21st Century Councillor - Local Government Leadership

Levers of influence, not levers of power

From 'Nudge' to 'wicked issues' to 'adaptive leadership challenges', leadership is moving from old-style command and control to a more responsive and enquiring approach. In seeking to influence people's behaviour, aspirations, or beliefs, we need first to recognise that we are dealing with the power of influence and not the power of control.

We believe the agenda should be not so much in doing things to people as in engaging people to change. As Jonathan Sacks put it "We need to learn to build houses together".

This means recognising that people are at the heart of directing resources and making decisions, therefore people, (rather than strategies or theories) should be at the heart of transforming outcomes in a place.

People are political animals, with instincts, hunches, interests and motivations. This is where our political space is, not in theories espoused round meeting tables.