I have recognised that leadership has become much more prominent as a theme in our sector over recent years and is a trend that intrigues me.
Of course, leadership has always been around, meaning different things to different professions and industries. Just put the word leadership into ChatGPT and you will disappear down a thousand rabbit holes.
My conundrum is that leadership has so much width and breadth that it can create confusion and misunderstanding. On one hand, leadership is portrayed as high-ranking people in organisations. On the other hand, I am told that we are all leaders now no matter who we are or what we do. My feeling is it is probably a bit of both.
One thing I am sure of, leadership is a behaviour, not a title, and is demonstrated through personal qualities and actions that have a positive impact on other people. I am often called a leader in my role as Director of Active Essex, and I willingly accept this leadership responsibility in the spirit of my position to have a positive impact on my team. I believe that my capabilities as a leader can only be judged by others, not by job status or qualifications.
I am a national facilitator for the Local Government Association and Sport England course in Place Based Leadership which is being delivered for all 80 new Place Partnership programmes around the country. The course has some exciting and interesting leadership themes, which signal a clear message of the kind of leadership required to undertake this challenging work in our most deprived communities, such as empathy, courage, and compassion. I know that my colleagues in local authorities and the NHS also appreciate this leadership approach, to help them navigate their uncertainty and complexity.
I am learning a lot from renowned concepts such as Deep Democracy (Myrna Lewis), Theory U (Otto Scharmer), Inner Development Goals (IDG) and The Thinking Environment (Nancy Kline). A condensed version of these inspiring approaches is now provided to all Active Essex staff, as we embed this leadership culture into Active Essex, so that we can successfully create the conditions to make an impact in our work.
My leadership definition conundrum continues, but I am enjoying it and learning a lot from immersing myself in the puzzle that it is.
