What does leadership actually look like?

Leadership isn't about being the smartest person in the room – it's about making space for good ideas to surface. In this activity you'll hear from an entrepreneur who believes the most important thing a leader can do is make the quietest person feel heard.

This activity is designed to be flexible and can be used as follows:

  • During a lesson - 40 minutes. Students work in pairs and then share their reflections with the rest of the class.
  • During tutor time - 30 minutes. Students watch the video independently and then discuss one of the topics together.
  • As homework - Students watch the video on their own and complete the reflection at their own pace.

This activity supports the following frameworks:

  • Gatsby Benchmark 5
  • PSHE Association KS3 codes L4, L5
  • PSHE Association KS4 codes L3

1. Before you start

Take a moment to think about the following question:

  • When you picture someone leading a company, what do you imagine them doing? What kind of person do you think they are?

If you're working with a partner or team, share and compare your thoughts before continuing.

2. Watch the video

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Alex Caccia - Entrepreneur

Alex is an entrepreneur based in Oxford who runs multiple technology companies. He spends his time split between technical problems, managing people, and raising investment. He says leadership is nothing like what most people imagine - and that building trust matters more than being in charge.

While watching the video, listen for the following:

  • What does Alex say about where the best ideas usually come from - and why that's a problem in meetings?
  • Why does Alex say the relationship with his board "shouldn't be too cosy"?

3. Reflect and discuss

First, add a personal reflection based on the following:

  • What is one thing Alex said about leadership that was different from what you expected?

Next, think about the following and discuss with your partner or group:

  • Alex says "sometimes the best ideas come from the shyest people" and that you have to create a culture where they feel safe to speak. Have you seen this in group work at school - quieter people having good ideas but not sharing them? What would help?
  • Alex says "you might think leadership is about bossing everybody around, but if you're building anything difficult or complex, it's actually the opposite." What do you think he means? What does the opposite of bossing people around look like in practice?
  • Alex says he has a motto: "good news takes care of itself - bad news is what you've got to unearth." He also says explaining your decisions to other people is how you find the cracks in your own thinking. Do you think most people are good at looking for problems in their own ideas? What makes that hard?