Leadership lessons are everywhere- if we take a moment to look.
- Louise Nolan
- Apr 2, 2024
- 2 min read
At the weekend, I visited my closest friend and her family. Pulling up to their house, with its beautiful rambling garden and veggie patches, feels like home. I'm greeted with whoofs and wagging tails, and there is always a hug and a cuppa when I step inside.
Part of the ritual of weekends like this is taking the dogs (and me) for a long walk. I'm a townie and clearly don't get enough 'outdoors' in their eyes. There is such a simple joy in watching Spaniels run with excitement as if this is the first walk in their lives. The countryside surrounding Wareham is stunning.
We often walk in comfortable silence having exhausted our gossiping, debating, and putting the world to rights. At these moments, I try to be present and take in small details—budding flowers, marshy puddles, and mossy logs. It's a lesson in my leadership—that I slow down and do things that counteract the pace and distraction of day-to-day life.
Leadership lesson number one: Be present.
This time, our conversation shifted to something sobering. In May 2020, a devasting wildfire erupted in Wareham Forest. The surviving trees still bear the charred scars. Two hundred twenty hectares were destroyed, the equivalent of 340 Premier League football pitches. It would be another 17 days before the fire crews, police, rescue teams, and volunteers could step away.
You would be forgiven for missing this on national news. It happened at the height of lockdown and coronavirus panic. Negotiating the personal and professional challenges of a pandemic reality, we didn't only bubble physically; we bubbled mentally, turning our attention to what we could control when the world around us had gone mad.
As I waded through soggy heathland, I tried to imagine the scale of leadership required to overcome the challenges.
Of course, collective leadership was paramount to the outcome, but so were the personal acts of leadership mustered by each person involved. Everyone had to be accountable for their actions in the chaotic and volatile circumstances.
Leadership lesson number two: We all have scope to lead, even if that is ourselves.
Of course, there is always someone in charge. But hierarchy alone doesn't cut it. When lives are on the line, no one cares about the job title.
Leadership goes deeper. The qualities and actions make a difference, not the job grade.
There are many leadership lessons to consider here, such as trust, communication, rolling up sleeves and collaborating, bravery and accepting when to step back and let others step in for the greater good rather than personal glory.
They believe human carelessness caused the fire. In the area, they found the remains of eleven disposable BBQs.
This may be the last and most important leadership lesson of all. Our actions impact those around us, and actions without care or consideration have lasting consequences.
