Authentic leadership rooted in trust, values, and transparency is essential in both public service and business, argue Andy Street and Warwick Business School academic Tina Kiefer.

On Warwick Business School's Lead Out Loud podcast, Andy Street, former Mayor of the West Midlands and ex-John Lewis CEO, joins Tina Kiefer, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, to explore how leadership in both public and private sectors is shaped by emotional intelligence, integrity, and cultural awareness.

Leadership through values and example

True leadership, Andy believes, means staying accountable to your values—regardless of how public or political the role. After years leading John Lewis and two terms as Mayor, it was how he led, not just what he achieved, that mattered most.

“The one thing that made the loss palatable – people told me ‘you came out of that with your integrity intact,’” says Andy. “That mattered to me… I walked the talk.”

He reflects that his earliest experiences of leadership began not in boardrooms or politics, but on fields in Wales as a teenager running voluntary holiday projects for children.

He says: “Aged 19, I was suddenly in charge of 60 people… that’s when I actually began to understand leadership.”

For Andy, leadership is about consistency and authenticity.

“The leader’s role – particularly in a role so public – is that you have to walk the talk every day and be utterly transparent about that,” he says.

Culture, structure, and emotional context

Professor Tina Kiefer brings in the psychological lens, focusing on how leadership shapes emotional climates within organisations. Her research into how people feel and behave at work highlights the power of behavioural modelling and cultural dynamics.

“Leaders play a very important role – a role model,” says Professor Kiefer. “I look to the leaders to see which behaviours get promoted, what they applaud or frown upon. All those things we might overlook in the big strategy document – they’re what bring people alive.”

She explains that organisational culture is often a product of both structure and behaviour.

“Structures enable certain behaviours but they also stop us from doing certain things,” she says. “We have great examples where we can destroy structures and people start to behave very differently.”

Values in action

During his time at John Lewis, Andy experienced first-hand the power of shared ownership and purpose in creating an ethical culture of performance.

“Our goal was trust from the public,” he says. “By the time I left – we were the most trusted organisation in Britain… not just in retail but in any sector.”

He’s quick to note that culture isn’t a top-down dictate—it’s something lived by everyone, but especially led from the top.

“I met people who could definitely do the job, but they didn’t join us because they knew or I knew they weren’t going to walk the talk,” says Andy. “They would’ve actually destroyed the culture and therefore we wouldn’t have been commercially successful.”

Transferable skills across sectors

Andy reflects on the challenges and rewards of leadership in both corporate and political settings. While the contexts may differ, integrity, vision, and accountability remain the constants.

He says: “The ownership structure is the distinguishing feature of John Lewis… my role as CEO was ultimately dependent on whether my partners were content with how I was leading. So, to whom you are accountable is totally different.”

Yet he is clear that good leadership must still be accompanied by strong decision-making and commercial sense.

He says: “You needed good leadership and good commercial decisions to come alongside that ownership model to get to outstanding periods of success.”

He also admires political leadership when it stays unified and purpose-driven.

“One of the masteries of the coalition Government,” says Andy. “They took incredible hits for this but they absolutely stuck together.”

What values-driven leaders do differently

  • Walk the talk: Leadership is about consistent actions that reflect core values—especially in the public eye.
  • Model culture: How leaders behave directly shapes team dynamics, motivation, and trust.
  • Lead with integrity: Staying true to your principles builds long-term credibility and respect.
  • Listen and learn: Self-awareness and honest feedback help even experienced leaders grow.
  • Understand what motivates others: Great leadership considers the emotional and cultural experience of the people being led.

Leadership isn’t just about direction—it’s about connection, transparency, and trust. Whether in business or public service, the best leaders are those who lead with integrity and bring others with them.

Further reading:

How inclusive leadership drives success

An accidental entrepreneur’s journey to leadership

Why modern leadership must put people first

 

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