Reflections in Practice #7
Weekly musings, ideas and reflections emerging from my client work
Reflections in Practice #7
My focus this week has been firmly focused on what good leadership looks like right now. This Substack set up a while ago now was because I believe that the kind of leadership needed over this next chapter needs a return to principles of integrity, not only as a personality trait or personal quality, but as an operating system, governance, culture and shared identity. I analysed the content I speak about to begin isolating the leadership capabilities needed, and the following are key themes. I'm going to work on these further as I move forward to create a framework. I'm especially drawn to solidarity as a leadership capability! What would you add?
Clarity
Power-literacy
Truth-telling
Discomfort tolerance
Solidarity
Accountability
Long-termism
Relational stewardship
Conversations across various projects have focused on the responsibilities of leaders facing changing political landscapes, which are rapidly entering the business and civil society domains. I wrote an article about why engaging with reform is not something to sleepwalk into as civil society leaders, and soft-launched a strategy clinic in collaboration with Jo Atkins-Potts. Another client in Germany said discussions about whether charities there would accept funding from parties like the AfD were worryingly in the 'it's complicated' space. This is also the work of EDI and anti-racism - who will and won’t we back and support?
I’ve been playing around with AI to tell stories of the future in all kinds of visual ways for a workshop I’m running to help make scenarios feel less abstract, and it’s been so much fun! I saw that Rob Hopkins is running a course based on his book ‘How to Fall in Love with the Future,’ and it inspired me to think about how we can bring more of that into our work, too.
This week’s image comes from a book I saw on display at an exhibition I’ve now been to twice in Barcelona at the MACBA, called Project a Black Planet, which I see is now coming to the Barbican too. It fits well with the energy I’m bringing into my work right now. New challenges need new solutions.
Happy weekend, folks.
