Leadership is changing.
Today’s leaders face increasingly complex challenges. They are expected to inspire diverse teams, embrace new technologies, navigate uncertainty and develop people, often while having little time to step back and learn from others.
In a recent live session, The Next Generation of Leadership, Neil hosted Kyle McKenzie, Chief Executive of Cumbria-based youth charity Escape2Make to explore what effective leadership looks like for the next generation and why many of the qualities that matter most haven’t changed at all.
One of the strongest themes to emerge was reliability. When asked what advice he would give to emerging leaders, Kyle resisted talking about qualifications, confidence or technical expertise. Instead, he focused on something much more fundamental.
“When you say you’re going to do something, do it.”
For Kyle, reliability is the foundation on which leadership is built. Turning up when you say you will, delivering what you’ve promised and becoming someone others can depend upon creates opportunities throughout a career. As he explained, when new projects or opportunities arise, people naturally think first of those they trust to deliver. Reliability builds reputation, and reputation opens doors.
The conversation also explored one of the biggest questions facing modern organisations: the role of artificial intelligence. While acknowledging the enormous benefits that technology offers leaders, Kyle encouraged viewers to be careful not to become over-reliant on AI.
Drawing on his own experience of securing funding for Escape2Make, he reflected on the years he spent learning how to develop compelling funding applications by understanding what funders wanted and clearly articulating why the charity’s work mattered. Today, AI can undoubtedly help produce a polished application. But Kyle questioned what happens if leaders never develop the ability to communicate their own purpose and passion.
“If you can’t explain with passion why what you are doing matters,” he asked, “then does it matter?”
It was a timely reminder that while AI can accelerate processes, it cannot replace authentic leadership, conviction and human judgement.
Another valuable discussion centred on leading volunteers—something many organisations across the public, private and charitable sectors increasingly rely upon.
Kyle challenged the common misconception that volunteers simply donate their time out of goodwill. In reality, he explained, most are looking to gain something valuable in return, whether that’s experience, new skills, professional networks or qualifications.
The responsibility of leaders, therefore, is to understand those motivations and create relationships where everyone benefits.
Escape2Make’s approach has been so successful that the charity was recognised with the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Rather than viewing volunteers simply as additional pairs of hands, the organisation invests in their development, helping many progress into freelance careers while strengthening the charity itself.
It perfectly illustrated another important leadership principle: when leaders invest in people, everyone grows.
For those wanting to explore these topics in greater depth, the live sessions are complemented by the Leader-Connect online learning platform, which offers expert-led courses, practical tools, templates, videos and resources designed to help leaders build confidence and capability at every stage of their leadership journey.
