Last week I took part in two days of leadership development training at Durham. The sessions were centred around reflection and discussion to understand how we lead now, the kind of leaders we hope to become, and how we plan to approach our Leadership in Action projects this summer.

We began by revisiting an activity from last summer in which we identified our core values. My top values – kindness, compassion, humility, authenticity, and making a difference – were almost identical to last year. This consistency reassured me that I have a clear sense of what matters to me, especially in terms of how my actions affect others. With these foundational values clear, it became easier to identify areas of my leadership I want to develop. After reflecting individually and as a group on what effective leadership will involve in our LiAs, I realised I can lack conviction in my decisions and am sometimes hesitant to speak up in the face of conflict or uncertainty. Given the challenges that may arise during our LiAs, it was useful to acknowledge this now so I can work on trusting my judgement, voicing concerns when needed, and holding boundaries even when it feels uncomfortable.

Another key part of the training involved identifying the skills and competencies we will need for our LiAs and anticipating potential challenges. Adaptability, resilience, problem solving, strong boundary setting, and ethical leadership emerged as the most important for my project. Thinking this through made me feel more prepared for the realities of the work I will be doing over summer, and made me think more intentionally about the kind of impact I want to have.

The session that had the biggest impact on me was Dr Nikki Rutter’s talk on volunteering versus voluntourism, with a particular focus on child safeguarding. As someone who will be working with orphaned and abandoned children over summer, this session felt incredibly relevant. Although I was previously aware of voluntourism as a problematic concept, I hadn’t fully appreciated the extent of the harm it can cause, particularly in the context of child exploitation and the reinforcement of corrupt systems. Acknowledging my own naivety was uncomfortable, but I am very grateful for this session for opening my eyes. The talk left me with a much deeper sense of responsibility and commitment to ensuring that my project contributes to long-term, sustainable benefit rather than unintentionally causing harm or serving my own development more than the community. It reinforced to me that ethical leadership requires ongoing self-reflection, self-scrutiny, humility and willingness to challenge yourself and your assumptions.

Overall, the training did not change my leadership style per se, but helped me to refine it. I will always lead with a strong focus on people, kindness, and compassion, but after the reflections and discussions that occurred over these two days, it felt particularly clear that pairing these strengths with greater confidence and ethical vigilance is crucial for my leadership development. In conclusion, these training days were a useful opportunity to reflect, gain clarity, and connect with others preparing for similar challenges.