At the start of this week, the 2025 Durham cohort and I took part in further leadership training designed to deepen our understanding of leadership and prepare scholars for their Leadership‑in‑Action projects this summer. Led by Graeme Taylor from Centred Coaching, with additional sessions from Dr Nikki Rutter on voluntourism vs. volunteering and Dr Bruce Malamud on communicating resilience to hazards, the programme offered far more than logistical preparation. It encouraged a shift beyond the practicalities of upcoming projects and back toward the core purpose of the Laidlaw programme: cultivating ethical, reflective, and impactful leaders. The sessions were rich with discussion, introspection, and challenge, prompting meaningful reflection on the kind of leadership the cohort is developing and the responsibilities involved when entering and working with new communities.
A particularly meaningful part of the training was the space it created to examine personal understandings of leadership. Through the guided exercises, curiosity and diligence emerged as the two qualities that most strongly shape how I move through the world. Seeing these identified so clearly helped shift my perspective: leadership no longer felt tied to confidence, decisiveness, or directing others, but to the strengths that already feel authentic to me. With curiosity at the centre, leadership becomes about asking thoughtful questions, seeking to understand the cultural and social contexts I step into, and remaining open to continuous learning. With diligence alongside it, leadership becomes a commitment to showing up consistently, engaging deeply, and approaching challenges with persistence and humility. Taken together, these strengths reframed leadership as something lived through integrity and example rather than authority, an approach that feels both more sustainable and more aligned with the kind of leader I hope to become.
Integrated into discussions on the first day, the Laidlaw 3Cs framework provided a powerful structure for this reflection. The Capacities emphasise that leadership involves not only interpersonal skills but also mastery of processes such as project management, data analysis, and strategic planning, areas where diligence becomes a real asset. The Character component, explored through the Oxford Character Project, resonated strongly: character is not fixed but something that can be intentionally strengthened through lifelong practice. And I look forward to the upcoming session on habit‑building, to explore how these principles can be embedded more deeply, beyond the two-year scholarship. Finally, the Changemaker values: ambitious, brave, curious, determined, extraordinary, fast, and good, encouraged bold thinking and action to enact impact, while reinforcing the need to balance ambition with ethical responsibility.
Ethical engagement was a major theme throughout the workshops, particularly in Dr Rutter’s session on voluntourism. Although the problematic nature of voluntourism is widely acknowledged, the session made clear the extent of the harm it can cause and the mechanisms through which it undermines local communities. Well‑intentioned volunteers can inadvertently displace local workers, reinforce harmful stereotypes, or create dependency. Confronting this was uncomfortable but essential. Ethical volunteering requires far more than goodwill; it demands awareness, humility, and a commitment to prioritising community needs over the desire to “make a difference”, a distinction that the 2025 cohort will need to hold firmly in mind this summer.
Although the session focused on youth‑safeguarding contexts, it also raised important questions about the hedonistic and potentially detrimental aspects of conservation volunteering. When an organisation’s interests diverge from the needs of the local environment and fail to recognise or ignore the perspectives of local communities, conservation work can unintentionally reinforce neoliberal narratives, justify its own existence through ecological degradation, obscure uneven development processes, and devalue local labour and relationships to natural resources. These reflections will be crucial as I approach conservation‑focused work this summer.
The workshops also addressed the barriers that can arise when working in unfamiliar cultural or linguistic environments. While these challenges can feel daunting, the training emphasised that mistakes are inevitable and should be treated as opportunities for learning rather than sources of shame. Honest acknowledgement of these barriers, seeking guidance from peers and mentors, and resisting the assumption that enthusiasm alone is sufficient were highlighted as essential practices for meaningful engagement.
On a more LiA‑specific and practical level, the workshops introduced tools such as SMARTER planning and SWOT analysis, which proved invaluable in helping translate these insights into concrete project preparation. These frameworks encouraged realistic thinking about goals, available resources, and potential challenges, while also reinforcing the need for adaptability as community needs and contextual understanding evolve.
Further, around discussion relating to reflective blogging, authenticity emerged as another key theme. Scholars were encouraged to avoid overly polished narratives and instead engage honestly with difficulties, uncertainties, and moments of discomfort, often the points of greatest growth. This also aligns closely with the Laidlaw Foundation’s commitment to ethical, transparent leadership.
Finally, the sessions highlighted the value of support networks. Leadership does not mean working in isolation; it involves knowing when to seek advice, collaborate, and ask for help. The strong network of mentors and fellow scholars provides a reassuring foundation as preparations for the Leadership‑in‑Action projects continue, as well as for on-the-ground challenges faced during them.
Overall, the workshops significantly deepened my understanding of leadership and ethical engagement. They prompted critical reflection on the role of a Laidlaw Scholar and the impact we hope to have. As plans and logistics begin to take shape, there is a renewed sense of purpose, a strengthened ethical foundation, and a commitment to approaching the summer’s work with curiosity, humility, and integrity. The opportunity to learn from such thoughtful and experienced facilitators has been invaluable, and I feel far better equipped to undertake the challenges and responsibilities of the Leadership‑in‑Action projects.