“I take it really seriously that I'm a role model. Regardless of where we are in an organization, if we are leaders, we have a responsibility, and we are role models. That's the truth, and we can choose to do what we want with that. To me, that is leadership.” -
Aaron Kroon
Aaron Kroon has been passionate about inclusive leadership from the early days of his career. Leadership as a role in the organization, engaging with people, and inclusion as a non-negotiable element in that leadership.
Aaron started out as a leader as an ambitious 21 year old. In the decades since, has had a lot of high leadership roles in Nordic companies, the latest decade mainly in People & Culture (HR). About a year ago, he decided that he wanted to try his own wings and started his own company called Black Batman, fully devoted to diversity and inclusion. He now traverses Europe to give keynotes about inclusive leadership and consults companies on building strategies around connecting diversity & inclusion to business success.
Aaron recently got married to his husband, Lenny, and they live in Stockholm, Sweden, with their two dogs.
You can read about this conversation below, but if you can, have a listen to the podcast audio (with the player above or in your podcast app) to hear the laughs, really get Aaron’s drive, pick up his vibe, and more. It’s hard to make that come across in the text.We write this article to make the podcast accessible for people who don’t process information through audio - as a way to be inclusive - but if you can, listening gives you the richest and most complete experience.
Aaron's approach to leadership is deeply rooted in curiosity, courage, and a commitment to seeing people. He believes that every leader, regardless of their position, has a responsibility to be a role model and to create an inclusive culture.
Fitness and healthy lifestyle is a big interest of Aaron’s and he was a top athlete in track & field when he was younger. He recognizes that he still has the mindset of giving it everything you've got. It taught him a lot about mental strength.
“I have to find the balance between how to find strength both mentally and physically, in life and in business.” - Aaron Kroon
Another piece that Aaron sees in every role he’s had and that is that you can work on anything and everything, and there will be a diversity and inclusion aspect to what you do. What he clearly states is that in his view, inclusion is a shared responsibility.
“There is an accountability for everybody when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion.” - Vivian Acquah
Aaron’s specific focus in DEI is culture in organizations: the way we interact and make decisions from the moment we enter the door of the office or log into the online meeting. It’s his specialty, because he’s good at ‘seeing and knowing’ people, he says.
“Even though I see what you say, I also see what you don't say. I read between the lines. And I think that is a strength in being a leader, especially when you work with people, that you can read the situation, read the room, read a person, and so on, because everything together – what you do, what you say, what you don't do, what you don't say – that is also culture.” - Aaron Kroon
Aaron cares about making sure that people are seen and heard, respected and valued because of their unique strength. It’s how he’s built his career: actually making sure that everyone is seen or heard, and connecting that to the business aspects. He’s the kind of manager who is genuinely interested in what drives you, what challenges you.
“What about this work is important to you?” - Vivian Acquah
Growing up in Northern Sweden in a family that practiced inclusion by welcoming those who were lonely or marginalized, Aaron developed a profound understanding of what it means to create belonging. He lived through ‘inclusion in practice’ and sees that it has shaped him.
What he didn’t quite know when he started his leadership career, and he thinks this is the part that is missing from business, is that he really saw quite early on that if we work on inclusion in the right way, it will boost profitability and business results. This has become core to his work, at the intersection of bringing inspiration and a business mindset.
“I take it really seriously that I'm a role model. Regardless of where we are in an organization, if we are leaders, we have a responsibility, and we are role models. That's the truth, and we can choose to do what we want with that. To me, that is leadership.” - Aaron Kroon
As a person of color from the northern part of Sweden and an openly gay leader, Aaron recognizes the challenges minorities face in business and society. Even though that's not something that defines him in any way: ‘I'm a leader, period. I'm not a gay leader, I'm not a black leader, I'm a leader.’ At the same time, he wants to be a role model for others in a way that he himself didn’t when he was growing up.
“Sounds like you're becoming, or have become, the person you would wish to have seen when you were younger.” - Marjolijn Vlug
What Aaron loves, perhaps more than anything, is when people are curious. On the other side of that is something that he cannot tolerate within business, and that is when someone crosses their arms and says they don’t want to learn about things they don’t know or understand.
