Mayor of London Sadiq Khan retorted comments made by the PM in Parliament as the end of the post-Brexit transition period looms ever closer. Meanwhile, Robert Wilson Estate Agency Group are overcoming their own challenges in the tempestuous 2020 landscape.
Leadership in Focus
Robert Wilson, founder of Robert Wilson Estate Agency Group set up in 1986, has spoken about his companies’ journey of adaption and diversification. Originally trained as a licensed auctioneer in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Robert expanded his pursuits by forming the multidisciplinary estate agency located in Moira.
Since establishing his estate agency, the somewhat neglected town of Moira has been transformed with neighbouring businesses that have followed Robert’s example by investing heavily in local premises. Writing in The Parliamentary Review Mr Wilson said: “It has been my privilege to help Moira re-emerge into the vibrant and popular small town that it has since become.”
The following years allowed exponential growth for Mr Wilson’s business, as he established four more offices across Ireland. Yet, adversity lay ahead for the company, with the founder stating: “The next few years were more difficult than anyone anticipated – prices collapsed and what remained of the market was dominated by repossessions”.
Nonetheless the agency survived, operating from three locations with a tightly knit and highly motivated group. The company continuously faces new challenges from online estate agency systems, but look to combat them via a highly personal network of employees which allow them to maintain competitiveness. The latest of its challenges are tending to arise from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, however Mr Wilson maintains his pragmatic approach: “Both life and business allow for a certain margin of error, so long as one adapts” to hold the business in good stead going forward.
Leadership Today
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused prime minister Boris Johnson of lying after Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons. The Telegraph reports that Mr Johnson stated: “The current Mayor of London had effectively bankrupted Transport for London (TfL) before the coronavirus had even hit and left a massive black hole in its finances”.
Mr Khan hit back at the PM on Twitter stating: "The PM has lied to the House of Commons. Before Covid I was fixing his mess at TfL, reducing the deficit by 71 per cent since 2016.” The Mayor continued to say that: "Covid-19 is the sole cause of TfL’s challenges. The PM wants to increase fares, the congestion charge & taxes - and end free travel for children and older Londoners.”
In other news, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that a Brexit trade deal is “within reach” as he makes a commitment to the UK to make some compromises. Ministers remain cautiously optimistic as both sides vie to complete a deal by the end of October, the deadline that the EU has placed on negotiations to ensure that any agreement can be fully ratified before the end of the transition period in December.
Leadership in History
On this day in 1805 the Battle of Trafalgar took place, in which British Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the combined power of the French and Spanish fleets. Lord Nelson himself was shot and killed during the battle.
Photo by Jonathan Poncelet on Unsplash
