Dat Ent Fair: Small Island, Big Lessons

This was a good week for leadership.

We witnessed examples of country leaders demonstrating what strong, thoughtful, and collaborative leadership can look like in 2026, and earlier this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke at Davos with remarks that offered a refreshing reframing of the moment we find ourselves in, particularly for countries that are not global superpowers but still carry influence, responsibility, and agency.

Recently, Trevor Noah sat down with Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, and their conversation was shared on his WHAT NOW? podcast this week. They had a rich, wide-ranging discussion about leadership, power, fairness, and the ongoing work of decolonization. Prime Minister Mottley spoke candidly about how leaders can be stronger agents of change, how countries can relate to one another more honestly and in open dialogue, and why many of our current global systems continue to fail the very people they claim to serve.

While the conversation focuses largely on national and global issues, many of Mottley’s messages translate directly to stewarding good culture in our organizations, boardrooms, and communities, and to the new ways of working required to navigate complex challenges.

Good culture begins with dialogue

Innovative collaborations and solutions require leaders who are willing to listen, engage honestly, and create space for multiple perspectives, especially those that have historically been marginalized. Prime Minister Mottley is optimistic about change and believes it starts with dialogue. She describes dialogue as the mechanism for addressing complex issues, allowing leaders to acknowledge differing realities, negotiate proportional solutions, and move toward concrete action.

Whether in international policy, organizational strategy, or community leadership, face-to-face meetings, breaking old boys’ clubs, and inviting everyone to the table (or bringing a lawn chair if needed) creates space for understanding, empathy, and action. Mottley shares: “Most human beings do have empathy. Most human beings do care about fairness. But when you’re in a large corporation…you can hide behind all of that. But if I confront you face to face, you’re actually gonna say, you know, you’re right.”  As Mottley emphasizes, dialogue is the tool through which equity and fairness are operationalized.

Design for equity

Prime Minister Mottley challenges us to move away from the idea of “equality for all.” Treating everyone the same, whether at an individual, organizational, or global level does not produce fairness. Instead, she calls for equity: an understanding and acknowledgment of context, history, and lived experience, and the design of policies and systems that actually align with people’s realities. Referencing Aristotle’s concept of distributive justice, Mottley names this explicitly as proportionality for unequals.

Mottley shares that Caribbean nations are frequently categorized as “middle-income” based on per-capita GDP, which then disqualifies them from receiving official development assistance or concessional loans from international financial institutions. As Mottley points out, this ignores contextual vulnerabilities. Small island states face extreme climate risks, exposure to hurricanes, limited economic diversification, and high import dependency. Using historical GDP or per-capita income as the sole metric “is like taking my blood pressure from two years ago to predict whether I will have a stroke today.” The rigid rules fail to reflect the real-world risks these nations face.

Equity ensures that fairness is meaningful and that policies and actions reflect the realities and vulnerabilities of those they are meant to serve.

Good culture fosters contribution and agency

Throughout the conversation, Mottley’s storytelling and energy are grounded in a deep care for humanity and a recognition that everyone can contribute, no matter how big or small. She draws on a powerful quote from Rabbi Tarfon:

“We are not expected to complete the task, but neither are we at liberty from resigning from it.”

This encapsulates the idea that every leader, regardless of scale or sphere of influence, has a duty to contribute and to do their part. We may not be able to solve every problem, but we can move the needle. Responsibility in leadership means owning your ability to act, contributing what you can, and empowering others to do the same, even in unequal systems.

It is through this combination of applying your values, designing with equity, and exercising collaborative agency that leaders can begin to steward good cultures, locally and globally.

The full conversation is about 90 minutes long and well worth your time. If you are new to Prime Minister Mottley, or to Barbados, the Caribbean, or the region’s global role, it is a powerful introduction. The conversation is full of insights, moments of laughter, and inspiration, and you are sure to come away feeling hopeful.

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Chanel Grenaway & Associates Inc. is committed to helping leaders, staff teams and boards build good work cultures that align with their anti-racism and inclusion goals through continuous learning and practice change. Happy to hop on a call with you to see how I might help. Let’s chat.