Chapter 9: Inspiring the team

People need vision. Why? Because vision provides direction, sets priorities and provides a way of telling that what you wanted to achieve has been achieved. In a world where the pace of change seems to be ever increasing, leaders will need to think about the big picture and use it to create a vision of the future that will motivate and inspire people. Leadership is about engaging with that vision, managing its delivery, and coaching and building teams to achieve it. In other words, leadership brings together the needed skills.

John Browne, ex CEO of BP and past president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, has written that business exists to serve society and for too long has failed to do so. He argues that business needs to connect better with society. Respect, authenticity, openness and society's needs have to be embedded in the heart of business models. Change requires leadership. He writes: