With a vacuum left in which meaning and purpose are being questioned, organisations have the opportunity to galvanise their culture and drive forward, Child told the audience of recruitment leaders in an Elite Leaders talk. “We’ve come out of lockdown with a new energy – and if you’re looking for meaning, this is the place it happens,” leaders of organisations could say. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, Child said, if leaders could be running organisations “where at least there’s an oasis of real trust and integrity” with the power to deepen employee engagement. “I sincerely think there’s an opportunity for us to kick this off coming out of lockdown with some real zeal,” Child said.

“In times of uncertainty, people need leaders to excite them with fresh destinations, to bring them a renewed sense of purpose. It’s tempting for leaders to get so involved in the details of process change that they sometimes forget to raise their sights to do what leaders are there for… to see new opportunities and inspire new destinations,” he said.

Among the points Child made in his talk:

• Aim for exceptional: “Too many people talk themselves out of wholeheartedness and full-on commitment… or they allow the limiting beliefs of those around them to blunt their edge. In any field you examine there are exceptional performers who are breaking new ground, pushing our understanding of what’s possible. Such inspiring examples are everywhere – yet they are often labelled as ‘abnormal’ or ‘obsessive’…”
• Rather than habitually analysing failure, spend more time analysing success.
• Take your passions to the extremes that will thrill you. Aim to do things you have never done before.
• In developing your individual SPACE programme of the Five Leader SuperPowers (State, Positivity, Ambition, Confidence and Energy), Child described energy as “zest for life, exuberance, bags of energy to keep working, sustaining effort and generating ideas when you have to. It’s the capacity to endure, and it’s also an uplifting aura, it’s palpable – waves, vibes, a buzz which others are ignited, nourished and sustained by”. 

Child shared a variety of anecdotes from Covid hero Captain Sir Tom Moore to an ageing Labrador dog to emphasise themes of inclusion, warmth and control, with the latter meaning the relaxation of control to help those you work with “feel capable” and have a sense of ownership.

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