Emma Clarke, values led leadership in practice

Emma Clarke is Chief Executive of Weston Park Cancer Charity.

The charity has been in existence for 30 years and supports Weston Park Cancer Centre, which serves the population of South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw. The charity invests in research, facilities and equipment, and also provides care through finance, complementary therapies, and advice.

Emma was born on the Manor estate in Sheffield. She went for a bar job on the same day that she interviewed for her first role in the voluntary sector. Her first job was for a disabled children and young people’s charity in London. She has risen to Chief Executive through a non-conventional route in that she hasn’t been to university.

For Emma, leadership is about being real and about being human. She says “relationships are fundamental.” She aims to foster a culture of belonging, of connection, and of pride in the work of the organisation. She believes that part of compassionate leadership is to give people a sense of autonomy and agency.

She is mindful of ‘the shadow of the leader’ and recognises that her own actions need to be purposeful and sensitive. Part of her role is to make sense for her colleagues of the complex environment in which they operate.

Since assuming the Chief Executive role Emma has steered the charity through Covid, the economic crisis and challenging times in the NHS. She says a crisis “cuts through the noise.” Covid compelled her to rely on her values, and through that she gained confidence in her leadership. Now in the middle of the NHS crisis, she is optimistic about the future: she sees a lot of compassion, and she is surrounded by good people. She is committed to amplifying the good.

As the Chief Executive of a charity, Emma has to work constructively with her trustees. She says that she doesn’t see them as a group of people to report to, but rather a group of peers who are experienced and keen to contribute to the success of the organisation. It’s up to Emma to make the most of the opportunity that they represent, by asking for help, asking questions and encouraging constructive challenge.

Last year Emma introduced Sarah Markham of Calm-in-a-Box, a wellbeing consultancy, to the charity. The team at Weston Park had just finished hybrid working for almost two years and a hard winter loomed. Sarah ran a series of four sessions designed to support the mental health of the team and help them thrive through difficult circumstances. CALM is an acronym that relates to connection, all of me, energy (let me rest), and motivation.

Emma says that often in the voluntary sector people can be so invested in the aims of the organisation that they feel guilty about taking the rest. The CALM programme has given them a language to talk about rest in the context of the work they do.

Navigating the charity through the Covid crisis is Emma’s proudest work-related achievement. It led her to a renewed focus on the most disadvantaged and marginalised of the charity’s clients, as they were affected disproportionately by the pandemic.

Emma says she makes mistakes every day, but the important thing “is not to dwell on it.” She says “mistakes happen, they’re part of everyday life.” Imposter syndrome held her back for a long time, and she has had to work hard to challenge her limiting beliefs.

Emma says an experience that has changed her fundamentally is finding that her and her husband were unable to have children. It’s shaped who she is, but also she feels it is something she needs to be open about, so that other women who aspire to senior roles don’t assume that they have to choose between children and a career. Jodie Day’s ‘Living the Life Unexpected’ helped Emma to come to terms with the situation.

Emma’s self-care regime involves hot yoga, a podcast out on a walk or in the bath, and gardening. And she has joined the National Trust: self-care to her often means learning and putting her brain to use in a different way to work.

The book that Emma would recommend to aspiring leaders is Susan Scott’s ‘Fierce Conversations.’ Having good relationships requires us to have good, honest, real and sometimes ‘fierce’ conversations. The most challenging conversations can be the ones that are the most necessary.

Emma’s advice to her 20-year old self would be “Be yourself and, Emma, it’s all going to be OK.”