The Dearth of Leadership

Leadership lessons from Brexit?

It has taken me a full week to even begin to gather thoughts about the outcome of the European referendum that can be articulated in a business blog.  At the end of a tumultuous week I am, with many others in business, still processing what this means for us and what lies ahead.  The chaos engulfing us right now as I write this, doesn’t feel as if it will resolve itself any time soon and I am concerned as to how this will affect companies like ours.  Business hates uncertainty and in my lifetime I have never experienced such a deep unease as events appeared to spiral out of control this week.

Most worrying of all is the dearth of Leadership at the very top of our political system.

So what can be learned about leadership and leading change from Brexit?

Well here are 5 points I’ve considered:

  1. Never, ever get caught without a plan.  I find it unconscionable that a question was put to us, the electorate, without one.  You would rightly be thrown out of any boardroom in any business for being so utterly, utterly stupid…
  2. Never think about negotiating with your pants down, it’s not a good look … or indeed talk about negotiating after you have insulted the people you are negotiating with.  Our current negotiating position is risible and you would be laughed at in business.
  3. Never advocate change unless you truly believe it will lead to the greater good and never, ever advocate change just because it benefits you personally or politically.
  4. Never ignore the people who are most affected by the change.  If  only 36% of young voters turned out, that’s not THEIR fault, it’s YOUR fault politicians and media people!  I need only point to Scotland’s Independence Referendum: the voting age was lowered, young people took part in televised debate and 80% of them turned out to vote.  So always, always make sure you communicate change, listen to people’s concerns and explain how THEY will be affected by change.
  5. Never allow yourself to join the “Post Truth” movement.  I heard this phrase on a BBC Radio 4 debate about Brexit and it disturbed me.  Apparently: “If you repeat something often enough, even if it isn’t true, people start to believe it”.  Well that might win you the battle but it won’t win you the war and I think as leader you’ll be held accountable for that untruth and, ultimately, held in contempt.  Always speak the truth and never be afraid to ask the difficult questions in your organisation that we so failed to ask our politicians.

I’m hoping these points, which seem to have evaded our political representatives, are blindingly obvious to those of you in leadership and management positions in businesses and organisations large and small.

We all have a huge task now and whichever side of the debate you were on, I know that like me, you will want a new and better country to emerge.  One that understands true leadership rather than the cult of “the leader”, one that thinks before it acts and one that puts truth and decency above all else.

JD

 

No Guru provide a range of training to develop leaders, managers, people and teams.  John is also available to deliver seminars and talks on themes covered in the blogs.  Get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

Posted by John Drysdale
1st July 2016
John's Blog

News

New ILM Coaching & Mentoring Programme – May 2022

Due to the ongoing success of our ILM Coaching & Mentoring Programmes, we have now scheduled in a second cohort for 2022.

The programme is already receiving plaudits and as a result we are growing our community of ILM Coaches and Mentors progressing towards an internationally recognised qualification.

Watch out also for our special preview events ‘Take Your Coaching To The Next Level’ running throughout March, April and May.

Information on the programme can be found here.

ILM Coaching & Mentoring May 2022

Contact us on:  bethecoach@noguru.net   or call 0844 873 1226

 

ILM Coaching & Mentoring September 2021

We are looking forward to starting our new cohort joining The Coaching Programme, leading to qualifications in Coaching & Mentoring from ILM at Level 5 and Level 7.

The programme begins on Friday 17th September 2021 with our ‘Coaching Foundations’ session.  All learning is done remotely, making our programme accessible wherever you are.

 

New ILM Coaching Course begins

Delighted to announce we have a capacity ILM L7 Coaching & Mentoring Programme up and running. There is a real appetite for coaching at the moment and a great need for coaches to support people through the pandemic and all that brings.

With this in mind we will announce our next programme scheduled for April, and we will offer qualifications at Level 5 and 7.

Watch this space..

.

Twitter

John's Blog

Why be a coach or mentor?

I am a little biased but I love both coaching and mentoring. I used to enjoy being the ‘trainer’ which satisfied the performer in me but as I get older there is something that I find deeply satisfying in being a coach or mentor.

More than that, I find it a privilege to work with people.  People that trust you enough to share their greatest challenges, dearest hopes, deepest fears and core beliefs about life. I can think of few professions in business that afford you such intimacy. I feel lucky and grateful each and every session I get to spend with my clients. (more…)

Speaking Truth to Power

For those afraid of speaking …

(But) TED is a tough, pressured, hugely stressful gig, even for experienced public speakers, and I’m not that. Standing in the wings waiting to go on, I told the stage manager that my heart was racing uncontrollably and in an act of great kindness, she grasped both my hands and made me take breath after breath. And what you don’t see in the video – deftly edited out – is the awful, heart-stopping moment when I forgot a line, followed by another act of collective kindness, a spontaneous empathic cheer as I composed myself and found my cue. “That’s when the audience came onside,” an attendee told me. “You were human. That’s when you won them over.”  Guardian April 2019

 

This from Carole Cadwalladr, a journalist at the Guardian who has in this last year investigated the role of tech corporations and their platforms in influencing the workings of our democracy.  What makes her TED talk so compelling is because here she is facing those very same technology giants on their turf.  And speaking truth to power.

(more…)

Coaching: Deep Impact

This week I had the chance to attend a seminar at the Leeds Coaching Network featuring renowned coach, writer and speaker Julie Starr.  You may be familiar with some of Julie’s work including; ‘The Coaching Manual’, ‘The Mentoring Manual’ and ‘Brilliant Coaching’ and the session was everything you expected it to be. (more…)