“Leadership has to be borne out of experience – you can’t learn it all in a textbook.”

The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is talking to leadership figures from across the nation in an attempt to understand this universal trait and what it means in Britain and Northern Ireland today.

Our CEO, Luen Thompson was invited onto an episode of the podcast, which also included an interview with Lord Blunkett. Host Matthew O’Neill asked both guests a series of questions about leadership and the role it has played in their careers to date.

Matthew O’Neill commented, “Hosting a show like this, where you speak to genuine leaders who have been there and done it, either on a national stage or within a crucial industry sector, is an absolute honour.”

Luen said, “It was a great pleasure talking to Matthew on the Leaders Council podcast about my experiences as a leader both at Forget Me Not and elsewhere. For me, leadership is borne out of experience – you can’t learn it all in a textbook. Your leadership style is shaped by the leaders who’ve come before you, who you’ve worked with throughout your career. That’s why emotional intelligence and being aware of the impact you have on other people is one of the most important aspects of leadership. The higher up you go in an organisation, the more impact you can have so it’s really important to get that right. Not least because you’ll be influencing the behaviour of the leaders of the future.”

Lord Blunkett, chair of The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said, “I think the most informative element of each episode is the first part, where Matthew O’Neill is able to sit down with someone who really gets how their industry works and knows how to make their organisation tick. Someone who’s there day in day out working hard and inspiring others. That’s what leadership is all about.”