麻豆社

Good morning.

Britain, Sri Lanka and now Italy. July has not been a good month for incumbent heads of government - and we鈥檝e still almost a fortnight to go. The alleged and apparent causes of collapse admittedly vary: corruption, character failings and coalition breakdown, are not equal, nor equally shameful, but each adds weight to the notion that we need to reflect on what makes for quality leadership.

Unusually for a sacred text, leaders in the bible tend to get their stories told, warts and all. We read how often, and sometimes how rapidly, power turns sour. The shepherd boy David narrowly survives assassination at the hands of Saul; the old king fearing his prot茅g茅鈥檚 success and popularity is making him a credible rival. The same David goes on to try to conceal his adultery, arranging for the woman鈥檚 husband to be killed in battle. Scroll forward a thousand years, and we find Herod, fearful of losing face among his friends and courtiers, ordering the murder of John the Baptist to impress a young dancer.

What strikes me about these stories, ancient and modern, is that they convey a common message. Kings and political leaders alike, are charged with setting the culture within which power is exercised. David recovers, because he listens respectfully to the prophet Nathan鈥檚 blunt criticism. Moses reduces the risk of corruption, through sharing power, and delegating. The persistent unity among Jesus鈥檚 apostles, after his resurrection, is grounded in what they have been taught, sometimes painfully, of humility and forgiveness.

Culture ripples out in circles from the centre. Leaders mould it, by expressing their core values through behaviours. Colleagues around them pick up the messages, explicit and implicit, and act accordingly. When the culture at the centre goes wrong, the temptation for those in charge is to pass blame down the line. Junior heads roll. Yet responsibility stays at the top. As the Chinese proverb evocatively puts it - the fish rots from the head.

This week should see the candidates to be the UK鈥檚 next Prime Minister whittled down to the final two. As the pace speeds up, the political heat seems to be rising almost as fast as the temperature on today鈥檚 weather charts. Whatever the outcome, I find the process fascinating to observe. We鈥檝e heard plenty about, what seems to this outsider, relatively minor differences over policy. But what I鈥檇 really like to hear is how each of the candidates intends to create a healthy culture, first in Downing Street and then beyond. And what values, and what behaviours we can expect from them, to embed it in place. Get that right, and much else will follow.

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