Last week I attended the annual Windsor Leadership Debate, held at the Royal Institution in London’s Mayfair. Windsor Leadership Trust is a charity founded 1981, that provides “transformational leadership programmes for senior leaders across all sectors, including corporate, public, military, education, faith and not-for-profit” (according to its website), and that operates within the grounds of…
Author: thehenleycentreforleadership
The Henley Centre for Leadership is dedicated to exploring, investigating, understanding and advancing new forms, practices and sources of leadership in global contexts. In so doing, we seek to create significant intellectual insights, stimulation and practical support for leadership.
We are a team of academics with a wide range of experience, working in diverse fields of research, including organisational energy, engaging leadership, well-being in organisations and leadership in the digital age.
Can we gain leadership skills from great works of fiction?
What a privilege it was to attend a conference of around 100 global leadership scientists, the 3rd Interdisciplinary Perspective on Leadership Symposium – and even more so when it is held in a warm week in spring on the beautiful island of Crete. But now, what can one offer back to a community of managers…
Worried about technology disrupting your career prospects? 3 good reasons why you shouldn’t be!
We are inundated with headlines telling us that our jobs are under threat by technological advances related to artificial intelligence, machine learning and the internet of things. These headlines are usually illustrated with pictures of angry looking robots ready to make you and your job redundant. Industry, businesses and work will change because of technology;…
Is the #MeToo Movement the Tip of the Iceberg?
It has been startling and infuriating over the last few months to see the emergence of story after story of women being sexually exploited by men in the workplace, whether that is the movie industry, music, the arts or indeed any other organisation or industry. The movement started as a result of the revelations in…
Having time to contemplate – and the contradictions that arise
Research and practice on energy, resilience or well-being tell us that stepping away from the treadmill of work for a distinct period helps us recharge our batteries. And this is crucial in order for us to thrive, enjoy, find purpose and perform well in the long run. All fine, but what to do if you…
Mental Health in the Workplace and the Connectivity Paradox
A recent study shows that at work, at least one in four people experience mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. Although a range of factors of course contribute to psychological problems, the growing use of technology may well play a significant role. As organisations drive towards digitisation, telework and working within virtual teams…
We don’t need another hero
The very word ‘leadership’ conjures up images drawn from history and Hollywood. Historical accounts of leadership describe uncommon individuals, usually men. These characters seemed possessed of extraordinary perception, vision, drive and wisdom. Henry the Fifth, according to Shakespeare, matured almost overnight from a tear-away youth to a visionary King who re-established the dream of Albion…
How the word ‘leadership’ means (at least) three different things
There is a common-sense logic to the idea that leadership brings order from chaos, which makes it a fundamentally desirable goal. The problem is that no-one can completely agree what the word means. Whenever we ask, “What is Leadership?” we are, I’m afraid to say, asking a leading question. Leading questions take you towards a…
Digital Leadership or Leading Digitally?
Does your organisation’s digital leadership (DL) mean you are leading digitally? DL as a concept is used when we want to establish how organisations leverage technology in order to have competitive advantage. It also describes how people in organisations deploy technology to support or optimise processes, transform organisational culture, or innovate new ways of…
Trump one year on: Senior Management involvement
If you look back at news reporting between November 2016 and today, it is astonishing. Every move, idea, comment and breath by Donald Trump has been commented on and responded to, and for good reason. However, it also tells us about ourselves as an audience. You will remember, in my blogs I mentioned these dynamics…
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