Leadership is a difficult subject. In all spheres of group activity it would appear that there is a need for a group leader, coordinator, manager or at least someone to have an overall view of the reason for the existence of the group and some knowledge of the functions of each member of the group. The leadership function is, to best co-ordinate the endeavours of the various members, bring them together so as to achieve the primary object of the group’s existence. It is also to communicate to others of the existence of the group, its efficiency and that its objectives are desirable and available for use by others.
In general, a group comes together at the instigation of an individual who has an idea for an objective s/he believes is worth pursuing and convinces others to join in on the quest and help realise the objective through support and perhaps, with additional thinking, can improve the objective in question, by making it more attractive and desirable. As the group expands various functions are taken up by the different members and they chose a general co-ordinator and some sort of hierarchy is devised. Generally the individual with the initial idea will take the lead, but they will not necessarily be the best person to be the leader. Some other individual who has joined up, or been brought in, may be better able to function in that roll.
There are studies and courses at universities and private institutions which teach a variety of subjects such as enterprise and entrepreneurship, business administration, public policy and administration, marketing, environmental management, construction management, operational research and many other topics intended to provide the skills required for a leadership role or administrator within a group endeavour. These courses will also include studies on finance and marketing. All of them will involve some sort of content about motivational psychology and human resources, and therein lies an essential question, “What about integrity?”
I was listening this morning to the Today BBC4 interview just after 8 am, between journalist Nick Robinson and Tony Blair. Mention was made of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Mr Blair was very keen about his advice for Mr Starmer and his cabinet as well as vigorously promoting his institute and the use of AI and technology in general to improve the operations of the various government departments, by making them leaner, more efficient and consequently more economic.
Recently in the Telegraph it was reported that income generated by the Blair Institute (despite being claimed to be a not for profit organisation) had allowed for a £35,000 increase in the salaries of the staff. Indeed on the Wikipedia entry for the Institute it does not list income but it does list expenses for 2020 at £48,272,000 and staff of just 450+ for 2022. Its “genre” is stated to be political influencing.
In other words Mr Blair is selling bull shit under the guise of AI technology. If ever the words Artificial Intelligence had any real meaning this has got to be the prime example. A group that spends over £48 million in the year 2020 in expenses and gives no true account of where the money comes from is suspect. It was apparently reported in the Telegraph of 21 July 2018 that Mr Blair had signed a deal worth £9 million with Saudi Arabia.
“The article quotes a spokesperson saying that while the Institute was under no duty to disclose donors or donations, they confirmed receiving a donation from Media Investment Ltd, a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group registered in Guernsey, to fund their work for modernisation and reform working for a regional solution to the peace process, as well as on governance in Africa and promoting religious co-existence. The Tony Blair Institute confirmed that it had received donations from the U.S. State Department and Saudi Arabia”.
No doubt the US State Department made the donation for Mr Blair’s support for Mr Bush’s endeavours in Iraq. A little thank you money.
The aims as expressed by the Tony Blair Institute are very laudable, essentially to create Global Change and World Peace. It is clearly a very successful enterprise and has helped make Mr Blair a very rich man. So far as creating Global Change is concerned I see no evidence of achievement since its formation 7 years ago. Mr Blair’s efforts in the Middle East have somehow failed to prevent the current crisis, and Mr Putin is clearly out of the Institute’s reach. Various African nations have not responded. So my view has not changed. Mr Blair is selling Artificial Ideas not intelligence. Why does this man have any influence at all?
Mr Starmer and his group would do well to steer very clear of Mr Blair and his Institute. The last Government spent a fortune on unusable PPE and non-existence ships. I would hate to see this government spending a fortune for unusable fantasy advice.
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