Does it matter what kind of leader you are?

Does it matter what kind of leader you are? Does it matter what you stand for? In recent years here in the UK we have seen a succession of Prime Ministers come and go. The only one I confidently know what he stood for is the one firmly in favour of leaving the European Union, a mission he successfully delivered.

I find myself despairing at the idea that managing the internal divisions of your political party seems to matter more than doing the right thing for the people of this country. That your own position of power matters more than helping people who are struggling or making public services work properly. I read something the other day that suggested the police service is the only public service in this country that is currently properly funded. That means that everyone who looks to the state for provision of health, education, legal representation, social care, getting the bins emptied or who cannot earn enough money to support their family, and anyone who is struggling with their energy bills or their mortgage payments, is being badly let down by successive governments.

What stops me despairing is what I see at a local level. I live in a beautiful village in the Sussex countryside. We moved there just before the first lockdown, and what a stroke of fortunate timing that was. The neighbourhood immediately pulled together. The community-owned shop shut its doors, turned itself into a warehouse and started a free delivery service providing everything from a loaf of bread and a pint of milk to the full complement of weekly groceries. The local pub shut its doors but started doing takeaways using volunteers from the village as delivery drivers. Nothing beats getting your fish and chips delivered by a man in a Porsche! Volunteers collected prescriptions for those who were shielding, and checked up on isolated neighbours. We stood in the street clapping for the NHS as much to check who was okay and who wasn’t as showing our support for vital public services. As part of ongoing village life, we have a village bus service, a variety of social activities open to all, a hardship fund for people who are struggling, and any number of volunteers running vital bits of local infrastructure.

I see a mountain of clothes being donated to support local Ukrainian refugees who came to the UK in the summer in what they stood up in who now need warm sweaters and coats. I see my neighbour setting off to the local food bank with her car laden with contributions from the village.

I grew up in Colchester, Essex. In recent years, the town centre has suffered economic decline with a proliferation of cheap fast food and charity shops, at the same time as enormous house-building has put strain on the roads, schools and local health services. The high street on a Saturday night is not a place you want to linger. Since my Dad died, I’ve spent much more time there looking after my Mum. I’ve joined various Facebook groups to find out what activities and services are available. I’m in awe of the amount of public spirit that shows up in these groups. Lost bank cards, lost car keys, lost dogs, all flagged up and reunited with their owners. Unwanted furniture being given to people who are struggling to set up their own homes. Help to move house, help to shift rubbish, advice on which taxi service is best for your vulnerable parent, which plumber won’t rip you off, who will do a good job on your hair or walking your dogs.

I see local businesses in both Colchester and my Sussex home actively working to be ethical, environmentally aware, socially conscious. I see local people spending more in those businesses just to support them, even though it means buying less.

I’ve just finished Walking 100 Miles in October to raise money for Cancer Research. I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of people I do and don’t know. I know that some of them do not have spare cash lying around, yet they donate anyway.

People are putting others before themselves. On an individual, local, human level, good is being done every day.

What you do, what we all do, how we behave, matters.

What does this have to do with leadership? I want to challenge anyone reading this who has any kind of responsibility in an organisation to ask yourself what the impact of your leadership is. What do you stand for? What reputation are you building? What would your team or colleagues say about you? What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

People in positions of power and decision-making authority - you, and me - have a social responsibility. Not in the formal CSR way, but in the detail of every choice you make. Are you developing your people? Are you contributing to making the constituency you serve a better place? Are you improving the lives of your consumers or just taking their money without concern for the consequences? Are you building strong communities? What impact are you having on this planet? Are you doing it for the good of the human community we are all a part of? If Covid has shown us nothing else, it’s that we are all connected in ways that perhaps were invisible before. Let’s start taking responsibility for each other. Let’s start taking care of each other and the world we inhabit.

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