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My inspirational leaders include Robert Baden-Powell among others...

Photo of Paul Bates

The other day I was asked which leader most inspires me. Coming up with one just inspirational leader is extremely difficult as there many who have influenced my life, career and the way I do business in different ways.

The Church of England is a big part of my life. I sing in the choir, I’ve been a church warden for many years and, as you would expect, I help to keep my church pest free. St Peter, the very first Pope, is the first person I thought of when I was asked to think of an inspirational leader from the past. He was someone with many faults but he became a rock on which the Catholic Church was built. He maintained a very clear vision and belief in what he was doing while trusting those around him.

The Right Honorable Robert Baden-Powell, a great military leader who founded the Scout movement, saw the potential for children to have fulfilling lives. Now there are 600,000 scouts in the UK and six million across the world. I became a cub scout leader at the age of 23, never having been in the organisation when my local pack was shutting due to a lack of leaders. What has this got to do with management? Many famous leaders I admire were scouts, including Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama – the list is endless.

The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) recognises the leadership skills needed to be a scout leader and if you have gained your wood badge as a section leader, manager or supporter you are eligible to join the ILM as an associate member. You can become a full member if you have other management qualifications or experience, which includes three years’ further experience in your scouting role.

Finally, I can’t finish this piece without mentioning Mother Theresa because she had a vision and pursued it regardless of what others thought. Her quotes are inspirational. Such as: “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

Paul Bates is Managing Director of Cleankill Pest Control. Cleankill recently became the first in the industry to achieve Investors in People Silver – the highest accreditation ever achieved by any pest control company. Cleankill celebrates 20 years in business this year.