Why is it that some leaders pass the baton of leadership to others with grace and dignity while others hold on to the reins of power for far too long? 

We are all susceptible to certain unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour which can undermine our leadership and/or sense of well-being. For those of us whose tendency is to say yes to too many things, here are some thoughts.

Seemingly unbeknown to many of our political leaders, leadership is changing and has been for some time. The ‘command and control’ approach which emerged in the industrial age is unfit for our present time and has long been abandoned for a more inclusive, creative, collaborative and team-orientated approach. Meanwhile, our system of government is caught in a time warp using old methods that are long past their sell-by date.

An unexpected finding of the extensive research Jim Collins carried out in his quest to discover what helped ‘good’ companies become ‘great companies’ was that all the companies who transitioned from 'good' to 'great' had Level 5 leaders at the helm.

Do you sometimes wonder if you are the right kind of person to be a leader? If you ask people to describe their picture of an ideal leader, it’s not uncommon to hear words such as “charismatic”, “visionary”, “driven”, “energetic”, “inspiring communicator”, but what if that’s not you?

As leaders, one of our greatest responsibilities is to inspire and motivate our team through cultivating a sense of hope and painting a picture of the future we long to see. It is also to remain tenacious, with our eyes fixed on our ultimate destination, leading our team through the inevitable failures and disappointments and never losing hope that our vision can be a reality.

As we witness the horror of the Russian forces doing all they can to crush and destroy Ukraine it’s a good time to reflect on the nature of power. As leaders, we can use positional power to ensure those who work under us do what we want but we cannot force the admiration or honour or love of another person.

A quick skim through any social media and it's hard to miss some extreme views being posted. It is easy to exist in a bubble of similar beliefs, values and opinions, which social media only exacerbates, but it can also be dangerous. As leaders we need to be aware of our propensity to surround ourselves with people just like us and instead, actively seek out different perspectives.

The British public has been shocked and outraged this month by revelations of parties within the government at a time when the country was living under tight, government-imposed lockdown rules. It seems a good time to be looking at the importance of integrity as a leader.

When working in multicultural teams we need to understand that culture plays an important role in shaping what people view as appropriate behaviour. Without seeking to understand each other, hurt and conflict can arise because of the gap between our intention and our behaviour.

As leaders it is all too easy to allow our work lives to become all-consuming. Just like our national calendar with its pre-planned rhythm of seasons and events, it is helpful if we can build in rhythms in our own lives which ensure we get all we need to remain physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy.

Growing in leadership has a lot to do with developing breadth – learning to lead differently and adapt our approach to the differences in personality and context of those we lead.

Whether at work or at home, relationships suffer and trust is undermined when people are not able to be honest with each other. Read on to discover 6 things you can do as a leader to help build honest and open relationships in your team, or in your family.

As leaders, we can’t control every situation but we can choose a better path than the path of worry.

How our leadership changes over time as we learn more about ourselves and about those we lead.

Self-leadership is the foundation of good leadership because we all lead out of who we are. When we become more self-aware and work on growing healthier thoughts, emotions and behaviours, we provide a foundation of authentic and life-giving leadership that will help others flourish and build a thriving world.