Writing manifesto

Sometimes an idea starts to nudge away at your thoughts. At first, it’s a whisper, quiet and polite. But when it’s persistent you begin to realise it might be something important. Soon that whisper starts to get louder. Eventually it becomes a shout. Impossible to ignore.

 The only way to do anything about it, is to take action.

My whisper started about a year ago. I felt an urge to commit pen to paper and start to capture some of the things I see and hear consistently from the people I work with. I wanted to galvanise the things my clients have in common, the issues they face and the prevailing thoughts they wrestle with day to day.

Over time, and as I’ve coached more and more senior figures in successful businesses I realised that what I really wanted to capture was the things that consistently make a difference. The things that, when done brilliantly, move leaders from being good to really standing out.

In the time I’ve been coaching the people at the top I’ve noticed that the most successful of them share a certain set of traits. There are certain ways of thinking that really set them apart. I’ve also noticed that when you combine those natural strengths with considered interventions, certain mindset shifts have a disproportionate effect.

As a coach, my job is to notice patterns and trends. Over time, as I’ve reflected on some of those patterns and the work I do with my clients around them, especially at an aggregate level, I’ve realised I’ve developed something of a trademark approach to leadership.

The different elements of this approach are all things I’m incredibly passionate about. They’re my beliefs and values about what sets truly great leaders apart and thankfully, working with some genuinely inspirational business leaders has only served to galvanise that.

Some of the elements are small shifts, some take more work. But when you bring all of the constituents together and focus on applying them consistently, they create a multiplier effect.

The place that’s led me to is to bring all of these elements together in one place.

Last week, I finalised The Manifesto for Modern Leadership.

9 principles that bring all of this thinking together.

9 ways of thinking that, when practiced mindfully, make everything feel easier.

9 things that have created the biggest lightbulb moments for my clients.

9 things that I’ve seen trip people up when they fail to pay enough attention to them.

None of it is new, it’s a collection, a reflection of all of the leadership experience I’ve had over the last 15 years - good and bad, as leader and coach. But in bringing it together I’m able to set out my stall far easier and come from a place of clarity about who I am and what I bring to the table.

I’m also able to be far clearer with my clients on the things that will make a difference. Far more definitive about the elements that simply can’t be ignored.

It’s short, simple and clear. Don’t be fooled though, hours (months!) of thought has gone into it. It’s been a joy to write, and I’m very excited to share it.

I’ll be sharing the full manifesto next week in my newsletter and here on the blog shortly afterwards. Want to be amongst the first to see it? Make sure you’re signed up to get your copy…

As always, thanks so much for reading!

Til next time.

Rebecca