1.
Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
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CONTENTS
2 | Reluctant Leaders: Missing in Action
3 | What’s needed?
4 | Building the Bridge
6 | Bridging the Gap

2.
Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
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Reluctant Leaders: MISSING IN ACTION
In large organisations and small business; in both the
public and private sectors; in male-dominated
industries and in empowered, gender balanced in-
dustries we have leadership missing in action (MIA).
‘MIA’ has military origins and it is also used to imply
that a person hasn't been seen in some period of time;
in this case, leadership hasn’t been seen for some time.
Not to say leadership is non-existent but neither is it
fully present and effective. We know this is true when
staff engagement worldwide is measured at 13%!
[Gallup]. In New Zealand staff engagement sits at 24%,
certainly better than worldwide figures but we still
have a staggering 76% gap to improve on.
Engagement certainly starts at the top, engaged leaders
are more likely to build engaged teams but some
leaders are holding back from being fully engaged.
Perhaps they are too comfortable with the status-quo,
no longer willing to stretch themselves or encourage
others. They may be too comfortable with the
operational detail and not focused on or engaged in the
strategy. They may be putting up excuses or forming
barriers to further development “I’m not ready yet, I
need more experience, more training.”
Or maybe they’re in leadership roles based on their
technical or professional expertise and don’t feel
equipped in the people skills required to lead.
Whatever the reason they have a reticence or
unwillingness to lead, they are Reluctant Leaders.
The highest dollar spend in most organisation is the
spend on the leaders salaries. Rightly so, this is where
the expertise lies and the responsibility sits. However,
what organisations can ill afford is to be paying top
dollar and getting below par performance.
The Reluctant Leader creates a leadership gap resulting
in not enough leadership to go around. The organisation
may have good staff to manager ratios and well-
managed workflows, but a leadership gap will put
additional pressure on the engaged leaders and staff.
At an organisational level we will not only have low
levels of staff engagement but we are also likely to
observe:
1 | a drop off in productivity
2 | declining customer satisfaction
3 | low levels of growth and innovation
4 | health, safety and well-being issue

3.
Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
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What’s needed?
We need to close the reluctance gap to release the
‘missing’ leadership capacity and smooth the devel-
opment path to ‘Inspiring Leader’. Inspirational
leadership is within us all, what is needed is to connect
Reluctant Leaders to their own, authentic leadership
style with an energy and enthusiasm to lead.
Barriers to leadership are formed throughout life. The
negative things leaders have been told by others, or that
they tell themselves; the assumptions they make and
the beliefs they hold; the excuses they hide behind.
Huge walls can also be built by the daily grind, the
things that wear leaders down and overwhelm their
energy and passion.
Our thoughts and interpretations of people and events
directly influence our beliefs, and ultimately, our
leadership actions. Henry Ford said, ‘Whether you think
you can or cannot, you're right.’ In other words, what
you think is what you get.
The Reluctant Leader might recognise that these things
barriers and begin to shut down, disconnecting from
their work or they may have started the search for
solutions- in a book, through training or connecting with
a mentor. What’s really needed though, is mostly an
inside job.
The reluctance gap creates a
barrier between every layer of
functional leadership and
collectively may account for a
substantial amount of
‘missing’ leadership capacity.

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Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
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What’s needed?
“WHAT’S NEEDED IS
MOSTLY AN INSIDE JOB.
It’s precisely that
simple & also that
difficult”
Leadership shifts are less about discovery and more
about the hard work of development, which starts
from the inside then radiates outward.
WARREN BENNIS

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Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
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Building the Bridge
There are three key factors at play in the Reluctant
Leader:
a lack of confidence in their ability;
a lack of conviction or self-belief,
and
a mindset that forms a strong
protective barrier around the status
quo.

6.
Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
CONFIDENCE
“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I
may not have it at the beginning.” Mahatma Gandhi
Confidence is the fundamental basis to leadership, it enables leaders to speak out and to
make decisions. The reluctant leader may lack confidence which drives risk-aversion and
makes people less willing to pursue new challenges.
Thankfully, a lack of confidence is not a life-sentence, as confidence can be learned,
practised and mastered.
CONVICTION
"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that
voice will be silenced." Vincent Van Gogh
Conviction is having a firm belief in yourself and your abilities. It’s the step beyond
confidence where leaders truly believe in and act on the strength of their own abilities.
Conviction is an active manifestation of confidence, those who lead with conviction have
a strong centre of truth and authenticity.
Conviction is what affects others, those they lead. It is a prerequisite for influencing,
motivating and inspiring people, for engaging them in wanting to do what needs to be
done.
Dr Travis Bradberry, the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestseller, Emotional
Intelligence 2.0 speaks of leaders with conviction creating an environment of certainty for
everyone and put others at ease.
In combining confidence with conviction a leader can tap into their inner energy and regain
the enthusiasm and passion for their work.
MINDSET
Mindset is the ideas and attitudes with which people approach a situation. It is often
described as the factor that distinguishes those that succeed from those who don’t. Abilities
and talent take leaders so far but the right mindset enables them to foster learning and
nurture resilience.
When a leaders mindset is ‘productive’ (Chris Argyris) or they use their ‘growth’ mindset
(Carol Dweck) they are more likely to create informed choices and continue working hard
despite setbacks. Whereas a defensive or fixed mindset shuts out the truth or may prevent
learning altogether.
When minds are open and the level of conviction is high leaders empower themselves and
those around them to succeed. When their mindset connects with their confidence their
levels of positivity rise.

7.
Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
Bridging the Gap
If we think of the reluctance gap as something to be
bridged then Reluctant Leaders can go beyond operating
at sub-optimal levels and do the real work of leadership;
they can unleash their potential and capacity, not only
for themselves but also for the organisation.
1 | Where is the untapped potential in your
leadership workforce?
2 | Is confidence a barrier to development in your
organisation?
3 | Who is holding back from leading?
4 | Do your technical and professional leads
demonstrate the confidence, conviction and
mindset required to lead?
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT JULENE
+64 21 500 709 | julene@consultbrightspot.co.nz
Every organisation needs
engaged leadership to
thrive in fulfilling its
purposes. Develop your
leaders to be fully present
and engaged and they can,
in turn, build engaged
teams.

8.
Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
About the Author
JULENE HOPE
Executive Coach and Consultant
G.Dip.Business.
Julene is an Executive Coach and Consultant, who
supports and guides people and organisations
through change.
Drawing on her experience working with clini-
cians, leadership teams, business and large-scale
government programmes Julene has built a strong
understanding of leadership success and how to
develop that in others. She focuses is on supporting
personal growth based on pragmatic tactics and a
strong understanding of the dynamics of success.
Julene has delivered leadership programmes for
professional services and regularly runs national
workshops for women in leadership. She also
works directly with managers and leadership
teams.
Julene qualified as an executive coach and mentor
through the UK’s Institute of Leadership Man-
agement (ILM) and is an accredited user of the
Team Management Services (TMS) profiling tools.
CONTACT
E | julene@consultbrightspot.co.nz
T | +64 021 500 709
W | www.consultbrightspot.co.nz
www.linkedin.com/in/julenehope

9.
Reluctant Leadership | BRIDGING THE GAP
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This whitepaper is general in nature and not meant to
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