. The expectation is that this collaborative behaviour is role-modelled through every layer of the organisation. Allowing people to be heard, particularly their resistance or scepticism, resolves into motivation and a desire to succeed together. Great leaders coach.

In times of change there is often a perception that acknowledging uncertainty is a weakness. And yet we are all painfully aware, that complexity and ambiguity is the norm. In most organisations there is no single goal, rather it is about long-term competitive advantage. Instead of seeking to building certainty, which can only be a temporary mirage at best, we encourage CEOs and senior leaders to declare the very existence of uncertainty and its potential impact as they work collaboratively across functions and business areas. A clear intention is still required, but one that recognises change may occur in unexpected ways as the context constantly evolves. CEOs concentrate on building direction and alignment despite outcomes and personal impacts being unknown.

Deep inside you, do you have a small voice that says, I won’t play their games? Do you hold a belief that due to your strong moral compass and your personal integrity you won’t engage in something that you are calling “games” or “manoeuvring”? Is this limiting your career achievements?

 As leaders, we heard this often when helping team-mates with their personal development plans. Inevitably, someone might have received feedback that they had “big ideas but didn’t know how to get them implemented” or, that they were “kinda blunt” or, ”you’re three steps ahead of the rest of us”. Gently, we would begin to unpack what this might mean and how to use it to motivate a personal pivot point.

 But now it’s our turn to be blunt. That “game playing” that you won’t engage in, there’s no such thing. There is only ONE THING, as Prince said, it’s called LIFE. And not playing means you’re not living. Really.

 We are all worker bees in the hive of life. There maybe a Queen Bee, who knows, but unless you’re the queen bee, you’re a worker bee and you have to rub along side with all the others.

 Here’s one thing you can try, today, building on our book Coaching on the Go: -       Take any animal metaphor that strikes you as interesting;

 -       Overlay this metaphor on your organisation and consider, not what games are being played, but how the organism is organising. How does it all hang together peaceably and as a unit?
-       Now consider what mutual grooming or dancing you might choose to embark on.