A Good manger understands the personalities on the team and what drives them. Clearly this was not the case at Kensington Palace. Kensington and Buckingham palace staff were not ready for prime time. The departure of the Sussexs from the royal family is a huge loss and missed opportunity. Sussexit as articulated in tabloids is through the Duchess Difficult narrative. That explanation satisfies only dunderheads incapable of intelligent reasoning.
How would an intelligent human resource team have handled the Fab Four you may ask? Well, I’m glad you asked.
Harry and William are two very different personalities translating to different leadership styles. Harry like his wife and confidante Meghan are the compassionate action-oriented achievers with record of impact driven work. Prince William by virtue of his upbringing and future role is the know-it-all, who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else. The courtiers are the naysayers, who find fault in every idea which deviates from cutting ribbons.
To make these different personalities work successfully together they needed courtiers with expertise in modern day Human Resource management. Professionals who appreciate each principal’s strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how to leverage each person’s talents to achieve the palace’s global Britain goals. HR studies show that leaders spend 20 percent of their time managing conflict stemming from different personalities and leadership styles.
Different personalities bring different perspectives and prevent teams from having blind spots. Prince Harry and his brother Prince William, are better understood when one knows the difference between
management and leadership. Prince William is a manager, the one who is supposed to maintain the status quo. Prince William ensures that tradition continues from generation to generation, keeping colonial traditions protocols and tradition of exclusion in place.
On the other hand, the Sussexes represent inclusion, diversity, and empowerment. The Sussexes understand that the monarchy must change in order to survive. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex understand that the world has changed and that there’s a need to reinvigorate what it means to be royals in the 21st Century. The current British monarchy is out of touch with millennials; the demographic the Sussexes brought to the monarchy.
Prince Harry, who is the leader whose focus is on the future. For Prince Harry monarchy can survive when it focuses on the future. Duchess Meghan heralded him part of the #ForcesForChange in Vogue September edition 2019. Prince Harry believes in change, which makes him a responsive and responsible leader.
Meghan and Harry are inspirational compassionate leaders which makes them appealing to millennials. Millennials recognize Sussex leadership because it is authentic.
Meghan and Harry represent values-based leadership and understand that the world is made up of intricate systems and that monarchy must comprehend this complexity.
With Sussexit the monarchy has a gap with millennials. William and Kate are the darling of the alt-right and non-compassionate conservatives. What the royals are missing is compassionate leadership which Meghan and Harry brought. The Sussexs brought connection with different people in the Commonwealth. The Archewell Foundation through collaboration with World Central Kitchen are building strategic global centers to enable them to respond to natural disasters quicker. This is 21st century leadership the palace is missing because no one in the current royal tax player funded team has these qualities. What a missed opportunity by the courtiers.
