By Peter KoestenbaumWorld events have caused a dramatic shift in how we think about our lives and our work. How we grapple with the fundamental questions. How can we live a courageous life and manage anxiety? Is it possible to reach greater heights of ethics and responsibility? Peter Koestenbaum shares his wisdom about the fundamental nature of leadership and shows what it takes to become an exceptional and passionate leader in today’s complex world. At the very heart of the book is his Leadership Diamond model- a paradigm that challenges managers to transform their thinking and approach everything with fresh effectiveness in order to reap richer results and become great leaders.

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Planners and policymakers are not up to date. They make outdated assumptions about the way people live and work, according to research funded by the Economic & Social Research Council.Planners in many countries are anxious to repopulate inner city areas on the assumption that local access to jobs, housing, shops and education will create a more sustainable environment. The researchers, from the University of Newcastle, found that people seldom live where they would choose in an ideal world and compromises are often made because parents want to be within reach of a “good” school.

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Public services will have to operate a new style of open government when the Freedom of Information Act goes live on 1 January 2005. The newly created Department for Constitutional Affairs, with responsibility for implementing the Act, is concerned that when citizens gain their new rights to information about actions and decisions, public bodies will not be ready for the radical change. The Act will cover some 100,000 public bodies including central departments, local government, police, the health service and schools and universities.To give effect to the Government’s aim to promote fairness, rights and responsibilities and build trust and credibility among members of the general public there must be free access to information. This includes allowing citizens to scrutinize actions and decisions so they can see how an issue was dealt with and the reasoning behind the decision. This contrasts markedly with the current situation where citizens are told only that which the public authorities think they need to know. This radical move to open government will require a change in culture, not just in processes. Lord Filkin, Minister at the Department for Constitutional Affairs, said: “This government wishes to see citizens equipped to play an active role in the work of public bodies, which exist to serve them.”

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