Patriarchal leadership has lost all relevance, says Toby Sawday

Since 1996, Forum for the Future’s Masters in Leadership for Sustainable Development has been training the leaders of the future. Green Futures tracks the career of a Forum alumnus.

Toby Sawday
Class of: 2004-05
Currently: Managing Director, Alastair Sawday Publishing

Why I chose the MProf?
I’d had two or three years in work, and really loved the practical challenges of business, but I still wanted to become deeply ensconced in sustainability issues. I didn’t want to return to the world of academic theorising, though, so the course’s hands on approach appealed.

What I learnt
I found the leadership aspect fascinating. It was the first time I’d gone through a truly reflective experience, looking at my own way of being and how that impacts on other people. It challenged my patriarchal view of leadership. And I developed empathy with those trying to make shifts across sectors that don’t do much in sustainability, and realised what a gargantuan challenge it is to turn a large company around.

Career to date
After university I was doing some research for Alastair Sawday Publishing – my father’s firm – on a guide book to India. As it happened, the editor dropped out – so I was basically told to bugger off to India and come back with a book! After the Masters, I worked for the sustainability consultancy Beyond Green. But I quickly realised that if I was to be giving my creative energies to anyone, I wanted it to be my family business. So I came back to Sawday two years ago and looked after sustainability and business development. I then took over the whole shebang at the start of this year. It’s been a baptism of fire in applied leadership skills!

What I plan to do next
We’re trying to turn Sawday from a publishing company into a media company, so that we’re present on more platforms than simply print – it’s a big cultural shift. We’re also starting two new companies: an eco-hotel in Bristol, and a sustainable holiday company developing yurts and tree houses.

Advice for future leaders
Through some pretty hard lessons I’ve learnt that the old-school, patriarchal style of leadership has completely lost any relevance. Effective leadership is about listening and communicating and, above all, being self-aware. An appetite for understanding yourself is a massive stepping stone. Without that, I can’t see how you’d be even vaguely effective as a leader!

Interview by Katie Shaw.

17 May 2010

Katie Shaw