The Reluctant Leader

By Peter Shaw

Taking on a leadership role does not always come naturally. Lack of confidence, apprehension and fear of failure all hold many gifted people back. Coaching experts Peter Shaw and Hillary Douglas will help you turn your hesitation into a confident use of your leadership gifts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Canterbury Press
• Release date: Sep 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781848258778

Peter Shaw

Peter Shaw is a former Director General in the UK Government. He was awarded a Doctorate in Leadership Development by Chester University and has written numerous books on leadership and self-development. He is a Reader in the Church of England and has advised numerous dioceses on leadership and management issues.

Book preview

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword

About the authors

Introduction

Part One   Understand the context

    1    Believe that good leadership matters

    2    Understand your brain

Part Two   Take the plunge

    3    View yourself objectively

    4    Step into the unknown

    5    Find your vocation

    6    Confront your fear of failure

    7    Have the courage of your convictions

    8    Do not be afraid of interviews and assessment

    9    Reframe the challenge

  10    Know your sources of support

  11    Keep a sense of perspective

Part Three   Come out of the shadows

  12    Recognize your sources of authority

  13    Believe you can prioritize

  14    Learn to engage with ‘difficult’ people

  15    Be willing to make decisions

  16    Use the power of reflection

  17    Accept you won’t always be popular

  18    Manage your emotional reactions

  19    Recognize not everyone thinks like you do

  20    Accept your right to be at the table

  21    Do not be overshadowed by your predecessors

  22    Know what keeps you fresh and energized

  23    Inspire the hesitant

  24    Coach your team to lead

  25    Decide on your next steps

Further reading

Copyright

Dedicated to our families and friends, whose love and support mean so much.

Acknowledgements

We both want to acknowledge the people who believed in us early in our careers. Clive Booth and Nick Stuart taught Hilary about fresh ways of looking at challenges and staying resilient, possibly without realizing that was what they were doing. Dorothy White proved there was a place for mothers at the top, at a time when there were few role models. For Peter, it was James Hamilton and Mark Carlisle who pushed him to overcome reluctance as a York-shire lad to contribute confidently in a range of settings.

We want to thank all the individuals and teams we have worked with as coaches. Overcoming reluctance has often been a strong theme of our conversations. We have been impressed by the willingness of so many people to address this challenge openly and constructively.

Una O’Brien, a former Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health, offered the original idea for this book. Una saw reluctance as both friend and foe. Reluctance can stop you from rushing in too fast, but it can hold you back from giving of your best. Una has been very supportive of the approaches we have developed in this book.

We are grateful to Caroline Gardner for writing a foreword which draws from her own leadership journey to become Auditor General for Scotland.

We are grateful to Christine Smith who recognized the importance of this theme and commissioned us to write this book. She is always perceptive and supportive as a commissioning editor. Jackie Tookey has typed the text with her normal thoroughness and care. Sonia John-Lewis has managed our diaries to allow time for the writing. Our colleagues at Praesta Partners have always been a valuable source of ideas.

Our families have been great sources of encouragement, as ever. We could not have written the book without their support.

The royalties from this book will go to the British Red Cross, to support their work with people in crisis in the UK and across the world.

Foreword

When I became Auditor General for Scotland I was surprised how much I enjoyed the CEO part of my role. The satisfaction came from believing wholeheartedly in the goals of the organisation and learning how to remain true to myself as a leader. I was able to draw on a wide range of previous experiences that helped to shape how I wanted to ‘be’ as the CEO.

When you take on a leadership role be ready to be surprised by your reaction. There will be daunting moments and joyful moments. You will be surprised by how people listen to you and are influenced by you. You will delight in watching people gain in confidence and effectiveness. You will get a lot of satisfaction through what you are able to initiate.

Moving into a bigger leadership role gives you the chance to be the leader you want to be. Trust in your ability to do the role in your way – received wisdom about how leadership ‘should’ be done is not always right. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.

Leaders who don’t fit the stereotypes can be particularly effective. They build trust and goodwill, and model possibilities for others who don’t fit the mould. You can remain yourself and be true to your values, and be more effective as a result.