To his mind, that goes directly against true leadership: when you are a leader, that includes being curious about things that you don't know about. It's okay also to try to learn, get it wrong and learn from that. But not wanting to learn, not wanting to get better, not wanting to keep up with changing times, that is not something that he would accept. In this learning Aaron explicitly includes looking into your own (unconscious) biases because in a business context, those biases can be so dangerous, as they will affect how we recruit, promote and everything. This is a structural problem when it comes to diversity.
“I cannot accept people not wanting to look into their biases. And once again, that is about curiosity. It's about being unafraid to learn about yourself. So when I work with executive management teams or boards, that is something that I demand that we have a session around.” - Aaron Kroon
The future Aaron hopes to see is one where we don't even have to talk about diversity inclusion because when we say leadership, that will then include what we today call diversity and inclusion. A time when diversity and inclusion are so integrated into leadership that they no longer need to be discussed separately. He's witnessing a shift in how companies approach these topics, with CEOs and board chairs now showing increased interest in inclusive leadership. He sees a business need to attract and retain talent but also that younger generations demand companies to take a stance, even politically, and that is a struggle for business leaders. He is curious how this will play out.
The safety net Aaron falls back on is his family: his husband and their dogs. Part of the reason why he quit big corporate and started his own company was to see how it may improve his work-life balance. Not thinking about work all the time. Sports are another way for him to fuel energy: he loves running, swimming, and going to the gym. In the summer he loves going out into the forest and being there for hours, just being by himself with music in his ears, reflecting on life.
There is a new kind of leadership on the rise. We call it inclusive leadership.” - Aaron Kroon
Aaron notices that curiosity among top leaders in companies about DEI is booming. Nowadays it's not the HR director that is buying his services; it's the CEOs or the chairperson of the board. And that is a change, that is a big change that he chooses to see as a trend. The challenge, where currently diversity and inclusion lies mainly with HR departments, those HR leaders need to step up and become able to rise above classic HR processes. He predicts that the job profile for HR leaders will be dramatically different in a couple of years.
“These are leaders that need to make choices and they're complex choices.” -
Marjolijn Vlug
What Aaron deeply feels connected with is the will to create something better. To make sure that everyone is seen and heard, make sure that everyone sees representation. And at the core of that is curiosity and courage.
At the heart of Aaron's work is a powerful message: being different is a superpower. He encourages individuals, especially those from minority groups, to see their unique perspectives as a strength that can bring innovative solutions to the table.
“My best advice to anyone who feels that they don’t belong, that they are not a part of the majority in a business, is to try to flip that. Being a minority in a majority group, being the odd one out, I see that as a Super Strength.” - Aaron Kroon
During his career, Aaron chose to see this as his opportunity to bring something unique into the room. He experienced that when he brought that unique perspective into the room, then they listened, because they recognized that unique contribution is what's needed to build a successful business. Success is built when we throw the wildest and most unexpected and innovative ideas on the table and discuss them.
“I built my career on being that crazy guy in the leadership room, throwing the unexpected on the table, and quite often that unexpected solution is the one that we chose in the end.” - Aaron Kroon
And he's committed to being the person who brings those ideas forward, challenging traditional thinking and creating pathways for more inclusive, dynamic leadership.
Thank you for joining this journey of sharing stories, wisdom and inspiration. Coming together as change makers, we create momentum, share our insights, make connections, and cultivate environments with a wide range of viewpoints.
LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE WITH THE PLAYER AT TOP OF PAGE Or in your favorite podcast app
About Aaron Kroon
Aaron Kroon is a multi-awarded leader and public speaker. He has 25+ years of experience in leadership and has cemented his place as one of Sweden's most influential leaders. Aaron challenges the norm, inspires courage, and shows how empathy and inclusion aren't just right—they're the keys to real success.
Through his company, Black Batman, Aaron helps leaders and companies across the Nordics to create successful organizations based on inclusive strategies. With lectures, insightful advice and groundbreaking workshops, he helps companies transform diversity into a powerful engine for innovation and profitability.
Connect with Aaron via
Amplify DEI New Year Offer
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Deactivate Microaggressions @ Work
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