Why leaders must learn to let go

摘要

Jesse Jackson, the American civil rights activist, once commented that 'Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together'. His thoughts encapsulate the challenge facing directors of children's services (DCS) across the country. The Every Child Matters legislation represents an ambitious programme of reform, which places DCS' at the heart of a complex system of competing interests. As we interviewed one DCS during our research, she explained that she had just concluded a 'pre-meeting meeting' with a nervous central government advisor, ahead of the 'real meeting' the next week. Later that day, she was due to meet with the lead member for children's services from the council, after holding an event to consult with children and young people about the future of services in their area. We hadn't even mentioned professionals yet.