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Why I am a Candidate for Mayor of London
London has been good to me. I want it to be as good, or better, for others. In
this essay, I illustrate:
• My awareness of the role of Mayor of London
• Why I want the job of Mayor of London
• How I would structure my Administration and my style of leadership
• How I would make a real difference to Londoners
My awareness of the role of Mayor of London
With a budget responsibility of £9.66 billion I am under no illusion as to the
scale of the responsibility involved in being Mayor of London. Such a large
amount of money, though, makes one point abundantly clear: managing it is
not a job for a one-man band. In terms of sheer practicality - let alone
optimization - this is a task that can only be achieved by a team.
The ability to lead a team is a specific skill. Lack of leadership skill causes
incompetence and lack of delivery in an organization of any size - from a
parish council to a major PLC. At the personal level, the principal cause of
management failure is the inability of a leader to delegate, while the
guaranteed way to catastrophe is for the leader's ego to prevent them
recognizing their own weaknesses and failing to acknowledge the need for
advice in areas where they are technically inexperienced.
I have led teams all my professional, medical and business career. My
natural approach to leadership is that of facilitation and I have a track record
of empowering the technical, creative and organizational skills and flair of
team members. While the scale of London government would be daunting to
most people - after all, how many people in the country have experience of
running a £10 billion business? - I take huge comfort in my ability to manage
people in an empowering, supportive and positive way.
However, these aspects of leadership are merely "hygiene" items - they
simply enable a leader not to mess up. What differentiates a leader is the
progress and difference they make: identifying objectives, winning people's
support for them, motivating the team to deliver (sometimes in the face of
resistance or dissent), monitoring progress, investing judgement and
implementing change when things fall behind, to ultimately delivering the goal
as set. These elements fascinate and stimulate me, all the more when the
goals are potentially of such benefit to so many people.
Why I want the job of Mayor of London
The Mayor of London provides a budget and platform from which the solutions
to few problems are out of reach. At the moment, I see the opportunities to
tackle London's challenges being squandered as every day goes by. And I
feel that to someone from my background, this is all the more unforgivable.
My real motivation to be Mayor of London is that I came to this country when I
was in my late teens. Britain had tentatively started the process of social
change for its own people, largely led by the media rather than by the political
class, but the opportunities for minorities to participate fully were still a long
way off.
London is a truly amazing place. Just as one can be disappointed from time
to time by the narrow-mindedness of certain people and institutions, so one is
utterly inspired by the reaction and openness of others. I have been
exceptionally lucky in my life and career in London and have been accepted,
encouraged and rewarded by the Londoners I have lived amongst. However,
I still see and experience difficulties and inefficiencies in London living that do
not make it unconditionally open to all its people.
I would relish the chance to serve as Mayor of London as it would give me the
chance to address some of these issues for the benefit of all. If all people feel
they are empowered, then the community becomes enriched and, dare I say,
even contented.
Therefore, in terms of the goals I mentioned above that are such an important
component to inspired leadership, I have no shortage of ideas to offer
Londoners. The one that most clearly brings my philosophy, attitude,
experience and concerns together is my vision for a more inclusive
empathetic London - encapsulated in my concept of the Cosmopolitan
Community.
This approach aims to liberate people from whatever their background or
socio-economic group and motivate the establishment of a truly meritocratic
London for all who wish to participate. I am delighted to introduce and
elaborate on these proposals elsewhere in this collection of essays.
How I would structure my Administration and my style of leadership
The crucial aspect to the Mayoralty of London is that with the prestige of this
city of ours there is an exceptional pool of talent - unequalled anywhere in the
world - to draw upon. I relish the chance to draw people together, particularly
those new to politics, with key world-class skills who would add significantly to
the culture of problem-solving in London. This approach is the DNA that runs
through all my proposals for the betterment of London. I want new contributions from the best minds in the world, rather than be hidebound by ideology or dogma.
I plan to build a team of professional managers experienced in the key
portfolios of the Mayor of London and start the process of City Hall becoming
an authoritative centre of excellence in these key governmental areas. I see
absolutely no point in reinventing the wheel: if there are pilot schemes or solutions available elsewhere in the world I have every intention of borrowing
the best ideas for the benefit of London.
This team of advisors will provide London government with an awareness of
best practice elsewhere as well as the motivation to implement it which is
currently lacking.
How I would make a real difference to Londoners
The principal difference I would make to the office of Mayor of London is
attitude - professional, social and ideological.
My biggest criticism of Ken Livingstone is his inability, because of his apparent
difficulty in relating to people who may not share his own peculiar brand of
ideology, to optimize the Capital's talent. I want contributions from the best
talents, whatever their political views - or their opinion of me, for that matter.
My second difference would be that, unlike Ken Livingstone who seems to
thrive on provocation and confrontation, I am naturally consensual, facilitating
and am driven by the desire to empower.
The third, and very personal contribution, is the inclusive and empathetic
approach to all citizens of London articulated by my concept of the
Cosmopolitan Community. I believe social alienation, in its extreme form, was
a contributing factor to the 7/7 bombings. This is an issue that desperately
needs a change of culture with which to debate and address its causes.
In short, I am utterly aware of the personal challenges and the scale of the
task involved in being the Mayor of London. However, it is the strength of my
belief in the unengaged talent in London and my very different approach to the
role that makes me want the job. I can't wait to serve and to make a difference.
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