Leadership lessons from Sarina Wiegman

What's the one thing you think makes for great leadership?

In the face of the evolving climate and biodiversity crises we need forward thinking, innovative leadership more than ever - from C-Suite board members and small business owners, to political leaders and those in charge of our educational establishments.

Following the Lionesses brilliant win in the Euros recently, this article by the BBC could easily have been entitled 'What makes Sarina Wiegman such a good leader?' 

It is littered with examples of brilliant leadership. Whilst not specific to the climate crisis, many of these traits are totally transferable between sport, business and educational leadership. 

Sarina Wiegman at Downing Street. Photo: Alecsandra Dragoi / No 10 Downing Street (creative commons 4.0)

So what makes her style of leadership so impressive?

Below are just a few comments from within the article about how Sarina goes about managing her team and, crucially, showing exemplary leadership.

- "She knew how to talk to individuals"

- "She's good at being honest"

- "She gave you a sense of belief, love and passion."

- "She really, really cares about the human side."

- "We know she has our backs for every single moment of every single day,"

- "She's very protective over us. I think that speaks volumes of the person that she is."

- "When she has finished talking, you are ready to go and fight for each other."

- "She knows what her players are capable of and sets them up in a way that plays to their strengths."

- "Everyone knows their role and that's set in stone. She knows her team and she sticks with it, giving players a chance to grow."

- "If it's not right for the team, she will be direct with you, regardless of what you are feeling,"

- "She's so approachable. Yes, she is the manager, but she is a human being. She wants what is best for you."

It goes on and on and on.

Thank you, Sarina and the Lionesses, for the inspiration.

What's the one thing you think makes for great leadership in the face of the evolving climate and biodiversity crises? Let us know in the comments.