Steady Leadership in Unsteady Times
Peter McBride is someone that you might run into on the conference circuit. The first time I saw him was in Armagh on a freezing February day. He was delivering a speech on running a group of charities in both jurisdictions, north and south of the border.
Three months later (and slightly warmer), in Croke Park at The Wheel Summit, I listened as he spoke about transparency and public trust, once again to a full audience.
Fast forward to last week, and I’m perched in the lobby of venue number three, waiting for Peter to finish his most recent speaking engagement so that I can interview him.
It’s no surprise that he regularly gets called to the podium. He’s reminiscent of a favourite college professor - approachable, well spoken, and highly intelligent. Someone you’d go to for sound advice.
As I sit here, I feel like a student again. Notepad in hand, pen poised - tell me what makes a leader.
Vocation, Vocation, Vocation.
Peter feels a calling to something higher. Once upon a time, he was actually a member of the clergy. Too constrained by his religious duties, he left and embarked upon a long and fruitful career in the voluntary sector.
In hindsight, he attributes much of this to his mother. She was the headmistress of a special care school that she started from scratch. Many of his friends therefore had disabilities, as did his aunt who lived with them.
So he was raised in a household with a strong commitment to social care, but also by a mother who exhibited a certain business acumen. Peter has inherited this. He is the CEO of Inspire, the largest group of mental wellbeing charities (and social enterprises) in the country.
I have a question scribbled at the top of my page.
How do you run a commercially viable business that also addresses a social need?
You work in a creative tension.
Let’s step back for a minute and look at the wider context.
Peter explains that the environment north and south of the border is different, but each has its own challenges. Up north, there has not been the same outcry around charity scandals, but Brexit is imminent, there is no government, and the voluntary sector is severely underfunded.
Down south, there’s a lot of anxiety. Increasing regulation and decreasing resources means that midsize organisations are under real threat. The costs of compliance can only be tolerated by those operating at scale. Growth, therefore, is not only about meeting a burgeoning need, but also about survival.
And how is it possible to scale with diminishing resources? Peter has been mulling this over for 20 years.
When he joined the organisation in the early 2000’s, his first gig was to set up a commercial subsidiary, offering an employee assistance programme. Later, as CEO, he would expand this service south of the border. Today, Inspire group fundraise less than 1% of total budget to fund research, advocacy and public information campaigning. And they are approaching a turnover of £30 million.
Peter speaks of a constant tension, the grey area or sweet spot, in balancing vested interests. Some people say there’s not enough money, others say it’s too commercial. He is extremely pragmatic about this. The social enterprise structure safeguards the mission, and in order to help people, you need money.
He also makes the argument that one enhances the other - the whole is more than the sum of the parts. The service you’re selling commercially is competitive because it’s delivered by a charity with expertise, social capital and public support. On the other hand, government funding is easier to come by, because of the breadth and depth of your experience.
Wellbeing for all.
I’m intrigued by this man who has never worked in the corporate sector but is so commercially minded. He says it’s both his disposition, and intentional.
My next question is more personal, and one that’s often on my mind as I speak to leaders in the sector. Peter seems like the perfect person to address it.
Your organisation’s vision is Wellbeing for all. You have a particularly challenging role. And I imagine it can be lonely at the top. How do you manage your own wellbeing?
He admits that he draws his energy from people, and therefore relies heavily on the collegiate culture of the organisation. He intentionally involves many staff in a wide array of projects. And more broadly, personal wellbeing objectives form part of the performance management system, so conversations on the topic are commonplace.
As a follow-up, I ask him how he stays sharp, and how he learns.
Peter is extremely active in the wider sector. He sits on numerous boards, and is a visiting professor at Ulster University.
Much of what he knows he attributes to his involvement with other voluntary bodies. It challenges him to think more broadly, and complements his day to day development. He also references ‘accidental learning’, random experiences or encounters that give him pause for thought.
Taking inspiration from great thinkers and philosophers.
As we begin to wrap up, we drift into a discussion on the importance of having time to reflect. He draws inspiration from greek philosophy, and was recently reading a book on Stoicism while sitting on the beach on holidays. But the inspiration invariably diminishes when he returns to a full inbox.
He laments about feeling guilty if he takes time to read when he’s on the clock, admitting that he doesn’t want to appear to be not working. I feel very grateful that he is so candid on this point. I’m sure leaders (and staff) everywhere share this concern, and I want it debunked. Reading merits time.
However, he does take time to reflect, coming into the office early to plan his day and centre himself. He says that without it, he becomes more reactive, and everything is more visceral. By taking a step back, he approaches problems with a clear sense of intentionality, and remains calm and in control.
We shake hands, and I walk away from our meeting feeling more knowledgeable and inspired. Like I’ve just read a good book.
*If you want to highlight some of your own innovative business practices, or if you want help in taking a more innovative approach, contact Soli Projects.*
