Leslie’s story

How the streetwise mba enabled Leslie to lead more inclusively

Leslie Perry, UK Head of Conduct Risk, UBS

Leslie joined the streetwise mba programme last year, a programme that develops leaders to become inclusive and agile, with the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to work more effectively with diverse colleagues.

“The programme was very important because that put a framework around our discussions and what we cover. What I think that Common Purpose did so well was ensuring the diversity of the group of people they put together.”

Throughout the streetwise mba, participants explore CQ. They use the Core and Flex® Framework to digest their learning, explore their own cultures and translate this learning into leadership behaviours.

“I think I’m so open minded, I try to be politically correct. I try to be sensitive to other people’s views and opinions, so I did not think I really needed to work on anything. But only because I had the streetwise mba experience I realized that I sometimes have more bias than I realize. Even in the expectation that I’m expecting people to act the way I do.

“One important aspect that I took away was the importance of not assuming that you’re getting it right and the value of having courageous conversations with people to evaluate whether or not your attempt at being culturally sensitive is even working.”