“You have to flex your leadership and you don’t really know how to do that until you’ve really understood the culture of the organisation.” Minouche Shafik was the youngest ever vice president of the World Bank. In 2008, she became permanent secretary of the Department for International Development (Dfid), before moving to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as deputy managing director in 2011 only to find her new boss engulfed in scandal. From there, she became the deputy governor at the Bank of England and is currently director of the London School of Economics. Minouche draws on her vast experience to reflect on her own leadership style, her belief in servant leadership and her passion for promoting diversity. She also explores the challenges associated with leading decentralised organisations like Dfid, the beauty of an independent civil service and why a small gesture from Christine Lagarde has stuck with her for many years.