As has been the case for businesses all over the UK, Ye Olde Salutation Inn, a public house in Nottingham dating back to 1240 which lays claim to being the oldest in the city, has had to navigate the storm of the Covid-19 pandemic and chart its own course through troubled waters. Speaking on the Leaders Council podcast, director Jason Weston reflects on the business’ journey through the pandemic thus far, while prime minister Boris Johnson hinted at a future u-turn on guidelines over mask-wearing in England’s schools. Elsewhere, Ofqual chief Sally Collier has tendered her resignation following the exams controversy.
Leadership in Focus
Sitting down with Leaders Council interviewer, Scott Challinor, Ye Olde Salutation Inn’s Jason Weston shared his views that the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis had forced leaders in all walks of life to stand up and be counted.
Weston said: “In my eyes, a leader is someone who guides people and can empathise with people and understand their concerns and fears. During a situation such as Covid, these qualities are absolutely pivotal. Being able to provide reassurance as a leader is also vital. There is a mixture of views out there in that some people aren’t really worried about the situation, and others are closer to being terrified about the whole matter. So, a leader has to be able to work with each different person and explain to them why certain things are being done, relate to their point of view, and get them on board with the wider goal.”
For Weston, the issue of mental health, which has been thrust back into the limelight by the effects of the lockdown, is another cornerstone of leadership.
“Mental health has been at the forefront of my mind, not just in terms of our staff but also our customers. People tend to forget about pubs, and I mean that in the sense that some think it’s just about going somewhere to consume alcohol. Yet, for many people, it is their main point of social contact and a major hub in maintaining people’s mental health. With the lockdown depriving them of it, this can inevitably create trauma because of social isolation.”
When asked about whether the experience of managing his business through the pandemic has taught him anything in his capacity as a business leader, Weston revealed that there were some positives to take from how the community frequenting Ye Olde Salutation Inn has banded together.
He explained: “This pandemic has helped me understand my staff more and the response from customers has been enlightening. We have tried to interact with our customers through this on social media just to alleviate the impact of the lockdown, and they’ve engaged positively with that. Our customers have wanted to continue being in touch and keep in contact with their favourite venue and they have appreciated that contact we have initiated, and the support coming from them has been amazing.”
As well as being proactive in maintaining contact with its customer base, Weston also sought other means of utilising his own spare time and that of his staff to good effect during the closure of the inn.
“It has been a difficult period being closed, but once we knew it was going to be a lengthy lockdown, we decided the best thing to do was to spend that time renovating the pub. When you’re open, there are some things you cannot do without closing the pub and taking a financial loss, but this gave us the time to make the pub look as best we can when customers can return, so we took the silver lining from that, did the big jobs we normally could not do and gave customers something to look forward to and now they have a much nicer, renovated public house to come back to.”
Weston also took the time to pay tribute to his dedicated team of staff, without whom none of what the inn has accomplished in 2020 would have been possible.
He said: “We don’t run a big organisation where there are people who are higher up than me, so when it came to deciphering legislation that we had to adhere to, it was a case of me looking through the reports and finding some clarity in what we have had to do to comply with government requirements. But I am lucky to have a great team, as much as I have been their support network, they have been mine when the pressure has been so great.
“As much as people are looking for guidance from you as a leader, people do recognise when you need some support of your own too, and they have been there for me in that regard.”
Leadership Today
The Telegraph reports that prime minister Boris Johnson has said that government guidance on wearing face masks on schools in England could change in future in line with medical advice, if the latter were to be amended.
Johnson informed the media: "On the issue of whether or not to wear masks in some contexts - you know, we'll look at the changing medical evidence as we go on.
"If we need to change the advice then of course we will."
When quizzed on why government advice was not currently in line with World Health Organization guidance suggesting that children over the age of 12 should wear masks, Johnson said that getting all pupils back into school was his “overwhelming priority”.
The PM added: “I think that the schools, the teachers, they've all done a fantastic job of getting ready and the risk to children's health, the risk to children's wellbeing from not being in school is far greater than the risk from Covid.
"If there are things we have to do to vary the advice on medical grounds, we will, of course, do that."
Johnson’s words came after business secretary Alok Sharma had told Sky News on Tuesday morning that there was currently “no plan to review” guidance on face masks in schools.
When asked whether the government would consider face masks for use in communal areas, which is due to be enforced from August 31 by Holyrood for schools in Scotland, Sharma said: "The messaging from the CMOs and deputy CMOs has been clear - the chances of being infected in schools is very small. In June there were one million children in schools and pre-school and there were 70 infections.
"The chances of being infected are higher outside a school setting."
When asked about face masks during an interview with the BBC’s Today programme, Sharma said that Public Health England is not recommending that masks are worn in school because teachers and students will be in “consistent groups” as part of safety procedures implemented to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
However, somewhat akin to the prime minister's words later that day, Sharma hinted that the government is “always considering the latest advice and evidence”.
Meanwhile, Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School & College Leaders [ASCL] union, has called for clarity and consistency for teachers and parents about guidance on wearing face masks in schools.
Barton told the BBC: "All we are saying is if the government is going to change its mind, we are the people who are going to be opening the schools and we need to know that, so that we can reassure parents about what the rules might be."
Referring to suggestions that parents may be concerned about the safety of their children returning to school, Barton said: "I think once we get into rhythms and routines of school, parents will be hugely reassured.
"The more that we can take on any final questions about what do they have to wear, is it face masks or isn't it, the more that reassurance I think will help to bring as many young people as possible into school next week."
On Tuesday afternoon, Sally Collier, the head of exams watchdog Ofqual, resigned from her position following the exam results controversy.
Dame Glenys Stacey, who was Collier’s predecessor, will assume the role in her stead.
Following the government’s decision to make a u-turn on using Ofqual’s controversial standardisation algorithm to award A-Level and GCSE results and instead switch to teachers’ estimated grades, education secretary Gavin Williamson repeatedly stopped short of publicly endorsing Collier and the watchdog.
Williamson also said that Ofqual “didn’t deliver” the system that the government had expected to be in place following the regulator’s reassurances, but in a subsequent statement the Department for Education said that it had “full confidence” in Ofqual and its senior leadership.
Following Collier's decision to step down, Williamson thanked her for her commitment in the role, adding: "Moving forward, my department will continue to work closely with Ofqual's leadership to deliver fair results and exams for young people."
Leadership in History
On August 25, 1944, the French capital of Paris was liberated by Allied forces after the German garrison surrendered the city.
Dietrich von Choltitz, the German garrison commander and military governor of Paris, signed the official surrender at the Paris Police Prefecture after he had surrendered himself at the Hôtel Meurice. Choltitz was then transported to Gare Montparnasse, where Free-French general Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque had established a command post. While there, Choltitz signed the surrender of the German troops in Paris.
The very same day, the president of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, Charles de Gaulle, returned to the War Ministry in Paris’ Rue Saint-Dominique, before delivering a famous speech from the Hôtel de Ville declaring the liberation of the city.
Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash
