Ep.6 Dr. Javed Khan, CEO of Barnardo's | Leading with authenticity
I'm honoured to be joined by Javed Khan, leading figure in the UK public and voluntary sectors, with thirty-four years’ experience developing a track record of successfully managing change through key high profile leadership roles. He is currently the Chief Executive of Barnardo's, the UK's largest children’s charity and oversees over 1000 services in local communities, including support for children who have been sexually exploited, young people leaving the care system, children with a parent in prison and families struggling to cope. In the episode, we start by talking about what drives Javed to do what he does and how, with all of the responsibilities he has, he avoids overwhelm. Starting as a math's teacher, Javed reflects on what led him to get to the position of CEO that he's in today and how his journey is driven by purpose. Growing up in the humble backstreets of inner-city Birmingham with hard-working parents who didn't speak English, Javed recalls, as a child, never having a parents evening but always seeing how hard they worked and being surrounded by love being the driving factor in his success. Often found asking himself 'should I have been a Barnardo's child?', Javed gives us a unique personal insight into how his personal experience and self-awareness helps shape his vision for how the charity seeks to help children. A core part of his work is managing the services of the organisation and this authentic approach gives him a better perspective on how services need to be nuanced towards the 'differed starting points that people come to Barnardo's with'; he gives a great example of the helpline Barnardo's launched 'Boloh', the UK’s first helpline supporting vulnerable Black, Asian and minority ethnic children and families impacted by COVID-19. Touching further the impacts of COVID, Javed shares the challenges that young people are going through at the moment and the hard work that Barnardo's is doing for them. He personally spends time with the children the charity helps and so when speaking on the topic, Javed has an authentic & grounded view of what challenges the children he's seeking to serve need from him and the charity. Javed stresses the importance of resilience that we must all have in order to get through this unpredictable time. Often found asking himself 'am I doing a good enough job' & how this has been amplified by the pandemic. As a mother myself, I found Javed's advice on online safety, especially with children from less fortunate backgrounds, eye-opening and further reassurance that at the helm of this incredible charity is an authentic, grounded and forward-thinking leader who is perfect for the job. Javed's authentic leadership style and drives to see change is clear throughout the episode and the insight he shares for individuals wanting to impact not only the world but themselves is second to none. Javed’s Twitter: @JavedKhanCEO – https://twitter.com/javedkhanceo Javed’s LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/javed-khan-29b98310