Leading with Humanity: Values, social justice and conversations that matter

Leading with Humanity: Values, social justice and conversations that matter

About this Lunch & Learn

In times of uncertainty and rapid change, the quality of human connection in the workplace has never mattered more. This conversation with Professor Divine Charura explores how principles of humanity, love, and ethical awareness can shape how we relate to one another and lead within organisational life. Drawing on his extensive psychological research, and in particular his forthcoming work with Professor Gordon Medlock, Divine will invite participants to reflect on the importance of challenging self-limiting beliefs and looming cognitive styles. The aim is to move towards self-understanding, appreciating intersectionality, and what it means to be values-led in everyday professional conversations.

We will explore how choosing love over fear, curiosity over judgment, and hope over cynicism can transform not only leadership practice but also the wider workplace culture. We will discuss how building these into everyday workplace conversations can foster inclusive, ethical, and compassionate working environments where everyone can thrive and bring their whole selves to work.

This Lunch & Learn offers an opportunity for leaders, business owners, and employers to gain and share practical insights for achieving more humane and sustainable organisations.

Why this conversation matters

When pressure increases, people often default to fear, judgement or reactive commumication. However, when workplaces are founded in curiousity, humanity and are values led dialogue they are more inclusive, healtheir and compassionate.

This session will help you to:

• Understand how we can bring humanness, love and understanding into our workplace relationships.
• Recognise self-limiting belief and cognitive tendancies that can narrow our thinking impacting our connection with our colleagues.
• Explore how when we choose curiosity over judgement it can support wellbeing, trust and psychological safety across your organisation.
• Appreciate the importance of understanding different, overlapping life experiences in everyday conversations and leadership interactions.
• Discover practical ways to embed values-led communication into daily interactions, even in moments of pressure or uncertainty.

What you will take away:

By the end of the conversation you will:

• leave with a renewed sense that good leadership is rooted in humanity, presence and real connection.
• leave with a more compassionate view of your colleagues and their experiences, and a stronger ability to meet them with kindness and understanding.

• Feel better equipped to stay grounded, curious and aligned with your values when conversations become emotive, challenging or ambiguous.
• leave with more understanding into how their internal state influence how they lead, communicate and connect with others.
• leave with a renewed hope in the possibility that inclusive, ethical and compassionate cultures are achievable through the quality of everyday conversations.

About our expert guest – Professer Charura

Professor Charura is a HCPC-registered Counselling Psychologist and UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy) registered Psychotherapist. He is also a Coaching Psychologist.

Divine has worked as a clinician in a range of clinical settings including the NHS, voluntary and private sectors, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He is currently a Professor in Counselling Psychology at York St John University.

As a practitioner psychologist and psychotherapist, Divine continues to work with patients/clients presenting with a wide range of psychological difficulties and disorders in clinical practice. He has a range of psychotherapeutic interests including, the transformation potential of the therapeutic relationship, and the efficacy of a range of psychotherapy interventions in therapeutic work with those who have a diagnosis or those experiencing psychological distress.