Patricia Hewitt Leadership through Nature or Nurture?
her rucksack, something you’d went to Newham College, shows all the tell tail signs of an
expect a teenage school girl to Cambridge while Patricia was experienced political leader. It
have had, and rather charmingly still in high school to fi nd out was there on display, for anyone
asked whether we’d mind if she how she should apply, and what to see, why she had become an
had her lunch as we interviewed would be required of her. No incredibly successful Politician.
her. She then pulled out her prizes then for guessing where She had fantastic interpersonal
cheese and ploughman sandwich Patricia went to university. She ability. I could imagine her
and had lunch. came over to England to read making someone she intensely
English Literature in the late disagreed with; feel relaxed,
She revealed her childhood 60’s. She describes those days as while subtly and succinctly
vividly as she took small bites being able to get away with being communicating her arguments.
of her sandwich. Patricia, 60, unfocused about careers. She
tells us that she was incredibly studied English simply because One shouldn’t think its all smiles
short sighted, which for many she enjoyed it. and charm with Patricia. She was
years went unnoticed, with also assertive. She wanted to
teachers and parents thinking of It was at Cambridge that Patricia
her as being clumsy, inattentive, came into her own. She is a
and generally aloof. The truth self proclaimed campaigner.
was, to say it in her own words, She was involved with the anti-
She drew great
“She was as blind as a bat”. Vietnam war movement, as
satisfaction
Not surprisingly she describes well as aboriginal land rights
from winning; a
her early education as “dark”, campaign. At Cambridge, she
and migrated from Canberra to led the movement to have all the
trait that every
London and back again, several men’s colleges made available
successful leader
times in her fi rst few years of for women too. At that time
has
life before fi nally settling in Cambridge was a segregated
Canberra with her middle class affair with only three all women’s
family, where she seems to have colleges available. The male to
had an idyllic environment in female ratio at the time was 9 to dictate the course of the interview,
which to grow. She was equally 1, i.e. there were nine men for and she misread several of our
forthcoming with the diffi culties every woman, which did her no attempts at re-directing it. She
she faced as a child growing harm whatsoever when it came had a message, and she was
up, how she lacked confi dence, to getting attention from the bent on having it delivered her
she was shy and awkward, not opposite sex. Nevertheless, she way. She was assertive; never
very good at making friends and showed an appetite even now, aggressive. She had that rare skill
hopeless at sport. But she liked as she spoke about how strongly to push for what she wants, while
to read, mainly because she could she wanted to bring equality to remaining careful and sensitive
actually see the words up close. women. Her passion just radiates to her environment. We liked her
She was clearly bright. out, and as she spoke I could see style. It was effective.
her passion being transmitted to
Her parents desperately wanted everyone around her. She speaks As she spoke of her campaigning
to give their eldest daughter a softly, with her cool intense blue during her Cambridge days, we
fantastic education. Her father, eyes displaying her conviction. could all sense that she drew
a senior Australian civil servant, She is easy to listen to, and great satisfaction from winning;
HPD Sept ‘09 - Feb ‘10 www.YourHPD.com
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