Dr Nadia Soliman, Research Associate at Imperial College London, recognised that common internal challenges could be avoided through a clearer, more human approach to leadership.

With support from University of Bristol and UKRI, Nadia and her team set out to define a framework for the Leadership Ethos. Shaped by insights from over 200 staff across the university, this work generated a rich body of research and data, and an initial set of behaviours and indicators.

Bowline was onboarded to refine the behaviours and indicators, based on our experience with similar leadership values. We achieved this through a series of workshops and interviews with the team, ensuring our copywriters had a strong understanding of the audience, the research, and its potential impact.

As a second phase, we also prepared the Leadership Ethos for external promotion, translating the concept into a striking visual identity, website and interactive digital tool to help leaders understand how they align with the Leadership Ethos and where they need to develop.

The tool was named The Leadership Gauge, designed to provide a daily snapshot of a leader’s progression along the Ethos, rather than an assessment or score tied to judgement and recommendations.

Working with a research-led team brought a new perspective to our process. An analytical approach pushed our thinking, challenging us to test, refine and stretch our work to its fullest potential.

More than a framework, The Leadership Ethos has become a tool for building a culture of leadership across employee teams at The University of Bristol.

The next phase is focused on expanding the Ethos into universities in the UK, while continuing to build website resources, creating an even more valuable platform with a variety of managed learning resources.