Leadership and Innovation Reflections from the DES Peter Baldwin 14 October 2016

Leaderships is big business Kindle – 47,156 Titles Conferences – Google 127 million results Courses

Leadership is Valued by Organisations Organisations and systems increasingly invest in leadership Leadership considered an essential ingredient for success

The purpose of Leadership

What is Leadership? “Every day the opportunity for leadership stands before you. A father gets drawn into the same old destructive argument at the dinner table, but one day breaks out of the pattern and seeks family counseling. A politician challenges constituents to accept responsibility for locating a prison in their community rather than just chant the same old slogan, “Not in our backyard!” You sit through a meeting watching people avoid the real issues, and decide that you will be the one who puts them on the table.” Extract from the Introduction to “Leadership on the Line” – Heifetz and Linskey, Harvard Business School 2002

What is Leadership? “People get mixed up as to what leaders are. For me they are they are the fellas who do the right thing when it’s needed to make the big plays…. ….Leaders do it on the big days against the best teams…Dublin have leaders now, (Tomás Ó Sé - Sept 2016)” “The captain promised to be a guide to the younger squad members but said he was just one of a group of senior players providing the leadership”.(Rory Best on appointment as captain of Ireland’s rugby team) “I’ve been most impressed….when peers have led by example, doing their everyday work quietly and efficiently with little or no fuss – pushing themselves to the limits, looking for no plaudits or pats on the back, solely because they are the standards they demand of themselves” (Brian O’Driscoll)

Leadership Leadership of a team Leadership in a team Leadership as an individual Leadership as an everyday activity

DES Leadership Role Setting National Policy – in consultation with SOLAS and stakeholders Enabling – through funding and other supports, and frameworks including legislation Evaluating and resetting objectives – is team playing to game plan? Reforming (including self evaluation and reform)

Parameters of DES Leadership Role Finite Resources Political Constraints IR Constraints Status Quo – equilibrium?

Innovation Innovation – “A good thing”? Needs to lead to good outcomes Needs evaluation Successful innovation needs dissemination

DES – help or hindrance to Innovation? Freedom to Innovate within overall game plan Operational Guidelines – do they need reviewing? DES open to views Evidence base – SOLAS Reviews

Is there an insurmountable obstacle to any of us leading or innovating?

Thank You