Getting the message across

I've been thinking a lot about leadership authenticity of late - how leaders inspire others by having a message that they clearly believe in, and which enables others to identify with their vision.

These reflections have been prompted by a couple of experiences I've had over the last two weeks. Firstly, I went to a lecture given by Rt Hon Tony Benn, entitled 'a letter to my grandchildren'. This interesting talk highlighted how much values have played a part in Tony Benn's life - while not always pursuing a popular agenda, he has nevertheless never swayed from his personal convictions of what he believes is right. This gives him an authenticity that is undoubtedly inspiring. During the talk, he suggested that leaders should never 'say things they don't believe in in order to get on'. He also quoted Lao-Tzu, philosopher and central figure in Taoism: 'the best leaders let people think they've done it for themselves'. The full Lao-Tzu quote is worth a look (and is of particular interest as it dates to 500BC and yet still sounds very relevant today).

I've also been reflecting not just on leadership but also my role as a staff developer - and how I deliver my message to others. Last week a session I was involved in was interrupted half-way through by a power cut. A moment after the powerpoint screen went blank and the lights went off, there was actually a collective sigh of relief in the room (even from us, the trainers!). Now this may have been because the participants thought they would get out early - but in actual fact I think it had something to do with suddenly having no technology in the room - no noisy air con, bullet points or glaring strip lights - just silence for a few moments. My colleague Marcus, being a consummate professional, acknowledged this and carried on the session in a less structured way, in the form of a very useful discussion. I wondered after the event whether we rely too much on technology to help us get out points across. I think we need to get back to basics and focus on what the people who we lead, either in a team or in a learning situation, really need from us, not just what we want to tell them.