Follow the leader

I am a leftie, and more than that, I am an extreme leftie. So far left I am nearly off the spectrum. So what does that mean? Do I have pictures of Lenin hanging on my bedroom walls? NO! Do I want the state to control everything? NO! Do I carry a little red book with me at all times? NO! Because my declaration of leftism has nothing to do with my political persuasion, and it is in no way an indicator of how I voted at the general election, rather, my penchant for the left is indicative of the type of leader I am - at least that’s what I was told at the Leadership Trust last week.

As a Forum for the Future scholar I have been on a journey for the last nine months to discover, analyse, and decipher what type of leader I am and, more importantly, what type of leader I can become within the sustainable development movement. So what does it mean to be a leftie leader? Well, to give you a very brief overview, there are two types of leader at either end of the spectrum: those on the right who lead with their heads over their hearts, and those, like me, on the left, who lead with their hearts over their heads. Where one places oneself on the scale, by answering a series of revealing questions, reflects how likely one is to be a controlling, maybe even sadistic leader (far right) or to be a self-destructive and non-committal leader (far left). These, of course, are the extremes and most people find themselves hovering somewhere around the mid-point.

I was not surprised to find myself on the left. I know in my heart of hearts (proof in itself) that I am a leftie with a tendency to lead with my gut and to do what feels right.

When asked to rate me as a leader, however, nearly all of my fellow Scholars placed me on the right of the spectrum. I was perceived as someone who leads with their head rather than their heart. The conclusion of my peers can be interpreted in two ways: either, I am suitably convincing in making heart-felt decisions seem the logical and rational thing to do or, I flip-flop between the two styles of leadership, confusing those around me. To be honest, the latter is the far more likely explanation!

Understanding how you lead others, and how others perceive you to lead, is vital to becoming a good leader - irrelevant of your style. Taking part in the leadership exercise analysis at the Leadership Trust has also made me think about how I want to be led. A particularly relevant question given the recent general election. I must confess, however, that after diligently watching all three of the televised debates, I am still uncertain as to the type of leader Messrs Brown, Cameron and Clegg want to be.

I have studied the manifestos of each of the main parties as a part of the Masters course but I fear they could all turn out to be nothing more than Trojan horses with which to crash open the doors of No. 10. I have witnessed how vulnerable all leaders are in the monetary and media-saturated democracy in which we live. And I have watched as they have shown their true colours as followers, not leaders.

I now find myself asking what do I really want from the future leader of this country? As a wannabe leader in sustainable development, I have begun to realise that any leader whose aim is to create a more sustainable and fair future for the UK, and indeed the world, is going to have to use their heart and their head in equal measures. I hope that whoever ends up in Number 10 realises this too: good leadership, at every level, requires both heart and head.