I often ask myself, am I an effective leader? Then I smile and realise that question leads to another question – what makes an effective leader? I find it a fascinating and important subject.
I was recently thrilled to be asked by the senior management team at Southend-on-Sea City Council to share my thoughts on leadership. In my presentation, I focused on the leadership behaviours that are important to me, and the ways of working that we are embedding within the Active Essex team. The number one behaviour I conveyed was being authentic, and that also means being vulnerable and humble.
So many people have inspired me in my career. My leadership beliefs and skills have been shaped by so many wonderful people, one in particular being John Amaechi, a former black NBA player and is now an incredible motivational speaker. His quote, “Culture is defined by the worst behaviour that anyone tolerates” massively resonates with me, and I think about this a lot in my leadership role. Please take a few minutes to listen to John here.
Another leadership behaviour very close to my heart is empathy. You may have heard of the ‘empathy gap’ – when leaders are seriously detached from the lived experience of the people their services are trying to reach. That is why I am so committed to showing up at the front line of our work. Active Essex runs over 200 clubs for children in priority neighbourhoods, through every school holiday, and I love visiting and talking with the kids, parents, and the coaches. It really helps with my understanding of the joy, the aspirations, and the challenges of the children and families that Active Essex engages with.
The Active Essex Local Delivery Pilot has been a rich and wonderful leadership experience for me. We have developed 8 key leadership lessons that really resonate with me and my team. I try to live these leadership behaviours every day, including ‘progress moves at the speed of trust’, ‘hold your nerve’, ‘say yes to the mess’, and ‘go where the energy is’.
I think the essence of my leadership is my commitment to building trusting relationships. I work very hard at developing and maintaining trusted relationships with so many people, and I am convinced that this is the foundation of strong leadership, and ultimately, strong and effective organisations.
