How leaders can use privilege as a force for good
Imagine Manchester in the 1840s. The industrial revolution in full swing, families flocking to the city to escape rural poverty, only to find long working hours, child labour, and squalid housing owned by their employers. Even the food they ate contributed to their oppression, as people were often paid in vouchers that could only be spent at their employers’ overpriced shop, and flour could be adulterated with chalk and tea laced with leaves.
This was abject poverty, so extreme that Marx and Engels in The Condition of the Working Classes called it “Hell on Earth.”
Yet in Rochdale, a small group of working-class people decided to take on the challenge. They pooled their savings – just £28 – to open the first co-operative shop, selling pure, unadulterated food. From that humble start, a movement grew: today, over 3 million co-ops serve 1.2 billion members worldwide.
This story shows that even without enormous privilege, people can change the world. It also reminds us that privilege, in all its forms, can be an opportunity to make a difference.
Rethinking privilege
When we hear ‘privilege’, we often think of royalty or the political elite. But privilege also includes the quieter advantages that most of us (ordinary folk) carry. This can include any mixture of things like the following (and it doesn’t have to be all of them) an education, supportive parents/partner/family/friends, economic security, social connections, entrepreneurial skills, ability to work hard....
I often reflect on my own experiences. Growing up in Coventry, attending a Catholic comprehensive in the 80s and 90s as a gay kid; my parents separated when I was young, and we certainly weren’t wealthy. It didn’t feel like privilege.
But, just because you might experience disadvantage in some areas, doesn’t mean that you (necessarily) experience them in all areas. I also had two parents who worked full time and showed me the importance of that; I didn’t struggle academically and could go to university. These things, while they were not ‘millionaire-level’, were privileges.
Recognising privilege isn’t about feeling guilty for those that don’t have it. It’s about responsibility. Once you acknowledge it, you can choose how to use it. The real transformation happens when we move from recognition to action.
Privilege in leadership
In business, the old trope of the leader as a powerful, unapproachable ‘fat cat’ doesn’t reflect reality. Many business leaders care deeply about their communities, and driving social value. They invest in training, create good jobs, and support local economies.
So how does being a business leader give you privilege? I always talk about people being able to influence the bit of the world that is close to them – the bit they can throw their metaphorical net over. Well, running a business, or leading any organisation, gives you a bigger net. You have more reach. You can connect with and potentially influence customers, staff, suppliers, directors, trade unions, distributors/retailers, local authorities as well as business networks like the Chamber of Commerce.
And, to extend this metaphor further, when leaders come together, they can combine their nets, their collective influence can tackle bigger challenges – from social inequality to climate change.
Having that potential to influence is itself a privilege – the question is how would you like to use it?
The power of authenticity and connection
Acknowledging privilege also helps leaders show up more authentically. Talking openly about your own advantages, without defensiveness, builds trust and understanding. It also enables leaders to share any struggles they experience, which brings their full experience to a situation.
Sometimes, it creates space to spot opportunities to help others.
When I co-founded Pride in Leadership, the UK network supporting LGBTQ+ leaders, I could imagine how it might work and grow and secure sponsors, partly because of my experience of running the Institute of Directors in the North West. My network, something I was fortunate to have built, helped get the project off the ground.
Being LGBTQ+ is still underrepresented in leadership, but the privilege of strong connections could be used to counterbalance that lack of visibility. And in turn, the experience of leading Pride in Leadership has been a joy and a privilege of its own.
How to turn privilege into action
If you’re in a position of privilege, large or small, you have options:
Educate yourself: Learn about the barriers faced by others. Listen without judgment.
Amplify voices: Use your platform to highlight issues and share stories.
Mentor and sponsor: Be the person someone else can point to and say, “I was lucky because I had their support.”
Engage in service: Whether it’s volunteering, sitting on a charity board, or offering pro bono expertise, your experience can be transformative. And this work can bring you further benefits too, through new experiences and contacts.
The world faces profound challenges that will require collective action. Those of us with any measure of privilege – connections, resources, confidence, skills – have an opportunity to be part of the solution.
At On The Level, we help organisations and leaders put these ideas into practice. From developing inclusive leadership programmes and mentoring schemes, to designing strategies that connect businesses more deeply to their communities, we can work with you to turn intention into impact. If you’d like to explore how we can help, we’d love to hear from you.
