Politics, Thai Queens and Leadership
13/06/2017
Listening to a discussion about Theresa May’s leadership style on this morning’s Today programme made me think about some of the organisations I have worked in – and also a story I heard whilst on holiday in Thailand. One of the speakers was talking about the problems of surrounding yourself with like-minded people, essentially building a protective wall around yourself.
There is a story – probably true – that a Thai Queen and her daughter drowned when their royal boat capsized on the way to the Bang- Pa-In Royal Palace one summer. There were many witnesses to the accident who said it happened because people did not dare to touch the Queen – even to save her life – because it was a capital offence.
This is an extreme example, but I have worked in organisations where the top man or woman has created a culture of invincibility. In some situations this works, notably for a short period in a crisis when decisions have to be made fast. But it does mean people lower down the organisation either won’t voice their dissenting opinions, offer better solutions or find ways to do what they feel is right anyway.
It seems to me that true courage is allowing dissenting voices to be heard and admitting you are sometimes wrong whilst still maintaining your integrity. It is not surrounding yourself with likeminded people to shield you from the rest of the world.
Pippa Bourne
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
How is FinTech accelerating financial inclusion?
The goal of many banks, emerging digital banks and FinTech businesses is to make financial services more accessible to everyone, a goal best expressed by the phrase "financial inclusion." It is difficult to define financial ...
My Journey from Nepal to P&G: Reflecting on my Cranfield University Experience
Hey there, I'm Anamika, and I'm thrilled to share my journey from Nepal to a fulfilling career as a Process Engineer at Procter and Gamble in London. My time at Cranfield University has been ...
Systematic Literature Review – Selecting your Sources
In our previous systematic literature review post we identified some background reading for getting started, explained how to find other systematic literature reviews to help you understand what is required, and how reviews should be structured and written ...
Setting up a group on Mendeley to support your group project
Many of our students are busy working on their group projects. Our top tip is to set up a group on Mendeley. You can use it to store all your references, and to share the ...
From Angels and VCs to VCIC
Martin Spiller, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Cranfield School of Management reflects on attending the Bettany Centre Speaker Series and being part of the North Europe Regional Finals of the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) ...
Sourcing country analysis – a guide to Library sources
For those researching a country, you will find that country information tends to take two forms: Analysis - country reports are descriptive reports covering most areas of interest on a country. They contain an analysis ...