‘Tina’s take…’
… the newsletter which tries to help our understanding of what’s driving people’s frustration and distrust of institutions and leaders, so we’re better equipped to turn things around.
Hello and Happy New Year! Even though I had a quiet Christmas, I’ve much to report in this first edition of 2026: great leadership on a train; success driving a Black Cab; a brief encounter with Nick Cave (Bunny Munro’s author); Jessie J’s ‘My Way’ and much more… Here we go.
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Leadership – using authority to get everyone organised🧑✈
️On a packed train from Nottingham to London just after Christmas, the simple authority and organisation from the young female train manager (with encouragement from her slightly older female colleague in charge of the refreshments trolley) was impressive and notably instructive.
Just after announcing via the Tannoy that bags must be removed from seats to enable those standing to sit down, the train manager entered the carriage I was in. First, standing by the luggage rack where cases were precariously overflowing, she loudly asked that owners of the two largest cases come to the end of the carriage to assist in reorganising the rack, to make it safe and create more space. Next, she went along the carriage politely but firmly, instructing people who’d yet to comply in removing bags from seats, to do as she asked. After establishing how many spare seats there were, she and her colleague then escorted those standing in the vestibule to vacant seats. They kept doing the same as the train progressed to London and people got on and off at stops along the way.
Observing this woman at work was inspiring. Not only did her leadership benefit the passengers who would otherwise have been left to stand, her visible standard-setting of consideration for others changed people’s behaviour: seated passengers acknowledged those who came to sit down, or they moved other things to make room. In short, we all followed her lead.
The two employees on that East Midlands Railway train journey weren’t worried whether we thought they were nice. They knew what needed doing and their competence in exercising their rightful authority for the benefit of all passengers generated respect. They didn’t just offer a practical lesson in leadership, they illustrated how rarely in public spaces we see those to whom authority has been delegated exercise it for our benefit. But they aren’t going to if they can’t see those ‘above them’ doing the same.
Social Mobility and success – what it means to the people it’s about💡
On arrival at St Pancras I jumped in a Black Cab and, as is so often the case, listened sympathetically to the driver’s frustrations about various London traffic and regulatory restrictions now threatening his income. So I was pleasantly surprised to see just a few days later in this week’s Sunday Times, a report about renewed interest from teenagers in the Black Cab trade as an alternative to university.
As one of the teenagers currently studying the world-renowned Knowledge and featured in the piece said: “Once you earn your badge you can have a cab rented the same day and go out and earn money. You don’t have to work your way up some corporate ladder; you can be earning top money the same day.” (This chimes with the Social Mobility Commission’s recent report on “Perceptions of Social Mobility”: success for most people isn’t climbing a corporate ladder, but a job that provides purpose and a decent wage that provides security and stability for family and time for other interests. The problem is not enough opportunities for people to succeed on their terms.)
I’ve long worried about the demise of Black Cabs. Don’t get me wrong, competition from new entrants is good (paying by card was long overdue; pre-booking apps are a great innovation), and driverless taxis will be on London’s streets before we know it (I’ve ridden in a San Francisco Waymo, which was great). Even so, the purpose of Black Cabs in London is about more than a ride. Black Cabs represent what London as Britain’s capital city stands for: quality, expertise, reliability you can trust. That, combined with the effort and dedication needed to qualify as a Cabbie, is why it’s a serious job worthy of respect and the survival of Black Cabs should be taken far more seriously by politicians and policymakers. Ensuring the traffic regulations and road conditions exist for them to compete and thrive would be a start.
Tips and Recommendations: 📺 👩💻🎧
Podcast to listen: 🎧 Within days of my slamming “The Death of Bunny Munro” in the last Newsletter, I was startled to find myself being introduced to its author, Nick Cave, at the UnHerd Christmas party. He seemed very nice, so I decided best not to mention it. 😳Instead, whilst at the same party, I told the journalist Julie Bindel that I’d enjoyed her podcast “Three Doors Down” – about a mother’s 30 year fight with officialdom to get justice for her murdered daughter. Sharon Henderson’s story is made all the more harrowing by the incompetence she suffered – which is reinforced when Anne Ming joins her in a later episode. (Anne’s story was brilliantly dramatised last year in ITV’s ‘I Fought the Law’, which is definitely worth a watch.)
Drama to enjoy: 🎭 📺 I am about to finish the 10th and final season of Bosch – the LAPD detective drama available on Amazon Prime – and that’s the one I really want to shout about. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed and will miss Harry Bosch. It’s a great show, because he’s principled without being perfect and watching doesn’t involve being force-fed moral lessons you don’t need. I envy anyone who has 10 seasons in front of them.
Website to visit: 👩💻There’s some interesting material on Focaldata (James Kanagasooriam’s research business) about all sorts of things – but two pieces of work about public perspectives that have interested me recently are this on ‘agency’, and this on ‘digital sovereignty’. I may reference them again in future Newsletters.
Music video to watch: 🎤📺 Finally, if you were out on New Year’s Eve, or in bed already and missed Jessie J’s rendition of ‘My Way’ on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny you missed something special. I can’t stop watching it. Honestly, give it a look – it gave me goose bumps.
Thanks again for reading. Having done a few of these now, I’ve decided that issuing one a month feels about right. So, I’ll be back the first week of February. In the meantime, you can find me on LinkedIn or X – and do sign up to receive this Newsletter direct to your inbox, so you can hit reply with feedback. Please do tell me about any examples you’ve seen where you think that, with better leadership, things could be done better – I’d love to hear about them.
Have a great January!
Tina
