Meaningful Leadership by Jimmy Paul
If we are going to address the gross inequities across Scotland (which the pandemic and cost of living crisis has further exposed) then we need people who will build a new way of doing things. In response to such a provocation, people often say ‘we need leadership’. But what is leadership?
I vividly remember Graham, one of my managers on the incredible NHS Management Training Scheme, saying “leadership is when you can see what needs doing, and when you can work well with others to go and do it”. There are plenty of attempts to define leadership, but this one is my favourite.
By this definition, effective leadership is different in different contexts. I was fortunate to take part in both the British Council’s Future Leaders Connect programme and also to have been the Curator of the Edinburgh Hub of the World Economic Forum initiative, Global Shapers, and I spent time with people from all over the world who were committed to being the best leader that they can be. Together, we explored what meaningful leadership looks like. One of my friends from Egypt explained to me that in a nation where governmental corruption is rife, a key tenet of leadership is having dirt on your opponents and being able to name their corruption; then you are more likely to find yourself in a position of power to drive the positive change that you want to see. Another friend said that effective leadership in his native Mongolia was rolling your sleeves up doing the hard graft, a type of ‘leadership from behind’, and demonstrating that your leadership is rooted in service.
I found it fascinating that effective leadership can be so different in different contexts. So what does effective leadership look like in Scotland, and in relation to effecting change in the ‘care system’?
Leaders must cede and share power, relentlessly. Gone are the days when a top-down, iron-fist, ‘masculine’ approach to leadership works, where power is the currency of change and where ego was everything. We need leaders who value kindness, relationships and who understand the depth of energy required to build trust. We need leaders that pursue diversity, and value lived experiences. Leaders who embrace non-hierarchical structures so that power is shared. In a sentence, we need leaders who seek to make themselves less important in service of a collective.
These are the same leaders who understand the intrinsic complexity of systems change. Silver bullets don’t exist and change is non-linear and messy. But we can achieve more by working together, acknowledging that speed happens at the speed of trust. This means ending the hero narrative that too often is a feature of those in leadership roles.
Leaders that are collaborative. There are times and places when more disruptive leadership can be beneficial – look at the suffragettes, who risked their lives to raise the profile of desperately needed change. Rosa Parks, who made a stand in a way that the world will remember forever. Laura Beveridge, who brilliantly and boldly said that we needed a care revolution because the pace of change was too slow, and Scotland listened. When systems are designed to oppress and ignore certain groups of people, disruptive leadership can be an effective mode of change.
believe that we have a different situation in Scotland now, particularly in relation to care reform. With the clear vision for change articulated in The Promise and with its widespread support of the care community, effective leadership compels us to now collaborate like never before in service of The Promise, to ensure that all children in Scotland flourish. We can achieve change at pace by channelling our energies constrictively (rather that disruptively). My view on this was different ten years ago when we were in a different context.
Leaders that reflect, deeply. Scotland is crying out for leaders to are committed to building their emotional intelligence and their self-awareness. Scarcely are we asked to reflect on our own drivers and motivations for taking the course of action that we do, but it is such a vital practice which provides the foundation for effective leadership. It is central in aligning our actions to best serve change, so we may need to pivot and adapt our approach occasionally.
Sadly, we have all seen leaders act from a position of self-interest masked as altruism. This is why we must hold increasingly high standards for our leaders in Scotland and beyond. Only by having reflective leadership will we be able to achieve the high ambitions that we have set ourselves for Scotland’s children and families.
This means finding constructive ways to challenge those leaders when they do slip up but also allowing people to apologise for their mistakes. Whilst there is a place for public challenge (sometimes in the form of Twitter pile-ons) they aren’t my favourite mode. How can we model a relational and kind approach when holding our leaders to account? Sadly, this isn’t always possible – but I would like to see much more of this when it is possible.
Leaders that are authentic. There is something empowering and affirming about spending time with people who are comfortable in their own skin. Effective leaders help others to feel good about themselves. They are impeccable with their words, honest and constructive. They are also human, which means imperfect and of course, flawed!
They are also bold. This also means being a leader who does the right thing, not just the easy thing. I am constantly blown away by the work of children’s charities across Scotland like Aberlour and Children 1st. In the summer had the pleasure of getting a coffee with their CEO, Mary, and we spoke about lots of big picture things. What is the ultimate purpose of children’s charities? Is it to grow and exist forever? If so, this means that these charities become part of the architecture that benefits when children and families come to harm. Mary articulated beautifully that the purpose of Children 1st is to support families in the here and now, whilst working to prevent harm and hardship coming to families in the first place. This might mean that they no longer exist in the future as they are no longer needed, or it might be that their work takes a different form, and that is what constitutes their success. I admire this brave leadership which is rooted firmly in the needs of families and not self-interest. It reminds me of something I heard recently: ‘the goal of helping is enabling, not more helping’.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article on leadership. In short, I think that leadership must stretch us to find new ways of doing things which fit our emerging contexts. It needs to make us uncomfortable about the status quo and driven to make change happen, at pace, whilst embodying the values that we need to see in the world. On this point, I’ll end with my favourite systems theorist, Myron Rogers, who says that ‘the process we use to get to the future is the future we get’. Something for us all to remember.
1 December 2022
