Julia Middleton's Thoughts on Leadership

It’s been a pretty big week at Common Purpose, with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom paying our emerging leaders course a visit in Bangalore.
The occasion has me thinking about what is emerging for leaders in India – and Hinglish leaps to mind.
It’s the language of the future I am told – a combination [...]

[Read more →]

When UK Prime Minister David Cameron asked a participant in Bangalore what had shifted in his thinking by being on a Common Purpose course, the participant said:
“I knew I was a leader at work but not for a minute had I thought of myself as a leader of Bangalore”
This says it all. What Common Purpose [...]

[Read more →]

There is a lot of discussion and commentary at the moment in the UK about boards and governance following the Financial Reporting Council’s publication of the UK Corporate Governance Code (formerly the Combined Code).
It’s all about how you ensure that the boards of the future protect us from the disasters over the last couple of [...]

[Read more →]

I am dyslexic. Can’t even spell dylexic (I bet someone who is not dyslexic came up with the name).
It has never got in my way since I left school. In fact it probably makes me a better speaker. But it has got the better of me now that Common Purpose is expanding in India. One [...]

[Read more →]

So the first of the great televised debates for the top political job in the UK takes place tonight, and I am wondering which lens we should all be watching it through…
Shall we focus on what these three men have to say on policy? Or the issues? Or will we scrutinise their competency? Or the [...]

[Read more →]

When I was 29 and full of ideas for Common Purpose I met Anita Roddick for tea at the Meridian Hotel in Piccadilly, London. She had no idea who I was. I had begged a friend of a friend to introduce us. Over tea I told her my ideas and asked her to chair Common [...]

[Read more →]

This week I read an article by Robert Bruce in Financial Director that highlighted the need for some plain speaking honesty from financial directors. It really hit the nail on the head for me when I think how arrogant and self-important ‘closed shop’ speak can be, and how flawed the communications skills of many leaders [...]

[Read more →]

In amongst all the noise from Davos – and I’m only concerned that there is so much to listen to that people will switch off – but it is lovely to hear from a banker in this film who actually did do a great job in 2009.
What comes across when he speaks about the World [...]

[Read more →]

As ever, Christmas and the holiday season has crept up – even more so now that I don’t have small children’s nativity plays to go to, which used to get you in the mood. Now, before I know it, I’m panicking about food and presents and wondering where the year went.
This year its not just [...]

[Read more →]

I am on the flight to Mumbai, home of Bollywood, celebrity and fame.
The last few days have been about deciding the business plan with the board and my colleagues in India. We have been working through which of the multitude of opportunities here we are going to do first. And there are almost infinite opportunities [...]

[Read more →]