episode 8 - the word is which

In this 8th episode of ‘The Word is Leadership’, our host, Emmanuel Gobillot has to work with the random word ‘which’ to build a leadership lesson.

He begins with Rudyard Kipling's ‘six honest serving men’ - what, why, when, where, who, and how in order to emphasize their importance in studying and reporting on situations, but also to show that for leaders, an additional W is crucial to making choices – that W is ‘which’.

If leading is all about choosing, specifically choosing what is right over what is popular or expedient then “which” forces leaders to contend with the emotional involvement and commitment required to make the right choice. Whilst analysing a situation with Kiplings 5 Ws, provides objectivity and distance, the sixth W of which brings to the fore the need to understand the price to be paid for a chosen option and helps leaders assess their willingness to pay it.