Leadership is no longer about listening,empowering or inspiring staff. 
When there is no choice there is little point in letting service users think there is.
Empowering staff is a tired old cliche, when changes are so unpopular and are nothing to do with improving services but simply cutting budgets.
Leadership may involve inspiring staff but when people are too jaded for the pep talk its best to stick to the facts.
Leadership is no longer about vision because telling people what services will look like in the future will only sound cynical and negative and demotivating. 
Management is replacing leadership and management is about getting people to do what needs to be done. And since policy is prescribed the service micro managed and the tension between financial solvency and safe care is unmanageable managers become administrators. Those who do what they are told to do. 


Blair McPherson www.blairmcpherson.co.uk