Outdated methods in current politics

It’s strange and somewhat unsettling to see such a public failure of leadership play out before our eyes. It didn’t need to be this way. While so much of the news on Boris’s downfall has been about character, truth and lies, just as important is the adherence to an outdated leadership approach.

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.

Prime Ministers are busy people. They can only do so much and have access to information that enables them to make a limited number of decisions. They rely on a strong team that is characterised by trusting relationships and the ability to harness the expertise of the team. When any Prime Minister is shuffling, re-shuffling, hiring, and firing, it is impossible to create a context where leaders can thrive and give of their best. For any team in any context to work well, stability and trust are an absolute must.

So, what should we expect from a Prime Minister? Interestingly, even though leadership in the rest of life has changed, there is still an expectation from some that our country’s leader will be an orator who revels in the cut and thrust of commons debate and is decisive and able to make quick decisions when there is a global crisis. Don’t you just wish that instead of getting away with hate-filled speech by calling the other party an ‘honourable lady’ or ‘honourable gentleman’, politicians of all parties put their heads together and collaborated on finding solutions to our country’s complex problems?

The question for me is, how can we move towards a situation where the leaders of all our political parties genuinely believe in the power of teams and are able to welcome and harness diversity of background, experience and opinion? How can those we elect who are undoubtedly bright and capable also be wise and humble and work for the long-term interests of people not short-term political wins