The Academy
Solaris is a Love-Based Leadership Development Academy. At the heart of all that we do and stand for is the importance of love in how we design, teach and relate to our delegates, their stakeholders and our stakeholders.
Our Rising Stars Leadership Programme and our Women Executive Leadership Programme are targeted at the development of the black professional and executive woman in organisations.
Our Boardroom Leadership Development Programme is targeted at Men and Women leaders of all ethnicities and are currently in the c-suite or boardroom or reporting directly to a leader in the c-suite or boardroom.
Our Vision
Our Vision is a world of work and life in which everyone without exception feels and knows that they belong. That their potential is maximised. A world in which Love is viewed as the most critical leadership and organisational capability needed for success – financially, commercially and personally.
This will be evidenced when every child looks above her and sees someone who looks like her in a role that she aspires to occupy.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to empower senior leaders to shape inclusive, purpose-driven cultures by unlocking their strengths, living their values, and leading with love—so they can achieve remarkable results for themselves, their families, their teams and their organisations.
Our Programmes
Our programmes are whole person centred and address a leaders’ life, leadership and career development
Our delegates for our Rising Stars and Women’s Executive Leadership Development Programme are women who identify as black in organisations and are diverse in their backgrounds, status, experiences, perspectives and beliefs and so much more. They are from a variety of industry and international backgrounds and are located across the world because our programmes are global.
A large number of organisations provide women focused development programmes. The experience of the black woman is however, unique and different. This is where Solaris comes in – not to replace but complement what they currently have.
Our delegates for our Board Room Leadership Development Programme are men and women leaders of all backgrounds and ethnicities who have one thing in common: A desire to step into their purpose, enable a culture of inclusion in their organisations and to amplify their light and influence so everyone shines.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to help create a world of work and life where everyone—without exception—can thrive and reach their full potential. We want leaders at the very top of their game to truly appreciate the influence they have in shaping a culture of inclusion and to understand the profound impact this can have on their business success. Through our programmes, we want every participant to leave with a deeper appreciation of their strengths, their potential, and the importance of living out their purpose and goals for the benefit of all. Above all, we want them to see that with love at the centre, extraordinary results—both financial and non-financial—can be achieved in ways that uplift individuals, teams, organisations, communities, and indeed, society as a whole
Our Why
The number of black women in senior and influential positions across industries and anywhere in the world, remains significantly less than is desired.
Despite the number of leadership programmes targeted at women, the advancement of women of colour remains slow, this is why Solaris Women’s Executive Leadership Development addresses the specific needs of the black woman.
Representation is critical. We have a strong belief at Solaris that in advancing beyond our current positions, we provide an example and an inspiration to others to do the same.
Yet we learn from research that black women are promoted at far lower rates than people from other ethnic groups.
The value of role modelling is significant. Solaris creates an environment in which aspiring and successful black female leaders can learn together and from each other.
The programme provides mentoring, sponsorship and coaching for the talent within a group that is under-represented in organisations.
Solaris provides the platform to establish a strong international network of black female leaders and creates a talent pool to contribute to the achievement of inclusion and diversity goals of organisations across the world.
Solaris Boardroom is for diverse senior leaders because a culture of inclusion is role modelled from the top of the business. Water only runs downwards.
We want the black woman to advance into the c-suite and find she is not the only one that understands and embraces the value of love-based leadership in organisations.
Our Tenets
Our Tenets at the Academy are threefold: Love, Leadership Results.
Love is the unconditional acceptance of self and others. A willingness to relate as human over status or the material; a desire to look behind the immediate; to embrace the paradox, appreciating that as leaders you can be both and at the same time, profit and human focused. It is the most critical and needed leadership capability in the world of work and life today.
Leadership is the belief that we all are leaders, regardless of level, status, background or experience. That leadership is a matter of who you are and not what you do or have. It is therefore a status of being. People follow and are inspired by people not their jobs, status or possessions.
Results is the willingness and desire to make a difference in the world; to add value to one’s team, company, community and society. It is the presence of ambition. We believe that when leaders walk and work in love the results that can be created for self, team, company, community and society can be extraordinary.
We strive to operate in these tenets - they are woven through all that we do, and we encourage our leaders to do the same.
Why Love Based Leadership
In the world of work and life today, the challenges faced – uncertainty, volatility, complexity and much more – will not be solved by status, command, singularity, fear or the transactional. They will be helped by an approach that is human-focused, centred around the establishment of trust and a desire to bring change that will serve as a force for good. It therefore requires a resilience – intellectually, emotionally and physically – that withstands the passage of time because it will focus not only on the commercial and financial but also on the ethical and moral.
We believe that when organisations have people who lead with empathy, integrity, care, kindness, respect, they are more likely to create services and products that meet the emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual needs of their clients and customers. They are also more likely to do this without compromising the short term and in awareness of the consequences of their actions not only on their people, but on the communities they serve.
Love-based leadership is therefore tough. It requires the ability and willingness to lead from a place of strength, openness and understanding rather than from a place of control, authority and closedness. It enables the ability to embrace and be comfortable with paradox.
It is the key to creating and establishing a genuinely inclusive culture in which everyone, without exception is able to thrive, productivity is enhanced and great results – finically and non-financially, follow.