What inspired you to write this book?
I felt frustrated at the number of leaders I met who had tried to
produce change outside their organisations but then had reverted
back to their usual territories, muttering "nothing will ever
change" and "it's impossible to make anything happen in the messy
and misguided world out there". This book is to show them, and
others, that it can be done and that they should get back out there
and do it!
In your own words, what's the book about?
Leading when you can't tell anyone what to do. I call this Leading
Beyond Authority.
Who do you hope will read your book?
It's for people who want to know how to produce change within
their organisations or in society, and in situations where
authority has to be earned rather than given. It's also for all
people who want to change the world, or their part of it. It's for
bureaucracy-bashers and silo-slayers the world over. In other
words, it's for anybody who doesn't want to "stick to their
knitting" and instinctively "butts in" rather than "butts out".
How is the leadership style you describe relevant to
leaders of the future?
Across every sector, boundaries are blurring. Authority is
becoming less and less clear-cut. Partnership is proliferating.
Leaders need to lead not only organisations effectively - more and
more, they find themselves having to lead diverse networks too. The
traditional leadership tools work - but nothing like as well, or as
often, as they used to. Increasingly, you need to supplement them
with others. That's what my book is about.
Tell us about a leader you admire.
There is no one - just lots of bits of lots of people. Most of
them are in the book. All of them share a willingness to share
successes and failures, have the potent combination of self-belief
and humility and have a deep interest in other people.
Tell us about a time when you have had to Lead Beyond
Authority.
When I founded Common Purpose back in 1989, everyone I met
responded by saying "By what right…?". It was difficult, but nearly
twenty years later Common Purpose is an international leadership
organisation in 47 towns and cities in the UK and in 12 countries
worldwide.
How would you describe yourself?
I'm energetic and thoughtful. Positive and difficult. Demanding
and loving. Creative and structured. All of these simultaneously, I
hope.
Who inspires you?
People who stand up and don't grovel. Whether they are swanky or
not. Whether they change the world or just their streets. People
who take a step forward rather than back when faced with a
challenge.
