“Leadership is hard…..that’s where other people’s experiences and insights are invaluable.” | Member Feature

We recently sat down with Alan Houmann, Head of Government Affairs, EMEA at Citi, a member of The Whitehall & Industry Group (WIG) member for over ten years. We discussed how his learnings through WIG have impacted his mindset and leadership.

“It's all about learning. It's hearing other people's experiences.”

It was an absolutely fascinating year, participating in the Exchange Leadership Programme. Interesting insights from a great range of enterprises. I think that’s the key thing: learning from your peers that, whether they're public or private sector, we all face similar management issues, even if the context is different. What could we learn from managing an NHS Trust, or the IT department of the Bank of England? Wildly different contexts but all connected to leadership. It was fascinating to hear.

“I now have a mental checklist I like to run through before setting off on a new proposal.”

It is as interesting to understand why things don't work, as finding out why they do work. Through WIG, I learned from other people why they hit road bumps. Unpacking this question is crucial. Are there personality issues, is the plan so flawed that it will never work, maybe it would work if we spent more money, built in more time, or included the right people. There are a million reasons why things don't work, and it's good to know what they might be so you can actually address them.

“Leadership is hard…..that’s where other people’s experiences and insights are invaluable.”

Leadership is really hard, but getting the strategy right is as important as getting the day-to-day right. Before you start running, which direction are you pointing in? You can run as fast as you like, but if it’s in the wrong direction, it's pointless. So, actually thinking it through before you start is really rather important. And that’s where other people’s experiences and insights are invaluable.

“People teach each other”

So few senior folk are able to set real quality time aside anymore. With WIG’s programmes, you actually have a year to build the relationships. I think it gives participants a better appreciation of the differences between the public sector and private sector. It tackles some prejudices head on. I used to be a civil servant, so it wasn't a complete mystery to me what happens on the other side. For people who've only ever been in the private sector, I think it’s quite an eye-opening on the pressures civil servants are under. They have a very different set of objectives in a working environment where there isn't a profit motive. There might be an expense management motive, but it's public policy not commercial interest. And I think civil servants who have only ever been civil servants are surprised at the directness and clarity of the commercial motive. There can be a sort of prejudice on both sides which is well worth looking at. You may think you know a little bit about their world beforehand, but you understand it a lot better afterwards.

Alan Houmann, Head of Government Affairs, EMEA at Citi, is an alum of our Exchange Leadership Programme, has been a mentor through our bespoke mentoring programme, is a regular attendee of WIG events, and advocates for people to join our organisation.

WIG provides a platform for leaders where learning and collaboration across the sectors can thrive. Only through diverse perspectives, open dialogue and shared effort can we tackle the big, cross-cutting challenges facing the UK.

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