I was delighted to read Mark Easton’s Blog on the BBC website today. Considering the trustworthiness of political leadership around the major challenges of the future was always going to become a platform for kicking the government (please read the comments to be convinced – Mark Easton should be delighted in his power to allow so many of us to shake a fist at the government).
Having read the article and comments, it may now seem unbelieveable that there are still some people who trust the government to at least try something to make a real change in our pitifully selfish world - and without a conspiracy theory back-story to boot.
My delight however was that the UK government are at least considering how to be heard on the issues; looking at how to reach all strata in society with a message that has an impact by trying to understand us all.
Of course demographics and derivations of this black art have been around for a long time and can help. Yet understanding and acting on the steps needed to engender trust (even if that means stepping aside and letting someone else push the message) is a critical step forward, and to be applauded. Even if it is over-simplified.
I guess the primary challenge in all leadership is attaining and maintaining enough trust to be heard properly. Is all it takes that leaders ensure clear integrity at all times or is there more? I know what I think.
Nevertheless its a shame that the blinkers of judgement can blind us to reality. We all know the sad end for the boy who cried wolf – his voice and opinion was not trusted and he was swallowed up – but I have a feeling that the wolf the government is announcing now may have an appetite for more than the shepherd boy. We need to think for ourselves on issues like this – and find a leadership we can trust to solve it – or at least lead ourselves to play our own part.
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