Growing up as an avid reader, an author who left an indelible impression on me was the great JRR Tolkien. So much so that in my penultimate year at school I spent more time reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings than studying – managing to fail an academic subject in the process!

However, these works opened my mind to entirely new vistas of storytelling and imagination. I loved the themes of transformation that existed within the works and the monomyths (heroes’ journeys) that Tolkien expanded upon. A character whose arc we follow is that of Aragorn. The character is first introduced as Strider – a Ranger – and sets this old way of life aside to become Aragorn the King of Gondor.

These themes of setting aside childhood ways and growing into manhood were not lost on my 17-year-old mind. Upon making the journey to the University of Oxford as part of the CDPB Fellowship Programme I found myself thinking, ‘Surely there is nowhere more appropriate for a Fellowship Programme to commence than in the academic home of the creator of the Fellowship of the Ring!’. How right I was.

Across the three days of study, discussion and indeed fellowship, the amount of learning that was delivered cannot be downplayed. A week later I still find myself returning to the themes discussed and continuing to digest them. One remarkable part of the programme was the input of Tom Fletcher, a former British diplomat, and now Principal of Hertford College at the University of Oxford.

The theme for his discussion was ‘Power & Politics in the Digital Age’. In discussing this, an illustration provided by Tom as a tool to address disruption and disorder in the current epoch was that of the Head (Knowledge), Heart (Values) and Hands (Skills). By employing these tools, Tom explained, the leader is better equipped to engage with those with which they agree as well as those with which they disagree. These are the essential tools for diplomacy, he explained.

The hope, and indeed expectation, of the organisers of the Programme is simply that those who engage in this process will put the tools they gain to use and become the leaders they were born to be – much like the aforementioned King of Gondor.

This was not lost on me as I reflected upon how up to this point, I have generally led by the heart. As one who works in politics and who is often immersed in the local political scene, this moment of realisation, of the need to find the appropriate balance of Head, Heart and Hands, is profound.

These are among the most basic skills which we as leaders should seek to employ, particularly in the digital age. Leadership is needed now more than ever. The Presidential election of Donald Trump in 2016 has taught us a great deal. As faith in traditional political structures continues to diminish, the need to have fully humanised leaders that will, in a balanced and calm manner, employ the head, heart and hands in their approach to their role grows increasingly important.

I recall asking Tom during the session if he felt that one of the three elements was more important than the other, or if one should be prioritised. The answer was essentially no – there must always be balance between them.

In the age in which we live, the need for leaders who are knowledgeable, value driven and able has never been greater. Through engaging with the Fellowship Programme (so far!) I have found myself growing in all three areas. I feel myself transformed. When all is said and done, may we Fellows find ourselves authentically transformed as the King of Gondor did. On this, the great scholar of Oxford wrote, “When Aragorn arose all that beheld him gazed in silence, for it seemed to them that he was revealed to them now for the first time. Tall as the sea kings of old, he stood above all that were near; ancient of days he seemed and yet in the flower of manhood; and wisdom sat upon his brow, and strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was about him…Behold the King!”

Personally, I feel quite ready to re-read Tolkien’s tome…but first, to study.

Dominic O’Reilly