Conversation recorded November 2023
Too many leaders still treat inclusion as a nice extra: five minutes at the start of a meeting, then "back to business". That misses the point entirely. Inclusion is the business.
In conversation with Dr Asif Sadiq MBE. At the time of recording, Asif was Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Warner Bros. Discovery. His career includes senior roles at adidas, EY, The Telegraph and the City of London Police, and he is a TEDx speaker with an honorary doctorate.
The kid at the back of the class
Asif is dyslexic. At school he was the one who couldn't spell, the one teachers said would never amount to anything, and the one who caused trouble rather than be asked to read aloud. One teacher told him he could do more. It went in one ear and out the other at the time, but it stayed with him. Feeling left out for something he couldn't help is what drives his work today.
Identity changes, so keep asking
Twenty years ago, race was the part of Asif's identity that mattered most at work. Today it's being a present dad, and increasingly disability. The mistake organisations make is assuming that what they can see, or what someone told them three years ago, is still what matters. The only way to know is to keep the conversation going.
"What mattered to me from a diversity perspective 20 years ago is not the same today." Dr Asif Sadiq MBE
Ten seconds of conscious inclusion
Asif's practical tip is beautifully simple. Before a decision, take ten seconds to ask: is this inclusive, and does it affect any group differently? Do that consistently and it becomes a habit of challenging your own thinking. He also wants people to feel safe enough to ask questions and get things wrong, so mistakes become learning moments. As he puts it, calling in, not calling out.
Inclusion and wellbeing belong together
Mental health support only works if people use it, and stigma looks different across communities and faiths. One approach won't reach everyone. That's why Asif argues for joining up diversity, inclusion and wellbeing, and for using employee networks as critical friends who help the business reach the communities it serves.
"DEI is business." Dr Asif Sadiq MBE
Petra's take
What I love about this conversation is that it's built on curiosity, not compliance. So many people are frozen by fear of saying the wrong thing, and that fear shuts down the very conversations that build belonging. Belonging is what helps people perform, and you can create it in an office, a hybrid team or a fully remote one like mine. It doesn't come from a framework. It comes from leaders who keep asking, keep listening and treat inclusion as part of every decision.
Three things to try this week
Try the ten second check before your next big decision: who does this affect, and have we asked them?
Ask your team what matters to them now. Not what HR recorded three years ago, but what's true today.
Weave inclusion into the business conversation, in product, sales and strategy discussions, not a separate slot at the start.
Bring this to your team: explore our Leadership training
Watch the full conversation on YouTube
Related insights: Stop Trying to Fix Your People · Why Men Don't Talk About Mental Health at Work
About the author. Petra Velzeboer is a psychotherapist, keynote speaker and author of Begin With You and Digital Wellbeing. She works with leaders and People teams to build healthy cultures where people perform at their best.