This year’s Black History Month theme, Standing Firm in Power and Pride, gave me much to think about. For most of us, particularly Black women working in corporate spaces, standing firm, let alone in power AND pride, is not always easy.

But as I was editing copy celebrating individuals through Black British history for my workplace’s intranet, I was reminded that these were, in essence, ordinary men and women who stood up in powerful protest against injustice on behalf of their communities.

And, simply highlighting and celebrating these individuals to an audience, the majority of whom don’t know about them (and, in some instances, don’t care – let’s be honest!), IS standing firm in power and pride, in oneself and one’s history.

So, even though I could see my colleagues’ engagement slowly dropping off as the month progressed, I persevered with publishing the intranet posts because it gave me joy and food for thought about what I could do to continue to stand firm in power and pride wherever I am. Because, as I like to say, I’m Black all year round and Black History Month is not just for one month!

Closing BHM in style, I attended a Black History Month Celebration, hosted by Black Women in Real Estate, Landsec, and CMS UK. It was an inspiring evening, celebrating and affirming Black Excellence within and outside of the real estate sector.

The speakers for the night, Antoinette Ale, Co-founder & CEO of Tressly & Tressly Studios; Nioki Doggett, Director of Investor Relations at M&G Real Estate and Chef Caroline Gundu-Khombie, Founder of Cooking with Caz, each shared their individual career journeys and passions, while dropping some awesome pearls of wisdom.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the speakers, which I hope will encourage and inspire you as they did me.

🗨️ “Community is the cornerstone of any business”, Antoinette Ale. It might sound cheesy to some, but it’s a no-brainer: people—whether your customers, clients, or employees—are at the centre of what you do. So how are you serving them?

🗨️ ‘Leadership is not just about individual successes but also the collective success’ – Nioki Doggett. This one slayed me because successful leadership is rarely, if ever, about that one person and what they’ve achieved; it’s also about who they are bringing along with them. After all, you can’t be a leader if no one is following!

🗨️ ‘Leadership is a service, not status’ – Chef Caroline, a simple gem of a statement, which closely aligns with the heart of Nioki’s quote above. Strong leadership requires a servant heart, especially if you want to positively influence, inspire and encourage your people to their highest potential.