Everybody Can Fit Into The Soup Model

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Derek Cheshire to explore how inclusion works in practice when people and perspectives mix. Starting from Derek’s work in creativity and innovation, they talk about why diversity needs curiosity, listening skills and better language to become genuinely inclusive, and how over-policing behaviour with rules can create loopholes rather than better relationships.

They discuss how language evolves, how misunderstandings arise when people have limited exposure to difference, and why psychological barriers like fear of getting it wrong can lead to avoidance and exclusion. The conversation touches on cultural intelligence, travel and context, and how humour and stereotypes can land differently depending on who is speaking and the situation.

Derek introduces his “Soup model” for organisations and society: culture as the soup, people as croutons floating within it, and value coming from contribution, trust networks, knowledge and connections rather than rigid hierarchy. They reflect on how flatter, more connected models can reduce bias created by layers, support innovation, and help people thrive at work. They close by linking these ideas to wider shifts in towns and workplaces, especially changes accelerated by COVID, and where people can find Derek’s work.

One-sentence summary

Derek Cheshire believes that when we stop ranking people and start truly seeing them, we unlock the creativity, dignity and connection that allows everyone to belong.

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Synopsis

Derek Cheshire comes at inclusion through the lens of creativity. His world is ideas, innovation and what happens when different minds rub together. Over the years, he has seen how quickly people retreat into fear — fear of getting language wrong, fear of offence, fear of losing status. He has also seen how easily we hide behind rules, titles and hierarchies rather than learning how to speak to each other properly. Shaped by global travel, work across cultures and conversations that could so easily have gone wrong, Derek has developed a quiet conviction: curiosity builds bridges far more effectively than control ever can.

What he is trying to change is not just workplace structures but the way we value people. He questions the obsession with ladders and ranks and asks instead what might happen if we judged contribution by connection, trust and creativity. His “soup” model is less about dismantling authority for the sake of it and more about restoring human worth. If people are allowed to be what they are good at — rather than forced up a greasy pole — more ideas surface, more dignity is preserved, and fewer people are quietly crushed by systems that were never built for them in the first place.

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10 Small, digestible concepts for easy learning

1. Curiosity is stronger than fear.

Most prejudice hides uncertainty; asking better questions softens it.

2. Language evolves because people evolve.

Updating how we speak is a small price for someone else’s dignity.

3. Common sense beats over-legislation.

Decency lasts longer when it is chosen, not enforced.

4. Exposure expands empathy.

The more people you meet, the harder it is to stereotype.

5. Hierarchy inflates ego but flattens contribution.

Titles often matter less than trust networks.

6. Creativity needs friction — not hostility.

Difference sparks ideas when people feel safe.

7. Fear of getting it wrong causes more harm than getting it wrong.

Silence and avoidance isolate people faster than clumsy curiosity.

8. You cannot be all things to all people.

Authentic difference attracts the right people.

9. Culture is the soup; we are the croutons.

We float within shared norms, but we each add flavour.

10. Contribution should outweigh position.

Value lies in what you create and connect, not what you control.

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The “why” in the story

What they believe is true about people

Derek believes people are fundamentally capable of decency and innovation — if given room to learn and contribute.

What they cannot unsee

He cannot unsee how rigid hierarchies, rigid rules and rigid thinking stifle creativity and reduce people to rank rather than worth.

What they are no longer willing to tolerate

He is no longer willing to accept that promotion and status are proof of value, or that fear should dictate how we speak to one another.

What they are trying to build instead

He is trying to build environments where contribution, curiosity and connection define someone’s place — not title, conformity or dominance.

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Narrative structure

1. The trigger:

Years of watching talented people climb into roles they were ill-suited for simply because the system rewarded upward movement, not authentic strengths. Add to that awkward cultural misunderstandings that could have been avoided with honest curiosity.

2. The tension:

The constant push-pull between freedom and offence. Between common sense and regulation. Between the comfort of hierarchy and the messiness of equality.

3. The insight:

Creativity — and belonging — flourish where people feel valued for who they are, not sorted into ladders. Fear shrinks ideas; trust unlocks them.

4. The pivot:

He stopped focusing on promotion and started focusing on contribution. He began talking about “soup” instead of structure — culture instead of control.

5. The destination:

A world where people stay where they are happiest and most skilful, where ideas travel freely across networks, and where nobody needs to step on someone else to feel significant.

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Five key takeaways and learning points

1. If you don’t understand, ask.

So what: Conversations replace assumptions, and assumptions are where harm begins.

2. Change your language when you know better.

So what: It signals respect and keeps connection intact.

3. Stop confusing hierarchy with value.

So what: You will recognise talent where it actually lives.

4. Difference is fuel, not threat.

So what: Teams become more inventive and resilient.

5. Belonging is built from behaviour, not policy.

So what: The culture you experience daily matters more than the statement on the wall.

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Ten distinct ideas explained

1. Fear masquerades as hatred.

When someone says they “hate” a group, Derek suggests what they really feel is confusion or threat. Understanding reduces hostility.

2. Cultural intelligence can be learned.

Exposure reshapes bias. Travel, conversation and discomfort expand empathy.

3. Rules alone cannot create inclusion.

Legislation can set boundaries, but dignity grows from voluntary respect.

4. Unconscious bias fills in gaps.

When we meet someone new, our brains simplify. Awareness helps us slow that shortcut.

5. Contribution over promotion.

Many people are happiest — and most impactful — doing the work they love, not managing others.

6. Innovation potential lives in networks.

Creativity grows where ideas cross boundaries, not where approval flows downward.

7. Authenticity attracts alignment.

Trying to sound like everyone else makes you invisible; clarity draws your people to you.

8. Language signals belonging.

Words carry history and power. Updating them says, “You matter enough for me to adjust.”

9. Flat structures encourage voice.

When rank softens, more people speak — and more ideas surface.

10. We are shaped by our soup.

Culture influences behaviour quietly; changing culture changes experience.

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How people should change as a result

1. Think

• Move from “What if I offend?” to “What might I learn?”
• Replace “Who’s in charge?” with “Who adds value here?”
• See updating language as growth, not loss.
• Question whether hierarchy truly serves the people within it.
• Recognise that creativity depends on difference.

2. Feel

• From defensiveness to curiosity.
• From guilt to responsibility.
• From fear to humility.
• From competition to contribution.
• From suspicion to openness.

3. Act

• Ask open, respectful questions when you are unsure.
• Change outdated language once you know better.
• Amplify someone’s contribution regardless of their title.
• Invite input from quieter voices in meetings.
• Spend time with people outside your usual circle.
• Notice when fear is stopping you from engaging — and lean in gently.
• Reward creativity and collaboration, not only rank and tenure.

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One thing to remember

Everyone is a crouton in the same soup — value comes from flavour, not position.