This summer many of us will see the culmination of 14 years of machination, celebration, frustration and transformation as ‘our little darlings’ experience the delight of A Level examinations.
Over the course of my career I’ve traversed a myriad of leadership experiences. From the fresh-faced army officer, newly commissioned from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and facing the grizzled, experienced faces of my first command, to navigating complex matrix organisations and the corporate politics of FTSE100 companies. Each has tested, taught and developed me as I adapted to varied circumstances striving to build collaborative and committed teams, achieving clear (not always) goals.
But we all know that the ultimate leadership challenge is not in the boardroom or on indeed on the pitch, it’s at home: motivating a young adult towards exam success in an ‘always on’ world. A world far removed from the 110bps, Apple Macintosh, Top Gun (the original), Cheers watching experience of my own. A world where online and offline boundaries are blurred, constant connection leads to FOMO overload, and social media adds pressure with idealised comparisons and ‘mythical’ lifestyles.
As I attempted to guide an 18-year-old through the academic journey, my tried leadership frameworks have been tested by a combination of the unique dynamics of teenage motivation, and a large helping of personal emotional stakes.
So faced with an enigma wrapped in a smart-phone clutching mystery I have resorted to a repertoire of tactics. From the strategic deployment of Churchillian speeches (met with eye-rolls), to covert operations with the Wi-Fi router. I have leveraged soft and hard influence techniques, including the ancient art of bribery (effective, if financially unsustainable), coerced with peer pressure, and appealed to varying motivations.
Predictably the results have been mixed. One day I congratulate myself on my skill, EQ and wisdom. The next I’m trawling AirBnB, hoping there’s a remote shepherd’s hut free for the next 12 weeks. But as ‘H Hour’ draws near I reflect that there’s something very humbling about trying to leverage your leadership ‘prowess’ on a teenager. And while the emotional stakes turn me into a walking, talking cliché of parental angst, I remind myself that this isn’t just about achieving entry grades, or simply passing the exams; it’s about unlocking a future someone doesn’t yet know they want.
Not all my attempts have been leadership fails, but many make me feel like I’m watching Orange II (a G-class catamaran – I refer you back to previous roles) as she sets off to circumnavigate the globe, but without GPS or a chart – exciting, but just a tad concerning.
While this rollercoaster of unique leadership is humbling (occasionally hilarious), uplifting and daunting, it’s also reminded me leadership isn’t about having all the answers or executing the perfect strategy. Sometimes, it’s just about showing up, willing to laugh at yourself, and remembering that succeed or not, it’s all part of the journey – especially when the audience is someone often concerned with the next ‘Youtuber’ bout, or which crypto has just dropped.
Whether it’s the privilege of leading soldiers across dusty plains, or the satisfaction of nailing that client pitch, this reinforces the truism that leadership is about making connections, adapting to situations, trying, learning, trying again and sometimes just turning up and winging it!
It is a journey of learning and a lifelong adventure. So here’s to embracing the next challenge, whatever curveball is thrown our way!
#leadership #leadershipdevelopment FEED Consulting Limited
