BBC scores own goal!

You’d have to be a hermit to have missed the big news this weekend about the difficulties between national treasure Gary Lineker and the BBC. I’m not claiming any expertise on the matter other than what I’ve seen in the media, but there are a number of points of reflection relevant to leadership in business;

Lesson 1 – don’t underestimate the influence of a good leader

Gary Lineker is clearly well respected by those around him who quicky rallied to support and show solidarity. The fact is that good leaders inspire people around them and when relationships go sour people will choose a side. We see in business that when one good leader resigns or leaves the business (even in positive circumstances) this will create a ripple effect and others will follow. This can lead to problems with business continuity and wider retention. It’s important to evaluate risk and have some creative and proactive succession plans to minimise risk and disruption when key people move on.

Lesson 2 – be clear about the employment relationship

The BBC media coverage was uninformed, referring in the same sentence to Lineker being a “freelancer” as well as “employed by the BBC to do sports coverage”. Whilst I assume that this is a clumsy reporting error rather than anything more systemic, it is important that organisations are clear about the basis of the employment or otherwise relationship in order to determine what rights and protections that individual is subject to. It is vital to hold contracts of employment or freelance/contracts for service to set this out clearly and safeguard both the individual and the business.

Lesson 3 – clarity of policies and procedures

According to the BBC their key learning appears to be that they need to review their 2020 social media guidelines. The interpretation of policies and procedures is always difficult since there are a lot of grey areas between the black and white of the text itself, but I wonder if the BBC have applied blanket policies, to cover all staff and contractors, which are far too simplified for this complex area, particularly for a broadcasting organisation. There is clearly a distinction between what is appropriate for an employed newsreader who must appear at all times impartial and what is appropriate for a sports personality who presents a sports programme but maintains his own profile alongside that. This is a good lesson that Policies and Procedures do not always work effectively and that in some specific situations there may be a need for further clarity over interpretation, perhaps at an individual employee / contractor level, to protect both the individual and the business from any risk of misunderstanding.

Lesson 4 – use opportunities to reflect

Finally, it is always easier in hindsight to see where things have gone wrong. I have always found it useful to take some time out in order to reflect afterwards on the sequence of events that happened in order to learn for future. Even though I have under my belt almost 25 years working in HR I regularly come across people issues that I’ve never dealt with before. It’s only by reflecting on issues I’ve experienced in the past, and what worked (and what didn’t!) that I can apply that learning for future, which is invaluable.

Antonia Nicholls, 14 March 2023