TY - JOUR T1 - Flapjack or jackboot? Reflections on leadership styles for the COVID-19 pandemic JF - BMJ Leader JO - BMJ Leader SP - 99 LP - 100 DO - 10.1136/leader-2020-000270 VL - 4 IS - 3 AU - Sir David Dalton Y1 - 2020/09/01 UR - http://bmjleader.bmj.com/content/4/3/99.abstract N2 - I remember watching my mum baking flapjacks and being intrigued by the label on the golden syrup tin: a picture of bees flying out of a lion with the caption: ‘Out of the strong came forth sweetness’. This memory was prompted when I was reading a book review last weekend on Machiavelli and the philosophy of leadership—the exercise of strength and power—which is attributed to him. The rather odd juxtaposition has played on my mind at a time when I know colleagues are facing one of the biggest challenges of leadership in the National Health Service (NHS).Some of my earlier management experiences were shaped by a culture of performance management when the centre made demands down the organisational chain. Career progression in part was based on the extent to which you acceded to the demands and supplied what was requested. I am simplifying, but the phrase ‘just get a grip’ was widely used and ‘having a grip’ was admired.Many NHS leaders learnt how to survive, and some learnt how to thrive, using the levers of power and control to achieve their ends. Machiavelli might have smiled when some CEOs began to pay attention and ‘man-mark’ their CEO colleagues, because they were concerned that the success of … ER -