What Blair knew, and most people were aware of deep down, was that Brown was not the right leader to continue driving the country forward. Sure enough, for two years Brown has systematically shown that he can't lead a party and his own Cabinet, much less a country.
So what is wrong? Some say he lacks the flourish and panache of Blair while others say he is too ‘clunky' and shows no passion. While these comments are true and have a level of merit in a world where people are looking for inspiration and vision, Brown lacks a more important skill: the ability to control and discipline his party. Interestingly, as chancellor he ran his team in a very autocratic manner with a very hands-on approach. He was well known for his angry and abrasive style, which he got away with as he was largely guaranteed to hold his position as chancellor while Blair was the leader. Let us be honest, he probably would not have lasted at chancellor if Blair and he did not have ‘the pact' they made years before.
As prime minister, Brown has had to face reality. First, he hasn't got a guaranteed position with a boss who will shield him. He is now directly answerable to the British public. Second, he knows that an autocratic style will no longer work but has no idea how else to lead. He can't take the same hands-on approach as before because the role is too big, but he has no idea how to win the loyalty that would enable him to empower people to do what is right.
Blair was excellent at controlling people while empowering them. He knew how to manage the perceptions of the public and be seen to deal with issues decisively. He was a master of PR and had the ability to find the right words to respond to situations. As much as he would like to, Brown is unable to control everything and every time an issue arises he is trying to figure out how to deal with it without appearing dictatorial or authoritarian. The result is he appears weak or like a volcano waiting to erupt.
His style of leadership in the safe position of chancellor didn't prepare him for the kind of leadership needed to govern the country. Worse still, those that had grown weary of his style of leadership as chancellor see the opportunity to bring the authoritarian down.
The whipping Labour received in recent elections is a sign that the British public has lost faith. It has found out what it always thought was the case - MPs are skimming off the system for their own benefit. Although this is a significant issue, the truth is, the public finally found something to really have a go at the Government about. It was the tipping point it was looking for. It finally gave it something to justify the nagging feeling it had about this Government and Gordon Brown in particular.
Paul Bridle is a leadership methodologist, international researcher, author, professional speaker, consultant and facilitator
Leadership: Now we know why Tony Blair was reluctant to hand over the reigns to Gordon Brown
One of the measures of good leadership is the leader's ability to ensure smooth succession. This means that should something unfortunate happen, the organisation has the necessary leadership to take it forward. We now understand why former prime minister Tony Blair was so slow in handing over the reins of power to Gordon Brown and on occasions looked as if he was trying to set up the situation where there was someone else he could hand over to.
