You ask someone on your team to develop a plan. They return with thoughtful work, but one detail is wrong. Before pointing it out, do you pause to ask whether you made that expectation clear?
For Carla McKenzie, that pause matters. It is where grace becomes part of how we lead.
Carla is a leadership and culture strategist, communicator and motivator who helps women find their voice, own their influence and lead with intention. Her philosophy is simple: leadership is a verb, expressed through our behaviours and how we show up daily.
In this episode of the Women Emerging podcast series on Building Teams, Julia explores what Carla means by grace and belonging, and how both shape a team’s everyday experience.
Grace begins with clear expectations
“Grace is about clear expectations and only holding people accountable for what they know.”
Carla describes asking a team to develop a plan for a communication dashboard. The proposal comes back in gold and brown, rather than the organisation’s blue, green and white. But those colours were never part of the brief.
The response, she explains, should recognise what the team has achieved and clarify what needs changing. People need room to learn without being shamed for missing instructions they were never given.
That puts responsibility on the person leading, too. Have we explained what success looks like? Have we provided the guidance people need?
Consistency is part of caring for the team
Grace also means addressing problems when they happen. If someone arrives late for several weeks without a word being said, a sudden reprimand creates confusion. Silence has helped establish the expectation.
Once the standard is clear, repeated behaviour requires a different conversation. Julia reminds Carla that grace extends to the rest of the team, who should not have to continually accommodate one person’s lateness. Clear communication makes accountability fairer for everyone.
Belonging makes room for different ways of being
“Belonging is not fitting in.”
Carla uses the image of a dinner table to explain. Some people grow up with quiet, formal conversations. Others come from tables full of stories, emotions and interruptions. Those habits accompany them into work.
Julia recalls learning this herself. In her family, interrupting showed excitement about someone’s idea. A colleague, however, experienced her interruptions as disrespectful.
Understanding the difference required a conversation. Carla suggests asking, “How did you mean it?” From there, both people can adjust. Belonging grows through that mutual effort to understand one another.
People feel seen through everyday attention
For Carla, these conversations are supported by small, repeated acts. With around 82 faculty in her team, she keeps track of whom she has spoken to, making sure her attention reaches beyond familiar faces.
She remembers details about people’s lives and asks about them. When someone is supporting a family member through surgery, she considers what flexibility would help them manage.
These are the daily behaviours behind her philosophy of leading. Grace asks us to communicate clearly. Belonging asks us to remain curious. Together, they create room for people to contribute, learn and ask for support.
Listen to Carla’s conversation with Julia on the Women Emerging podcast. As you listen, consider one change you could make this week to help someone in your team feel clearer about what is expected, or more confident that they belong.
