Equality and Human Right Education Project Manager, NHS Lothian
Dr Ndiweteko Jennifer Nghishitende is an Equality and Human Rights Education Project Manager with NHS Lothian’s Equality and Human Rights Team. Her expertise spans multiple disciplines and is underpinned by law.
She holds a degree in Law and specialises in Human Rights Law, followed by a PhD in Criminology focusing on the lived experiences of women who exited situations of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in England and how they navigated systems and found a sense of belonging.
Her ethos is grounded in the African philosophy of Ubuntu and the lived experience of Black joy. Before joining the NHS, she worked as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Hull.
In leadership, we often focus on individual capability — performance, authority, expertise. But the African philosophy of Ubuntu offers a different starting point: I am because we are.
Ubuntu reminds us that our identity, success and humanity are shaped through relationships. It recognises that people do not thrive in isolation, and that leadership is not something done to others, but with them.
In teams and organisations, this philosophy challenges deeply ingrained ideas of competition, hierarchy and individual achievement. Instead, it invites leaders to see connection, mutual responsibility and shared humanity as sources of strength — not softness.
At its heart, Ubuntu is about dignity. It asks leaders to recognise the inherent worth of every person, to listen with intention, and to understand that wellbeing and performance are inseparable. When people feel seen, valued and connected, trust grows — and so does collective capacity.
Ubuntu‑informed leadership shifts the question from “How do I lead?” to “How do we lead together?” It encourages collaboration over command, care over control, and accountability that is shared rather than imposed. It also recognises that leadership decisions ripple outward, shaping not just outcomes but relationships, culture and belonging.
In practice, leading with Ubuntu means creating spaces where voices are heard, difference is respected, and success is collective. It means understanding that when one person is excluded or diminished, the whole system is affected — and when people are supported to thrive, everyone benefits.
Ubuntu is not about abandoning standards or avoiding challenge. It is about grounding leadership in humanity, responsibility and interconnection. Especially in complex systems, it reminds us that sustainable leadership is relational work.
Because leadership is not just about what we achieve — it’s about who we become, together.
This story is a condensed version of a full blog post by Dr Ndiweteko Jennifer Nghishitende, called The Value of the African Philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am because we are”) in Leading Teams.
This blog post echoes the conversation that was had during a recent Inclusive Leader’s Voices podcast which featured Jennifer as a speaker.
