Lincolnshire Chief Constable and England's Gareth Southgate among '˜kind' leaders celebrated at London Stock Exchange event

The Chief Constable opened the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning alongside 49 other leaders of UK business and organisations, including Gareth Southgate, having been recognised as part of the ‘Leading Lights’ initiative which has been launched by the Women of the Future Programme.

This programme recognises the contribution of kind leaders to business, the economy and society.

The campaign to celebrate kindness has been launched to challenge how business celebrates success. The business world is quick to praise leaders of profitable and productive workplaces – but these celebrations often overlook the role played by kindness.

The initiative firmly believes that kindness makes business sense as it impacts outcomes – whether that is productivity, engagement or customer service – and that people do not forget acts of kindness.

Chief Constable Bill Skelly said: “I am delighted and humbled to receive this award which I feel is a reflection of the positive steps that we have been taking in Lincolnshire to recognise the value of everyone who dedicates themselves to serving our communities through policing.

“I believe that displaying compassion is even more important in these times of unprecedented financial strain and personally I am honoured to be recognised in this way. I am truly grateful for all the support my family and I have received since coming to Lincolnshire last year.”

The Chief Constable had this year offered two extra days off to improve health and wellbeing of officers to compensate for the pressure of workloads they are under. He had also spoken out about assaults on officers.

Marc Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, said: “We are all proud of the Chief and delighted he has been recognised for the empathy he brings to a very challenging and high-pressure job.

“We all believe that compassion is a crucial part of taking care of the staff and communities of Lincolnshire and the acknowledgement of the Chief’s personal role in instilling that into the culture of the force is well deserved.”

Leading Lights is supported by Lloyds Banking Group. Fiona Cannon, Group Director of Responsible Business and Inclusion, said: “We’re delighted to support the 50 Leading Lights campaign, celebrating kindness in leadership.

“At Lloyds Banking Group we recognise that true diversity is much broader than visible differences, and includes different perspectives, personality types and leadership styles.

“We recognise kindness as a leadership strength, and one that will inspire our talented colleagues to be authentic and inclusive, which in turn helps to develop and inspire our next generation of leaders.”