Tom Hayward
The former MI6 Chief speaks to Impact about leadership, resilience and how students may be more prepared for an uncertain future than they think.
The UK faces a new era of volatility, as war in Europe grinds on and democracy faces intensifying threats from within.
Few understand the gravity of the situation better than Sir John Sawers, former head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), popularly known as MI6. Sir John offered advice to Impact on leadership and resilience for students preparing for life beyond university.
After studying at the University of Nottingham (Philosophy & Physics 1976), Sir John briefly joined SIS before spending over two decades as a diplomat, serving as Ambassador to Egypt and later as the UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN.
As Chief (’C’) of SIS between 2009 and 2014, Sawers led SIS through a complex geopolitical landscape as Britain withdrew from Iraq and wound down operations in Afghanistan.
“This is about speaking truth to power”
Even the best intelligence can fall flat if misused or overlooked by decision-makers. Part of the job, Sawers reflects, was delivering uncomfortable truths to powerful figures in government.
“At times, as an intelligence chief, you have to deliver unwelcome news or advise that the course the government was on was not going to deliver the results they wanted. This is about speaking truth to power,” he says.
His words carry particular weight in the long shadow of the UK’s military action in Iraq. As a senior diplomat in Baghdad in 2003, Sawers warned that Iraq’s post-war administration was an “unbelievable mess” in a memo to Downing Street and the Foreign Office.
Yet the futility of his warnings raises difficult questions about how much influence dissenting voices can have on a government determined to hold firm. Sawers notes the importance of giving leaders the space to “change course,” though, as he adds wryly, “they didn’t always do so. But advisers advise and ministers decide!”
“You also occasionally need to steel yourself to be unpopular”
His remarks echo a central finding of the Chilcot Inquiry: that a culture of deference in government distorted decision-making before and during the invasion of Iraq. “It is no good if a leader only hears conventional views that reinforce the current direction of travel,” Sawers emphasises. ”You also occasionally need to steel yourself to be unpopular.”
Sawers’ reflections on leadership suggest a more subtle style than James Bond might depict. “Leadership is about getting the most from your people and the technology they deploy,” he says.
Sawers viewed his role as twofold: first, to “inspire and motivate the men and women of the service”. Second, to “connect the Service to government,” helping policymakers “understand how the intelligence was produced so they had trust in it.”
Sawers understood the limits of influence in a democratic system where elected ministers ultimately call the shots, but stresses that this doesn’t absolve others from responsibility. Leadership in intelligence inevitably involves moral ambiguity and difficult decisions: “the way I tried to maintain integrity and good judgement was to make sure I had a solid grasp of the facts of a situation, and that I listened to a range of views and analyses, encouraging challenge and dissent.”
Sawers’ tenure at MI6 was marked by growing international instability, a trend which has only intensified since his departure and presents new challenges for graduates. He argues that this period will demand young people to rethink what it means to build a career and sense of purpose in a world where disruption is the norm.
“Today’s students have the advantage of having been brought up in a tech-driven world”
Current students, he believes, may be better prepared for the future than they realise. “In some ways it is harder for older folk like me who have lived through several generations of unprecedented stability to adjust to the enormous changes now underway,” he says.
“Today’s students have the advantage of having been brought up in a tech-driven world and you are not held back by the false idea that the future will be a straight-line projection of the past.”
For students, Sawers emphasises the importance of the human factor: “personal qualities, like the ability to work in a team, to be adaptable and resilient under pressure,” will be increasingly valued by employers. “The turbulent world we are now living in will make it harder for young people to plan for a single career with a major employer,” he warns. Consequently, “lifelong learning is going to be essential as you adapt to new demands and opportunities.”
Sawers acknowledges the risks that technology poses to graduates: “Some specific skills, like financial management or software writing, are going to be done mainly by AI-driven machines.”
Yet Sawers is no Luddite. Pragmatic optimism and a healthy appetite for change were a major feature of his tenure at SIS. In 2010, he became the first ‘C’ to give a speech in public and, upon leaving the role, said he was “proud to hand over a much more modern service to my successor.”
Sawers remains a vocal advocate for careers in diplomacy and intelligence, which he describes as “fantastic careers, as indeed are all aspects of public service.” His time in the public sector instilled a strong sense of purpose: “I never had difficulty getting out of bed in the morning as I always felt I was contributing something to my country – the best feeling of all.”
The world may be more chaotic than in recent memory, but Sawers remains confident that the next generation is equipped for the challenge if they are willing to adapt and endure. “I had some lucky breaks in my career, as is the case with most people who rise to the top of their chosen profession,” he acknowledges. “But as the golfer Gary Player once said: ‘The harder I practice, the luckier I get.’ That hasn’t changed.”
Tom Hayward
Features image courtesy of University of Nottingham Press Office. No changes have been made to the image.
For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
If you just can’t get enough of Features, like our Facebook as a reader or a contributor and follow us on Instagram.
