Working with our VIP coaching group recently, we asked them to identify role model leadership qualities, and then to find people who were role models, displaying these qualities. The qualities they listed include:
- having a vision and going for it
- staying true to your purpose
- balancing work and home life
- making a difference in the economy
- making a difference to the community
So who, we asked, embodies these qualities?
After a long silence, one voice hesitantly offered “Barack Obama?” It was clear that the participants were having difficulty finding their leadership role models, but here’s the thing – look closer to home, and look carefully. There are examples on your doorstep. “Show us”, the participants challenged, so we put on our coats and walked into the village where our rural retreats are held to find the following:
the mother/daughter partnership who both hold down full time jobs and have simultaneously set up Chillilicious, the UKs most Northerly Chilli farm – overcoming the climatic challenges to grow and sell chillis and chilli products
the special needs teacher with a passion for art, who has opended the Lunardi Gallery to showcase local artists and crafts people, while continuing to teach art therapy for special needs children, and also taking comissions to produce ther own unique textiles
the local Ceres butcher who got fed up having to buy meat from supermarkets when we live in a farming county, and opened his shop selling locally sourced meat. He can even tell you which herd that steak came from, and provides much-needed employment for many people.
Griselda Hill, who made it her mission to revive the iconic Wemyss Ware pottery, reinstating the original designs and techniques and breathing new life into this age-old brand.
And we visited all these role models in just one afternoon, in one small village of 1,000 people. How many inspirational leaders can you find on your own doorstep? And is one of them you?
Leading For Transformation 