“They want to make a difference and are amazing business leaders in their own rights. They are credible ambassadors with proven success in their sectors.


“I believe the board embodies what modern leadership is about as we have the skillset and diversity and entrepreneurial and strategic viewpoints.


“We are coming together with different thoughts and ideas but are united.


Mark Rawstron Continued from Page 29


Looking at what makes a modern leader, he says: “Modern leaders need to be much more in touch with the reality of what’s happening in the moment.


“You have to appreciate how people are. I think politicians are struggling with that.


“The people on the business board are very motivated and they’ve committed a lot of their time to it and are passionate about Lancashire.


“That unification is important because the common mission is the ultimate objective. If you don’t set a clear tangible goal then you can’t unite.


“People follow people who are able to give that decisive leadership and we need that. We need confident leaders with clear direction of travel.”


Mark Rawstron is the business board’s deputy chair. He has more than 30 years of experience as a commercial property advisor and in leadership roles.


He sees the county’s economic growth plan as a powerful tool for its leaders to use in attracting government and private investment.


Mark says: “It’s a framework within which to


have a sensible conversation with people who have money and power and to say to them ‘think about Lancashire’.”


He urges business leaders to play their part in that, adding: “It is very easy for business leaders to become insular and just concentrate on their own jobs, I absolutely understand that.


“But what I would ask of them is to support a Lancashire narrative in a wider sense and to become advocates for the county within their own disciplines and businesses.”


He also urges Lancashire’s political leaders to unite behind that same goal of selling the county, while acknowledging that task is easier in areas where there is an elected mayor, such as Greater Manchester.


Mark adds: “If we have a leadership team that is leading by example it makes it much easier for everyone to get on board.”


He believes the growth plan can act as a catalyst for that to happen and says: “Business leaders also have to challenge political leaders and tell them, ‘We are up for doing our bit, you have got to do your bit as well.’


“We need to speak as one voice about what is best for Lancashire, putting politics aside.”


ARE YOU READY


FOR LANCASHIRE’S BIGGEST BUSINESS CELEBRATION?


FINALISTS ANNOUNCED


19 JANUARY 2026 Awards ceremony:


Thursday 12 March 2026, Winter Gardens Blackpool


redroseawards.co.uk @redroseawards


#RRA26


Steve Peters, managing director Blackpool Airport


Integrity is the starting part for a good leader. If you have integrity that will instil trust and create engagement and motivation.


My dad taught me as a kid that you’ve got to be able to look yourself in the mirror in the morning. He also taught me that if you don’t know what to do, do the right thing. He has been a big influence in my life.


Empathy is an important quality. You don’t know what is happening in other people’s lives or what is influencing their actions, good or bad. You need to link that empathy with integrity and, if you do, you’ll have a pretty good foundation.


It is also important to have passion for what you do. If you haven’t then don’t bother.


Tim Jacques, chief executive of Vault, Preston Youth Zone and former high-ranking police officer working in counter terrorism


A good leader needs to be open, honest and vulnerable. Leaders don’t have all the answers, they need to create an environment where people can trust and question.


When you’re a police negotiator, you have someone who ‘holds your belt’, sometimes physically if you’re talking to someone at the top of a building.


It’s someone who has that relationship which means they can say ‘Are you sure about that?’ and who will question you in the heat of the moment.


The more open you are, the better your decision making will be, informed by those people around you.


SHARING LESSONS LEARNED


Leadership is a subject we look to cover in every edition. Here are some of the insights that Lancashire’s leaders have shared with us in recent times. They give a fascinating insight into what makes a modern leader


If you create a culture where people think there is no point in them saying or doing anything, that is counter-productive.


You can’t be a worrier and be in the counter- terrorism business. You should always push yourself out of your comfort zone and you also need humility.


Being consistent is also important. There will be difficult conversations but if you deliver your message in a consistent, calm way, it will probably be more impactful, and I’ve found that people are more likely open up and you’ll get more out of them.


I’ve been inspired by a number of people throughout my career, including Pauline Clare who was the country’s first female chief constable.


She came into Lancashire and restructured the force. It was a massive challenge. Her work set up what was already a well- respected police force, and re-shaped it for the future, creating one of the highest- performing forces in the country, and a generation of leaders who went on to fill some of the most senior roles in UK Policing.


I was also the Staff Officer to (Sir) Paul Stephenson, another former Lancashire chief constable, before he went down to lead The Met.


I learned an awful lot from him about “strategic thinking”, understanding the detail in order to encapsulate it, and then joining the dots across the many varied areas of policing. I saw him wrestle with particular, new or emerging issues, really wanting to understand them and once he did, he never forgot anything!


30


LEADERSHIP


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