Those who are reluctant or hesitant to take on leadership roles will often make the best leaders, as they bring more self-awareness and a good dose of humility. The reluctant leader is more likely to have thought through the consequences of their actions and be ready for a range of opportunities and risks.

Success comes through a combination of self-reflection and practical action. It flows from a willingness to test out ideas and keep learning from what works well. An element of self doubt means you are more likely to plan your interventions carefully.

This book is an excellent quarry of ideas and practical steps for those thinking of taking the plunge into a bigger leadership role. It sets out worthwhile approaches to stepping out of the shadows so you make the most of your opportunities to engage and deliver as a leader.

Peter Shaw and Hilary Douglas bring a wealth of insight that infuses the book. They draw on their personal experience of overcoming elements of self-doubt as leaders in the early stages of their careers, which prepared them to become Director Generals in Government and trustees of significant charities. They have both worked as coaches with many leaders who have been hesitant or unsure: they have taken delight in the way these individuals have become authentic, confident and influential leaders.

Read this book ready to be engaged. Be open to using your reluctance or self-doubt as a resource to help you become the best leader you can be. Be ready to be surprised by what you are capable of.

Caroline Gardner

Auditor General for Scotland

Edinburgh

About the authors

Hilary Douglas

Hilary Douglas coaches leaders and potential leaders from a wide variety of sectors, backgrounds and cultures. She works with them one to one, and in teams and groups. Time and again, she finds that talented people are held back by the beliefs they hold about themselves. Hence her interest in the theme of this book.

Hilary is co-author of a report by Praesta Partners on the issues that senior women bring to coaching. She has also written a Praesta booklet on what makes a successful Chair of a public sector Board.

In Hilary’s first career, she led on all aspects of organizational change, leadership development, corporate services and infrastructure as a Board member of several different UK Government Departments. She has been a member of a school governing body, and a trustee of various charities. She is currently a trustee and Vice-Chair on the Board of the British Red Cross.

Peter Shaw

Peter Shaw has coached individuals, senior teams and groups across six continents. He is a Visiting Professor in leadership development at Newcastle University, Chester University and St John’s College, Durham University. He teaches regularly at Regent College, Vancouver.

He has written 22 books on aspects of leadership including:

Sustaining Leadership, 2014, Canterbury Press.

100 Great Team Effectiveness Ideas, 2015, Marshall Cavendish.

100 Great Building Success Ideas, 2016, Marshall Cavendish.

Peter’s first career was in the UK Government where he worked in five Government Departments and held three Director General posts. Peter has been a member of governing bodies in higher and further education. He is a Licensed Lay Minister (Reader) in the Anglican Church and plays an active role in the Church of England at parish, diocesan and national levels. He holds a Doctorate in Leadership Development from Chester University and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Durham University for his ‘outstanding service to public life’.

Hilary and Peter work together on a wide range of coaching assignments with individuals, teams and groups in the public, private and voluntary sectors. They bring complementary skills and backgrounds. The focus in their coaching work is to enable individuals and teams to be the best they can be. Often part of their work is enabling individuals and teams to overcome the reluctance that is holding them back and to become more confident and better equipped to lead effectively through demanding situations. Their contact details are [e-mail] and [e-mail].

Introduction

What is holding you back from being the leader you could be? What might happen if you looked at yourself and the opportunities available to you in a different way? How might you be liberated from your inhibitions, so you can be more confident and adventurous?

This book is for those who hold back from seeking leadership responsibilities and those who are in leadership roles but find it difficult to exercise their full leadership influence and authority. It encourages you to look through a different lens at what might be possible. It offers you insights about how to manage your brain and suggests approaches that have worked for leaders in different spheres. It gives you tools and techniques that can be applied in a variety of settings.

Our aim is to help you handle your blind spots and address your anxieties. The book will help you see events from other people’s perspectives so you can intervene with a greater degree of confidence. It will help you understand more about your impact on others.

Addressing and overcoming reluctance has been a consistent theme in our coaching work with leaders and emerging leaders. The ideas in this book therefore flow from many hours of conversations with reluctant leaders in the voluntary, private and public sectors. The ideas are relevant to leaders and emerging leaders in many different contexts, organizations, cultures and countries.

We hope the book will be useful for those who are seeking to grow the leadership potential of the people who work for them, whether as individuals or