Christmas Interview: Solat Chaudhry

Solat Chaudhry is the charismatic, football-loving, patriotic Chief Executive at the National Centre for Diversity, who tells me that he is looking forward to today’s football game between Manchester United and West Ham (my team), predicting his northern team will win.

The former police officer, who grew up in Burnley during the 1970s, was often on the wrong side of foul language, racial terms, and, of course, violence, which was unfortunately part of normal life back then. That has not deterred him, and he speaks common sense to power as head of an organisation that qualitatively helps organisations change attitudes.

Before we know it, the Christmas cheer will have disappeared, and the harsh realities of the Middle East, Ukraine, the cost of living, and transgender debates will resume. The lull over the festive period between the government and opposition parties, between families and friends and colleagues, will rise to the fore again, and its impact will be felt.

So, I am eager to catch up with Chaudhry to hear his views. For him, it is all about an organisation's ability to radiate its values through its workforce and a process of social osmosis.

His mantra is FREDIE.

“I hope we take the theory and bring it alive so that Fairness for all becomes a reality, Respect for all is the norm, Equality of opportunity is embedded, Diverse employees feel that they belong, Inclusion is widely understood by leaders who connect the link between an inclusive culture and business performance, and everyone is Engaged, living, and breathing the values. Known through the acronym FREDIE.”

As I will learn, values are so important in creating change, and Chaudhry is able to pinpoint undisputable evidence to prove his point.

Chaudhry likes to talk about his work, offering interesting, informative, and quite often surprising discourse, and to be honest, there’s so much to comment on, though he tries to err on the side of a non-political observer.

He has spent the last couple of decades evangelising about diversity and how it encompasses understanding, acceptance, and respect.

He is justly proud that this year’s NCFD Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces has been published to critical acclaim.

“It’s the only index of its kind to recognise the excellent work organisations and those that work for them do in promoting FREDIE at the highest level in workplaces across the UK. It is put together as a result of a company survey completed by employees at companies working with us, and an algorithm is then used to benchmark the organisations and compile the index,” he tells me.

After a tumultuous period of change following Brexit and the continuing worldwide issues, Chaudhry is still full of hope, which is his message for 2024. It’s this hope, coupled with a strong dose of optimism and resilience, in a world where the mainstream political rhetoric has hardened, that is needed across the globe and in our own communities.

“We can move to becoming a more tolerant society, one where human nature and collaborative and charitable behaviours will counteract the negativity that has taken hold. I will not pretend it is easy, but it can be achieved through sheer hard work and determination.”

“We need to rally together. Think Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Crowe’s character turns to everyone and says that whatever comes through those gates, we will survive better if we’re together. Most Gladiators rallied around his cause, choosing to stick together. There were 2–3 warrioers who didn't rally; they were the first ones to perish.

“Whatever comes through the gates in 2024, this country will fare better if we face those challenges together harmoniously. Together, we are stronger; divided, we are vulnerable.”

“There is strength and protection in unity. So, mine is a strong message of hope, and it's not just about false optimism. I believe in true British values, not just those assigned by the government, but true British values: togetherness, community, kindness, courtesy, charity, decency, honesty, integrity, and fairness. These are values that make me proud to be a patriot and proud to be a Brit."

That is his philosophy, and he oozes authenticity and inspiration when he speaks, believing passionately that the power of the British people is the ease with which they come together every single day from all backgrounds, sexual orientations, religions, races, all personality types, and all interests to work or socialise without friction.

That’s all well and good, of course, and it would be remiss of me not to point out the UK-specific problems with immigration, the transgender debates, and a perceived lack of resilience or intolerance caused by social media.

On immigration, there could be a crisis yet to unfold. “I don’t think countries have worked this one out yet. If you can imagine the Middle East, there are about two and a half million people that could be driven out. Where are they going to go? Probably here, France and Germany via Libya and Turkey, as the gateway to Europe."

Turning to social media, that does come in for more criticism. “We live in two places now: the reality of the world—work, school, home, and community—and this other reality, which is virtual, where you get presented with all these ideas plus opinions; there’s no grey area. The result is that in society, you get divided, whereas in organisations, there are strong forces to keep us united.

“Whether it be political, religious, or whatever, for or against a belief or policy, all these factors are put out on social media, with some people getting paid handsomely to create and sow division. The more eyeballs, the more money. For them, hyperbolic hatred mongering pays well. People have a certain following that likes to hear what they say, so they trap themselves in constant whinging and moaning, and the more clicks they get, the more power they gain.”

Chaudhry strongly believes in the power of the British people and the success of how civil society works in this country despite different cultural backgrounds. He puts it quite simply down to self-discipline and motivation, which he attributes to punctuality! Yes, that’s right.
Punctuality is so underestimated. Punctuality means you've got the discipline to get to a place on time; you’ve made an effort and planned. The British are world-class at punctuality… 

...and the British don’t like extremes; that's why fascism has never prospered here on a large scale.

