Learning to Lead Through Change: Embracing Difference

The Housing LIN Future Leaders Programme has given me the space to pause and reflect on what leadership means within the housing and architectural design sector. I have often considered the nature of influence in our field; as architects, we shape spaces, but policymakers shape the parameters that determine what can be achieved, and I wondered how restrictive or outdated policy could limit the potential for design innovation.

My motivation started with my purchase of a house from an elderly couple who had to move because their home no longer supported their physical capabilities. Their situation was a reminder that many people will age in homes never designed to evolve with them, and it made me question what more architects can do to drive change and positive adaptation.

Throughout the programme, we have heard from an inspiring range of guest speakers whose journeys were all different — shaped by unexpected turns and informed by experiences from all walks of life. These varied paths shaped their values and the way they lead. What struck me most was the diversity of leadership styles; there was no single model. Leadership is not innate; everyone is different, and leadership is cultivated where role models are significant because they reveal the different ways one can lead.

Hearing from leaders approaching retirement offered another insight: leadership also involves knowing when to let go. Their transitions reminded me that nothing in our sector is permanent — not roles, not systems, not policies. As the saying goes, “change is the only constant”, and if change is inevitable, improvement is possible.

A moment that resonated with me was our visit to the award-winning Appleby Blue Almshouse in Bermondsey, London, where wide, unheated corridors with natural light, planting, and seating were negotiated to encourage social interactions instead of the conventional private balconies. It showed that expectation and policy are not always a constraint; it can be negotiated, interpreted, and improved when reason, empathy, and evidence are brought to the table. Again, everyone is different, and good design must respond to the diversity of users — there is no ‘one size fits all’ policy.

Within our cohort, we began as strangers from different sectors with different responsibilities, yet we shared our perspectives and learned from one another, and together we leave as emerging leaders within our professions. It has shown me that leadership carries responsibilities in many forms — to people, to place, and to our shared future.

A great lesson for me is learning to appreciate and embrace difference, and to find the positives within change.

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Gavin’s blog is one of many by members of the 5th cohort of Housing LIN’s Future Leaders Programme who have agreed to share what they learned on the 2025/26 programme. We are excited to publish these ahead of recruiting for the 2026/27 intake onto our Future Leaders programme, sponsored by SNG.

And, if you found this of interest, do check out the other blogs in this series along with the TikTok videos being recorded.