Dr Will Parks On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain & Turbulent Times

As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Will Parks.

Dr Will Parks is a passionate humanitarian who has worked for UNICEF in the Pacific Islands, Nepal, Iraq, Iran, Bhutan and Cambodia.

Before joining UNICEF, Will worked with the Australian and UK Aid Agencies, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and the World Health Organization, honing his skills in diverse cultural and professional settings.

A scholar and thought leader, Will has authored multiple books and articles, presenting his insights at numerous international conferences and workshops.

Certified by the International Coaching Federation, Will is also an expert coach, dedicated to guiding others on their own graceful leadership journeys.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I was 16 years old, studying at Wellington College in the United Kingdom, when I first learned about Jim Grant, a visionary, compassionate leader of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund between 1980 and 1995. From 1984 onwards, I dreamt of working for UNICEF.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I can share a recent mistake. When the Covid-19 pandemic erupted at the beginning of 2020, I had been working with UNICEF in the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan for several months. I was concerned about Covid-19’s mental impacts on Bhutan’s youth. On 3 September 2021, I was invited to an audience with the Queen of Bhutan, the Gyaltsuen (Dragon Queen) Jetsun Pema Wangchuck — an extremely rare event for any foreigner. She had recently become the nation’s figurehead for mental health promotion. Five days later, on 8 September, the UN held a briefing with a group of media representatives. I used the opportunity to continue my mental health advocacy but neglected to check if the meeting was ‘off the record’. Overconfident, negligent and simply not pausing to consider what the implications might be, my opening line was, ‘Bhutan is heading down the wrong path on mental health and suicide…’ What was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking.

The 11 September headlines in The Bhutanese, a national newspaper, quoted me directly. That evening as I read the article my heart sank and my stomach reeled. Her Excellency Dasho Dechen Wangmo was the intelligent and super-energetic minister of health at the time. Over the next few days, I heard through several back channels that she was incredibly disappointed with what I had said. I could appreciate why. But together we had built a trusting relationship, strong enough for forgiveness and, a few weeks later, she graciously thanked me for all the efforts I had made. But upon seeing that headline, I felt guilty. What I did was bad. Yet, strangely, I did not feel ashamed. This was an unintended error. I did not let it define me. It’s not helpful to beat yourself up. So, I brushed myself down and over the next few weeks continued to compassionately advocate for mental health.

On 3 November, Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen graced the ground-breaking ceremony for the Pema Centre — a new, 60-bed hospital for mental health and wellbeing. During her speech, she said, ‘It is crucial now that as a nation, we embody that spirit of community and nurture a society that works to ensure that no person suffers in silence, and that we support each other with compassion and kindness through any struggle or adversity. Mental health will have the national priority it deserves.’

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I mentioned Jim Grant. He inspired my career. But I sadly never met Jim. And I never met the other graceful soul who launched my career. In September 1992, I was a tutor at the University of Durham’s anthropology department and volunteer for UNICEF UK. I’d become fascinated by ethno-pharmacology — the study of indigenous medical systems and their physiological potential to help improve global health. The late Professor Norman Farnsworth, then at the University of Illinois, was one of the field’s leading lights. I posted a handwritten letter to him enquiring if there was any chance of being part of his research endeavour. Though no reply came, I realised later that he had considerately kept my correspondence.

In February 1993, I had just turned 25. I was standing at the department’s reception desk when the phone rang. ‘Hold on. He’s right beside me.’ The receptionist handed the call to me. On the other end of the line was the chargé d’affaires for the Solomon Islands. ‘Hello Will! Professor Farnsworth passed on your name to us. Would you be willing to help us assess whether a biodiversity institute can be set up here to research traditional medicine and to find alternatives to logging our rainforests?’

I stood there bewildered by two things. First, by Professor Farnsworth’s gracious trust. And second, back then, I could have wallpapered a medium-sized living room with letters rejecting my job applications (this was before the proliferation of emails and online recruitment). With this out-of-the-blue ‘Yes!’ from the Solomon Islands’ government, my leadership journey in international development began. So, I bless Professor Farnsworth. Although he sadly left us in 2011, I hope that he can sense my eternal gratitude and that I try to emulate his graceful influence by always offering a helping hand to others, whether by passing on a connection, sending a reference letter or through personal coaching.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

UNICEF came into being through the UN General Assembly resolution in 1946 to provide emergency food and healthcare to children and mothers in post-World War II countries. While initially focused on wartime relief, UNICEF’s mandate expanded in 1950 to address the long-term needs of children and women in developing countries worldwide, becoming a permanent part of the UN in 1953. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to UNICEF in 1965 to recognize the agency’s work for children as work for peace. UNICEF now operates in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?

