Julia Middleton's Thoughts on Leadership » enterprise http://juliamiddleton.net Julia Middleton, the CEO of Common Purpose shares some of her thoughts on leadership. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:24:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 All I want for Christmas is a leader who is… http://juliamiddleton.net/2009/12/18/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-leader/ http://juliamiddleton.net/2009/12/18/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-leader/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:28:30 +0000 Julia Middleton http://juliamiddleton.net/?p=111 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 the end of a year but of the first decade of what was  the eagerly anticipated New Millennium. And what a decade it has been – a great anti-climax. All those big aspirations and bold targets just didn’t hold water. The worst of it for me has been the collapse of trust in leadership at a rate that makes climate change look like it’s dawdling.

I am now wondering what leaders will need to think about, the challenges they will face and the triumphs they will celebrate in the coming decade.

So I would like to hear your views. What is your wish list is for our leaders as we welcome 2010. Will they need to be…

1.    Brave?
2.    Enlightened?
3.    Bold?
4.    Humble?
5.    Networked?
6.    Entreprising?
7.    Ruthless?
8.    Collaborative?
9.    Cautious?
10.    Authoritative?

Tell me which one is the most important and why in the comments below.

And have a very happy holiday season and New Year.

]]> http://juliamiddleton.net/2009/12/18/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-leader/feed/ 0 Enterprise or self interest? http://juliamiddleton.net/2009/05/29/enterprise-or-self-interest/ http://juliamiddleton.net/2009/05/29/enterprise-or-self-interest/#comments Fri, 29 May 2009 10:00:48 +0000 Julia Middleton http://cpjuliamiddleton.wordpress.com/?p=24 I had a difficult conversation with an investment banker friend yesterday. He expressed relief that things were starting to look better, and to indicate that the basic banking model was not totally flawed. I asked him what kind of people would be needed at the top in the future. Even though he is a good friend, and knows that I am far from anti-banks, I could hear him curdle. He said that the people at the top of enterprises would always be motivated primarily by making money, and that there was nothing wrong with this.

There is nothing wrong with being motivated by money (quite the opposite), but it’s the “primarily” word that’s the problem for me – I think it belittles enterprise. I have always understood that the role of enterprise is to create the wealth, deliver the goods and provide the services that society needs. This is a fine objective for enterprise, one that puts it at the heart of society. Surely there is a difference between enterprise and self interest?

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