If leadership is the 'Invisible Elephant' in the room, so we dare to believe this work of John Knights' is a hidden gem that can not only reveal but also change what leadership is, means and needs to be for the 21st century. The real wealth of insight - 'the pyramid treasure' - is contained in the 'Eight Integral Competencies of Leadership', which forms the heart of the work.  It plots a course from the personal along a pathway to 'Transpersonal - beyond the ego Leadership', that recognises the needs of others. Along this road we develop compassion and wisdom, wit and humour, deep insight and the courage needed for those who are leading now and in the future.

"I see HR as having a distinctive competence which, aligned with the other parts of the organisation, can make the whole stronger."Paul Drechsler, chairman and chief executive of Wates Group, developed his leadership skills and vision through interactions with inspirational leaders and a supportive HR department during the early stages of his career at ICI. Today Paul, as the chairman and chief executive of Wates Group, gets energised when he sees how the values of his organisation are lived through its people. But having values alone is not enough – they need to be evidenced-based and leaders need to embody them in their actions. HR plays a fundamental role in bringing the different parts of the business together and even sometimes ensures that leaders live the values of their organisation.

For our second 'Tomorrow's Adaptive Organisation' roundtable, Ian Powell, senior partner and chairman of PwC UK, shared his vision of leadership and culture with us.  Ian Powell told his story of being a leader in a professional services firm – how he is a ‘lifer’ at PwC, and gradually moved up through the organisation until he became chairman of the UK firm in 2008. Through his different experiences in varying roles, he developed his leadership approach based on authenticity and integrity.  The first part of the report develops his vision and culture of PwC, aiming to be iconic – ‘the number one in professional services, always front of mind’. The second part  focuses on the alignment between behaviours and values.

‘The Boardroom and HR’s Role – with Sir john Egan’ forms the first report from a series of roundtable dialogues that the CIPD and Tomorrow’s Company are hosting to explore issues around how HR leaders can work with leaders and boardrooms to help shape tomorrow’s sustainable and adaptable organisations.

On 15 November 2011 Tomorrow's Company launched the first report in a programme on employee voice being undertaken in partnership with the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA). The report ‘Rethinking voice – for sustainable business success’ describes how employee voice is critical for the future of UK plc. Employee voice involves a two-way communication and an honest and trusting relationship between the organisation and its staff. Other project partners include BAE Systems, British Gas, HSBC, IAC Group, Thomson and Unipart, who enrich the report with their own experiences and challenges of voice.  Finally it sets out a framework that pulls together the factors that we think impact on the quality and effectiveness of employee voice in organisations.