One story I recount in my book is when I was serving with UNICEF in Iraq during the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria) insurgency. On the eve of 29 January 2015 (my 47th birthday), thick fog descended on the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk and surrounding areas. Under this cover, an advance party of some 150 ISIS militants attacked the Peshmerga — elite armed forces of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq — positioned along the city’s outskirts. UNICEF Iraq’s emergency team and I were in Erbil, about an hour’s drive north, coordinating a rapid-response mechanism (RRM) with the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), delivered by a consortium of other UN agencies and non-government organisations and designed to provide one week’s worth of drinking water, high-energy biscuits and hygiene kits (which included children’s toys) that could be carried by families fleeing ISIS to safer areas in north-eastern and eastern Iraq (UNICEF 2015). For many, the RRM was the only source of sustenance and comfort along the way to their final destinations.

The previous week, a member of our emergency team, Atheer Al-Yaseen, an amazing professional and great human being, approached me in my capacity as UNICEF Iraq’s chief of field operations. Atheer and I had built a level of trust that freed us to make clear decisions, frankly and quickly. For many weeks earlier, every single day, he and I would walk together to and from other people’s meetings or deploy together on multiple field missions.

Atheer had analysed recent advances made by ISIS towards Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, the last hope and refuge for millions of displaced Iraqis, and the location of our north-eastern humanitarian operations. He pinpointed Kirkuk as a highly likely target. With large oilfields nearby, if ISIS attacked Kirkuk, Iraq’s military, the Peshmerga and the multi-religious Popular Mobilisation Forces or PMF would combine to respond aggressively. Further population displacements were guaranteed. At the time, the city had a resident population of some 900,000, swelled further by between 200,000 and 400,000 people displaced from ISIS-occupied territories.

Atheer explained that having captured Maktab Khaled, south of Kirkuk, ISIS was again on the move. Population displacements to Kirkuk had already begun. I asked him several questions as to where his sources predicted ISIS would move next: north to Hawija or maybe into the oilfields south of Kirkuk? He was convinced it would be Kirkuk itself.

We already had RRM supplies on the ground there and further supply pre-positions in Erbil and Sulimaniyah that could reach Kirkuk within 24 hours. ‘Even so,’ I queried Atheer, ‘what if we move more supplies to just outside Kirkuk on standby? If ISIS advances to Hawija and no further movement of civilians happens into or out of Kirkuk, then we can respond to families who have already arrived inside the city. If Kirkuk is attacked and the forces opposing ISIS engage, triggering more displacements from Kirkuk, we can also activate the RRM from Erbil and Sulimaniyah. So, what if we deploy some more RRM near to Kirkuk just in case?’

Atheer agreed and rushed off to persuade our supply team to move three trucks with RRM supplies to a location east of Kirkuk on the edge of Peshmerga-controlled territory and to keep them there until the intention of ISIS became clearer.

UNICEF usually delivers supplies to partners or to warehouses and doesn’t keep them on trucks out in the open. Having reached consensus with my own senior leadership, I told the team that I would shoulder the responsibility if things went wrong.

When ISIS militants did attack Kirkuk on the night of 29 January and Iraqi, Kurdish and PMF armed units responded with force, terrified citizens fled east out of Kirkuk, as predicted by Atheer. Because of the three trucks we had already placed near their most likely escape route, UNICEF’s NGO partners were able to immediately meet these families and hand out RRM supplies to ease their onward travel to safe havens in north-east Iraq. We mobilised RRM convoys from Erbil and Sulimaniyah the next day to cover the remaining families still fleeing Kirkuk.

Trust. Analysis. Consultation. Risk. Judgement. Decision. Delivery… Help given. Hope offered. Yes, on this occasion, there was also luck involved, but to quote author and business theorist Dr Thomas Stanley in The Millionaire Mind, ‘Luck and risk-taking go hand in hand.’

Graceful leadership is not about never giving advice but about slowing down the decision-making process (even if by a fraction in an emergency) and enticing others to offer the advice that’s needed. As described above, even in times of crisis when urgent action is needed, leaders should rarely make snap decisions on their own. Instead, graceful leaders find a way to rapidly consult, attentively listen and never forget to communicate final decisions and how these are made.

