Kelly Lamrock: The cascading impact of authentic leadership
Former Minister reflects on the legacy and leadership of the late Honourable Andy Scott, founder of NBSPRN
If you have been following these blogs and listening to the podcasts, you will have read and heard the word “serendipity” a lot. Now, in the fourth episode of The GovMaker Podcast, we are weaving in a new strand, something that played a huge role in the success of the New Brunswick Social Policy Research Network: authentic leadership. The conversation that brought Andy Scott to the University of New Brunswick and led to the creation of the Network may have been serendipitous. But the gusto with which Andy seized the opportunity to bring “social” back into the policy conversation, and the success he and the Network had in doing so, owe a great deal to Andy Scott’s leadership approach of consultation and collaboration. He believed that if he could just get a chance to talk with you and listen to you, even if you started out by disagreeing, in that conversation, you could find common ground. In other words, he was authentic, and he treated others who disagreed with his views, with genuine respect.
Celebrating Andy and his legacy is one of the basic goals of sunsetting the Network in an intentional manner. It was a topic, among others, that I had the privilege of delving into with Kelly Lamrock, former Minister of Social Development and current Child, Youth and Seniors Advocate, in an insightful conversation about public policy.
During our interview, we discussed a wide range of topics that will interest policymakers, academics, and community stakeholders, from the challenges of implementing social policies to the role of mentors in shaping one’s career. One of the most important takeaways from our conversation was the importance of listening to people and understanding their perspectives in order to create effective policies.
Check out the podcast here
Register for the conference here.
Read the NBSPRN Sunsetting Report here.
Lamrock spoke passionately about the need for governments to be more open to feedback from citizens and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to create policies that genuinely meet their needs. He also emphasized the need for policymakers to be authentic and genuine in their interactions with the public rather than relying on focus groups and scripted answers. The latter trend can be seen as both a cause and an effect of the polarization of opinion that has beset our society and created exclusion from the conversation of anyone seen as “them,” something that can only be remedied by authenticity and genuine dialogue. To make a difference in people’s lives, policymakers must rely on the best available evidence to inform their decisions, rather than relying on ideology or political expediency. Lamrock stresses the importance of collaboration and consultation in evidence-based policy-making, noting that policymakers must engage with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that policies are effective and responsive to people’s needs.
“Politics could use more Andy Scotts. And it’s not just because he was a nice guy. It’s because he really believed in what he was doing.”
Lamrock recalls the day of NBSPRN launch with excitement, noting that the idea of a university getting into the actual nuts and bolts of public policy was captivating. He saw the launch as a chance for a grassroots activity to recreate some of the capacity that the government had lost in the austerity years. In addition to being repositories and builders of knowledge, universities, he believes, have a role in bringing people together to implement that knowledge in the real world. So that makes universities critical players in public policy-making, as they have access to vast amounts of research and expertise that can inform evidence-based policy-making.
Finally, the conversation turns to the legacy of Andy Scott, who played a critical role in launching NBSPRN. Lamrock praises Scott’s leadership and commitment to evidence-based policy-making, noting that Scott was a visionary who believed in the power of collaboration and consultation to make a difference in people’s lives. Lamrock believes that Scott’s legacy lives on in the work of the NBSPRN and in the many individuals who were inspired by his leadership. “I don’t think I would have had the career I did if it weren’t for Andy Scott,” he admits. “He was one of the people until the day he died that I called a mentor.”
As we reflect on Andy’s legacy, we can see the impact he had on politics and public policy. His commitment to authenticity and engaging with the public is something that we can all learn from. “Politics could use more Andy Scotts,” says Lamrock. “And it’s not just because he was a nice guy. It’s because he really believed in what he was doing.”
Check out the podcast here
Register for the conference here.
Read the NBSPRN Sunsetting Report here.
