Emotional debates in planning and sustainability – we’ve got to get better at speaking the truth!

One of my biggest fears is being publicly criticised. Most people share this fear, and therefore avoid exposing themselves to public scrutiny. Leaders don’t get hung up on this. They take a stand on tough issues and even voice an unpopular view because it’s the right thing to do. As I move forward with developing a women’s network at my workplace I’ve faced some challenges and awkward conversations. Talking about gender equality is a very emotive topic. If you work in the field of planning or sustainability, you face similar emotional reactions to topics like new development or climate change. Does it all boil down to the human dislike of change?

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What do you want to lead for?

I’ve just finished reading a short book on leadership that I should have whizzed through in a week, but ended up reading over several months. Perhaps it’s the depressingly short winter days that were clouding my thinking, but I felt it incredibly difficult to answer the simplest question in the book, and supposedly the key to effective leadership: ‘What do you want to lead for?’

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