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This episode is with Tom Riordan. Tom is a legend in public service circles. He's been the Chief Executive of Leeds Council for 14 years, having previously led the Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward.
Tom has achieved a huge amount in his time at Leeds, including substantial economic investment and regeneration, as well as being the Chief Executive that oversaw the turnaround of Leeds Children's Services from being in a very poor state to being a real exemplar.
Tom and I talk about how you effect meaningful change in a place, how you work with partners, how it requires time, how you've got to have a really clear set of “ambitions” or “obsessions”. We get into some detail which I think leaders who are currently leading councils and “places” will find very useful. We also talked about prevention, how Leeds kept its Sure Start centres and had a focus on destigmatising people seeking support.
Anybody who has encountered Tom (or even better worked with him) will know that he is totally against hero leadership. He sees himself as a servant leader and there's lots of good hints and tips as to how you can try and adopt a bit of that yourself.
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