USING TRUST AND BOUNDARIES IN LEADERSHIP TO ALLOW DIVERSITY TO BLOOM

Abstract The author, who describes herself as Co‐Founder and Co‐Pilot of WeRobotics, “a global social impact organization that works to amplify the power of local expertise to multiply sustainable solutions for development, humanitarian aid, and climate,” which operates primarily in the Global South. She further states that “we co‐create and co‐facilitate the Flying Labs Network, a model for how a decentralized and bottom‐up approach to localization can unleash the abundance of solutions that we need to confront the mounting challenges that face us all.” She says that, in terms of the “gifts of diversity,” the “common thread running through the 30+ years of my career has been my deep belief in the power of local. This means that the ones closest to the problem and/or customer are the ones who hold the key to the most fitting and effective solutions.” And in cultivating trust, and notes that “with the freedom to speak up and to try new things comes creativity and collaboration, and the diversity of ideas, backgrounds, and experiences comes alive in surprising and beautiful ways.” The author and her colleagues have learned that diversity is “essential for our success, the key factor behind creativity, innovation, and real change.”