“We also have that beautiful, quaint piece of legislation: breach of the peace. That’s the beauty of the British people. It’s all about fair play and British values that do instill themselves in second-and third-generation descendants of immigrants. Overwhelmingly, people get on. Do what ever you want, but don’t you dare breach the Queen's (now King's) peace, is the mantra. Hear! Hear!” says Chaudhry.

The work led by the NCFD assimilates this thinking and incorporates it into its training and accreditation programmes.

As a Muslim, I ask him if the portrayal of his religion frustrates him. In characteristically Chaudhry style, he is considered in his response.

“Muslims get a bad press, but they are the same as anybody. There are good and bad. The vast majority are good people. Honest and family-oriented. There is this misunderstanding that all Muslims go to pray at the mosque and are all extremely devout, but in reality, they are a diverse society themselves.

“I believe the ones that are educated about their religion actually understand that all religions are about kindness, charity, and mercy, as well as supporting people. The problem comes when people can’t articulate themselves in an educated way in the English language; this then leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding. Muslims need to get better at communications and PR!

"Diversity is wonderful and makes the world magical. An unopened boxed gift.

"Loads of world-class research show that if you get it right in the workplace, it will also impact society.

“Companies that commit to genuine equality across the board can widen the pool of labour and skills, increase flexibility to match the needs of their staff and the business, eliminate unjustified and unlawful discriminatory practices, and celebrate that employing a diverse workforce reflects the wider community in which they operate.

“Often the law is a driver, but equality of opportunity is about common sense, decency, logical thinking, good management, and leadership; it’s not about meeting a legal requirement.”

I can feel his passion as he once again cites the Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces list and uses the number one company, Kier Transportation, to illustrate how implementing excellence in the workplace can diffuse into society.

The NCFD has been working with Kier, which has since received its Masters in Diversity Accreditation. It was chosen to pilot the Inclusion IQ. Chaudhry was the prime mover behind this and the creation of Inclusion IQ (IiQ) and the Masters in Diversity Executive Leadership Training and Development Programme.

"Three Kier cohorts did the 'i-Test', achieving stratospheric scores based on 10% self-assessment and 90% 360° appraisal. It’s an incredible achievement, and these leaders oversee thousands of people.

“If you look at the research intuitively, improving inclusivity and intelligence will improve relationships in the workplace. I’ve been working on this since 2015, and as a result, I've learned and implemented it and seen how it has positively affected my relationships with people, including family, friends, and basically anybody I socialise with. The new-found ability to be able to connect with people is just incredible, even with West Ham fans, Andrew."

He explains that high inclusivity intelligence leads to better relationships and networks, and people say your network determines your net worth and leads to a more enjoyable and optimistic life.

It is fascinating and refreshing that NCFD doesn’t just dish out awards; to receive an accolade, there has to be a strong evidential base.

“British people do not tell lies in employee surveys. Of course, in interviews, they aren’t as robust simply because people don't want to come out and say something that would upset the manager, but in the anonymity of questionnaires, they don't hide the truth.

“The MD at Kier is a great leader and a quiet, unassuming guy. He was slightly wary when he noticed the number of diary dates in his senior team diaries. But his apprehension was short-lived.

“He saw change and told me that before he did the course, it was about the notion of 'me', then it became about everyone else around him.”

Every day’s a school day; apparently the human brain fundamentally works selfishly. Its primary mission is to keep you alive, and it does this by having two priorities: detect threats and move you away, or detect rewards and move you towards them. However, the reason we are not selfish is because we know that part of our survival is to work and collaborate with others. Relationships are essential. It's essential that we get better at managing them.

Chaudhry is keen to point out that inclusivity intelligence is important because it's about learning about everybody else around the concept of ‘me'—which he firmly states is the definition of a good leader.

“Leadership becomes more distributed; it's not just one person making all the decisions or taking responsibility; it falls on several different people.

Decision-making for a chief executive is everything; its success or failure is life or death, quite literally in Chaudhry’s case. He had to undergo major heart surgery earlier this year following a heart attack, and he has a story to tell about the frightening consequences if inclusivity intelligence is absent.

“I truly believe IQ will save lives once people understand how important it is,” he says.

“It will also become important in the debate around the development of artificial intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a skill that will need to be developed, as
AI will never be able to learn it.

At an organisational level, it leads to establishing principles, building a coherent, unified, harmonious organisation, bringing people together, and resolving situations.

For Chaudhry, success does not come from sitting back and saying, ‘Job done’. Instead, success comes from working hard to achieve new levels of excellence, day in and day out.

It’s a shame that I will not be at the London Stadium today because whoever comes through the gates and wins, I know that the affable NCFD chief executive will shake their hand and live up to the values he aspires to in maintaining positive relations with those around him and being confident about relating, responding, and reacting to people who are both similar and different.