David Hatch

Why me? What do I know about leadership?

What do I know about leadership? It’s a fair question.

I’m David Hatch, the founder of Leading with Integrity. I’m also an experienced leader within small businesses, a leadership mentor and a fan of Star Trek. Specifically Jean-Luc Picard, and the other Captains, like Benjamin Sisko or Kathryn Janeway (and yes, even James T. Kirk!).

OK, bear with me about the Star Trek thing.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea (Earl Grey, Hot) but putting that aside, as a character, Picard is an inspiring example of how to be a leader, not a boss. And he’s not alone, there’s some incredible examples throughout Star Trek and its aspirational future, and some great leadership stories and lessons throughout sci-fi, fantasy and even pop culture more widely. I love combining all these elements to improve our daily leadership practices.

David Hatch | Why me?


Some background about me

Background about me, David Hatch. Supermarine Spitfire. Griffon engined.

My dad was a private pilot and, having spent much of my childhood on airfields, I joined the Air Cadets and rose up the ranks.

It was here that I witnessed the worst kind of leadership for the first time, the `I know best’, top-down approach, where leaders never admit mistakes. They just blame others for them. I became part of that, and for a long time it’s how I thought leadership worked.

When I entered the workplace 20+ years ago, I realised pretty quickly that leadership like that doesn’t work, not in the real world. You don’t need to have all the answers as a leader. If you don’t know something, just say so.

I’ve been studying and practising leadership ever since, becoming increasingly passionate about what makes a great leader. Every workplace experience I’ve had, from my first job stuffing envelopes to my ‘last’ job in a Space start-up, has taught me more about leadership, management, business and people.



What makes a great leader?

For me, leadership boils down this:

● Leading by example because it breeds trust. If you’re authentic and transparent, teams will have confidence in you. They’ll follow your example.

● Collaboration. Good leadership is a communicative, collaborative process because often, you’re leading subject experts who know more than you do; especially in the tech sphere.

● Well-being and enjoyment because we spend most of our lives at work. If you listen, learn and treat a team well, they’ll be happy, efficient and productive.

Is there an easy answer to how you go about achieving this? Do I have that answer?

No, there isn’t, and sadly also no, I can’t provide all the answers. Nobody can, and beware anyone who promises otherwise. But I founded Leading with Integrity and started the Integrity Leaders community to smooth the path towards finding your own style of ethical, authentic leadership and most importantly do so in a safe space with a sense of community and support; because it’s dangerous to go alone (feel free to message me if you missed that reference…).

Join the community
FAQs

It’s up to you how much time you want to commit. Some of our members are here every day, others just drop in every now and again.

All the live events are recorded, so you won’t have to be there in person if you can’t make it.

There’s a selection of leadership courses, including a free starter kit for first-time leaders.

There are regular interactive events where we discuss common challenges leaders face — imposter syndrome, for example. Plus, every week, you’ll get early access to the latest leadership podcast.

There are links to all the previous leadership podcasts, videos, event transcripts and a wealth of other resources. New, useful stuff is added regularly.

If there’s something in particular you’d like to learn about, just ask. I’m happy to set up sessions about any leadership subject.

The user directory has a short intro by all the members (you’ll be asked to fill this in too, during onboarding). You can see who’s joined the community, what they do, and their leadership priorities.

You can chat with other members confidentially via direct messages, or publicly via the leadership chat thread. You can also talk to members during the live online events or drop-in virtual rooms.

Direct messages are confidential. No one else will have access to your conversation. The leadership chat thread is open to all members.

As part of the terms of membership, we expect all contributions and conversations to be treated with confidentiality – this is crucial when some of the subjects for discussion can involved sensitive information.

It’s a diverse assortment of leaders. There are first-time leaders and experienced managers, business founders and entrepreneurs from a variety of industry sectors. Everyone is new to leadership in some form, whether a first time founder, brand new manager, or a recently promoted, more senior leader. The common cause is: people first, community, and learning.

Pretty easy! Once you access the membership area, you can just click on ‘Call with David’ on the left-hand main menu. It takes you straight to my diary so you can book in a mentoring session.

Membership costs £39 per month.

Ad hoc, one-to-one leadership mentoring is free. It’s included as part of your membership — although bear in mind that if you’d like a series of regular sessions, I may have to charge for these. I’m happy to discuss an affordable option.

You’re not tied in. It’s a monthly rolling membership and if you want to leave the community, you can do so at any time.