‘What you can’t see is hugely relevant – the discreet parts that go on that aren’t seen are really important.’
For someone who has never considered herself much of a Royalist, I’ve surprised myself at just how much interest I’ve taken after the death of the Queen and how many valuable life and leadership lessons have emerged from the subsequent coverage.
The fact Queen Elizabeth was a remarkable leader is not in doubt and as mentioned on these pages previously (catch up here), we could all do well to follow the example she set.
But it is some of the asides that I have found compelling reading over the past couple of weeks and the strength of those messages has shone through at a time of somewhat inevitable introspection as we all take stock of the shift in dynamics.
Let’s take a couple of examples of subtle yet critically important elements of leadership I stumbled across within the mammoth Operation London Bridge, that hugely impressive plan covering the period from the announcement of Her Majesty’s death in Balmoral until the end of her funeral in Windsor
Firstly, let’s not forget the Operation had been decades in the making – she was 96, after all, and could have met her death at any time, anywhere, and all of those incredible ceremonial elements we saw unfold had to be weaved in regardless of time and place. No mean feat to pull all that together and the end result was clearly the result of tremendous teamwork, collaboration and trust – no single entity could have pulled that off without relying on others to pull their weight and, perhaps uncomfortably, do things a little better than others would care to admit. One can only imagine the egos at play competing with protocols, logistics and some very senior leaders in their own right.
Yet within that, I loved reading a line from the national co-ordinator of the whole operation, the Chief Constable of British Transport Police, Lucy D’Orsi who, in debriefing the event, was fulsome in her praise and pride of all those involved in the preparation and delivery of the plan but reserved special praise for ‘the hidden heroes’. How right she was when she said: ‘What you can’t see is hugely relevant – the discreet parts that go on that aren’t seen are really important.’
In this instance, she was referring to teams responsible for behind-the-scenes technology, making sure radios were working, ensuring interoperability between police forces, providing catering and support to people.
But I think we can all relate to our own ‘hidden heroes’ who work so hard in our teams to make everything run smoothly, without whom the whole operation would fall apart, yet who rarely get the credit they deserve. CC D’Orsi gave us a lot to reflect on in our own working environments.
My second big tick of the overall operation went to the person who, in the midst of all the very public and necessary duties, saw fit to build in 24 hours for King Charles to return, alone, to his country retreat Highgrove for a period of rest and reflection away from the glare of the world’s media.
Self-care at its very best, I thought, and so immensely refreshing to see it put into action rather than being simply the subject of so many workshops and blogs.
Amidst all the years of planning down to the very second who needed to be where, when, throughout those initial ten days following the Queen’s death, how many troops needed to be mobilised, where every last horse and bearskin needed to be positioned, someone had the leadership foresight to point out that in order to perform at his best, in the height of his own personal growth, the new King needed to recharge his batteries.
No-one is superhuman, not even a new King, and it’s impossible to keep going till you’re running on empty.
It’s not selfish, it’s not weak to seek some downtime – in fact the opposite is true. If you are going to do your best and inspire those around you, you need your own batteries to be fully powered.
People pleasing and being unable to say that virtually impossible word ‘no’ can be very damaging in the long run.
And actually stepping back, planning in an early night, reading a book, tuning into mindless TV, walking and really appreciating nature, allowing oneself the luxury of a long bath – whatever helps you to truly unwind and feel revitalised should not be underestimated.
I recall recently falling asleep when a deadline was looming as I struggled to get my thoughts down onto my laptop. I battled to keep awake believing that I’d feel better once the paper was written and I could put it (and myself) to bed and struggled to gather my thoughts and make sense of them as I seemed to drift in and out of consciousness at my desk.
Eventually I realised the most productive thing I could possibly do was shut the laptop and hit the sack – coming back brighter and re-energised the next day was the best way I could possibly meet the deadline with something meaningful to show for my efforts.
So, when you’re gearing up for your next big ‘thing’ – or just scheduling your routine work agenda, never lose sight of the fact that time away from frontline duties should always feature as prominently in the planning as the main event.
No-one is superhuman, not even a new King, and it’s impossible to keep going till you’re running on empty.