I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Do you have a book in your life that impacted you and inspired you to be an effective leader? Can you share a story?

Leadership publications have become breathtakingly numerous and diverse, but if I really had to pick, one would certainly be former President Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom (1994). Heartbreaking at times, it’s an inspirational goldmine of real-world leadership wisdom.

What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?

I believe the most critical role of a leader during challenging times is to maintain a clear head, calm mind and compassionate heart. And you must have courage or grace under pressure — a definition of ‘courage’ attributed to Ernest Hemingway during a 1929 interview with The New Yorker’s Dorothy Parker.

When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?

There are many ways to boost morale but one I celebrate in particular is to use humour. I think too many leaders take themselves too seriously. Showing your humorous, playful side helps others to bond with you and to recognise your humanity. Of course, humour must be used mindfully (not to insult or put others down). Studies conducted over the past two decades have proven that ‘leader humour’ can, among other benefits, advance wellbeing, improve morale, boost engagement and cohesiveness, facilitate interpersonal communication, reduce interpersonal tension, enhance social support, psychological safety and organisational citizenship, build trust and commitment, increase the desire for future interaction and catalyse individual and team performance and productivity, ultimately improving top-/bottom-line results such as profit margins and societal impacts. In some of the toughest low points I have encountered across my international postings, recounting a joke, recalling a comedic scene from a TV show or film or telling a funny story would lighten the stress myself and my team were under, even if for a few minutes, allowing us to re-gather, re-energise and refocus our attention and effort.

What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?

How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?

US President Eisenhower is attributed as saying: “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” So if provoked by unpredictability and when striving for sustainability, adaptive planning is the key. Leaders should invite their teams and partners to collectively step back; breathe deeply; suspend judgement; listen and observe attentively; accept ambiguity; embrace contradiction; reframe the problem (several times if needs be); nurture mental spaciousness; invoke diverse opinions; free-associate ideas; scan for larger patterns, unexplored relationships, concealed connections and novel combinations; and co-create with fellow collaborators a range of adaptive, ever-adapting options (Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, etc)… then communicate with simplicity, continuously scan the context, and maintain agility.

Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?

In a world increasingly disrupted by complex global challenges, traditional command-and-control driven leadership often falls short. The world urgently needs, WE all urgently need, a different type of leadership — Graceful Leadership — leadership that blends compassion with coaching. As my book explains, an ever-growing body of research attests that leading through compassion combined with coaching can emphatically improve workplace cultures and boost individual, team and organisational performance, which in turn can advance positive outcomes at individual, team or organisational and societal levels. In a nutshell, Graceful Leadership ennobles, engages and empowers individuals and teams. Graceful leaders have deep empathy with individuals and a mindset to act with kindness to improve their personal and/or professional lives by boosting talents and addressing fears that lie within. Such leaders sincerely care for, support and coach others to become ever better human beings.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.

Leadership is an incredible responsibility, a humbling call to duty. Over the years, during peace and crisis, I have quietly witnessed and sometimes painfully realised that should humanity require leadership at all then let it be graceful.

There are those who might view leading with grace as a display of weakness or a whimsical concept — too touchy-feely, fluffy, sentimental, mushy, overly emotional, even cringey. By being kind and nurturing, might others take such leaders for granted, exploiting their ‘human touch’ or consider them pushovers?

I have come to learn that the so-called ‘soft stuff’ of leadership — ennobling, engaging and empowering others by means of: (1) self-caring, (2) empathizing, (3) healing emotions, (4) coaching, and (5) systems thinking and collective creating — are, in fact, the hard stuff of leadership.

These and 10 other key practices are all explored in my book ‘Graceful Leadership’.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite “Life Lesson Quote” is a short passage from George Bernard Shaw’s 1903 letter explaining his play Man and Superman to a friend, the theatre critic Arthur Bingham Walkley: ‘I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’

For me, this, says it all. The words continue to stir. They helped me to distill my own life purpose statement: ‘Be a voice not an echo. Be a reason someone smiles today. Be a light that helps others to see. Not easy but worth it.’

How can our readers further follow your work?

I can be reached via LinkedIn: kh.linkedin.com/in/dr-will-parks-23149114 and follow me on https://www.amazon.co.uk/Graceful-Leadership-Inspiring-creativity-resilience/dp/1915483433

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!