Tag Archives: Cameron

Mandelson. An experiment in hybrid vigour?

Yesterday at around 7.30, coming out of my local newsagent, I had to pause to avoid an early morning jogger. In his now trademark black shorts and vest, it was David Cameron, looking fit and moving at a good pace.

This was not, it seemed to me, someone running for the photo opportunity. There was no entourage. This was someone, like many in high pressure jobs, running to stay fit. The fitter you are the more energy you have and right now Cameron, and his team, exude more of it than Gordon Brown’s team. One of the reasons they are more attractive to more people.

In one of the best practice guides on this site, Managing Energy, I look at ways at ‘amplifying’ energy. One of them reads: “Consider introducing ‘hybrid vigour’, the concept of cross-fertilisation for enhanced performance in breeding. In teams, changing the mix of people can re-invigorate.”

Could the introduction of Peter Mandelson be an experiment in hybrid vigour? However much he polarises opinon, he will undoubtedly bring new energy to the Cabinet, something sorely needed.

“a supremo of tone and composure”

When times are tough, and the financial climate could not be tougher, strong leadership is called for. This is as true in the commercial as in the political world. In both, leadership can be defined by the ability to inspire confidence.

In the US, Bush fatally ‘wounded’ by virtue of being yesterday’s man, is failing to lead. Here Brown despite,for him, a strong conference performance, is not inspiring confidence.

Cameron, on the other hand, the “novice” is pre-empting the leadership role. Yesterday, at the Tory party conference, he made an unexpected platform appearance. Here are some of the words used by Quentin Letts, a master of ‘body language’ observation.

“…….he not only gently removed the political initiative from Gordon Brown……..but also showed himself a supremo of tone and steady-the-buffs composure.”

“He did not produce any single, platinum phrase yesterday. He did not need to. The art – the duty – of the national politician is to find the delivery, the performance, to match the audiences expectations”.

Is this not the art, the duty, of all who pitch?

David “no-notes” Cameron at Blackpool

PITCHES AND TROUGHES. 100 BEST STORIES.

Last week in Glasgow, in the lead up to the by-election, David Cameron delivered what has been described as a taboo-breaking “moral leadership” speech . As reported it was a speech of real substance, with strong uneqivocal messages, for example “….we prefer moral neutrality, a refusal to make judgements about what is good and bad behaviour, right and wrong behaviour”.

It contained powerful messages which will register and which will drive the Tory agenda. However it is not this speech but his speech at the Tory Party conference in Blackpool in autumn 2005 that merits being included in the 100 Best Pitch Stories.

It was a five-way pitch. The two favourites going in were the big beast Ken Clarke, an experienced and fluent platorm speaker, and, in the lead, the bruiser David Davis, (now somewhat bruised by his by-election activity?) The other three were Liam Fox, Malcolm Rifkind and David Cameron.

All five spoke for roughly the same amount time, to the same audience of party faithful and no one can remember what any of them said!

Quite simply the political landscape changed on that day. Not because of what Cameron said but because of the way he said it.