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The purpose of this paper is to consider the nature of leadership in the current context where the crisis in global capitalism seems to be encouraging a mechanistic approach to the management of healthcare. The paper urges an holistic leadership ethos to encourage an holistic approach to care and treatment.

The paper utilises an extensive overview of the leadership literature, and also used practical examples of care and leadership practice.

Care and capability need to be partners, but concern has been expressed at all levels of society that a reductionist model is being implemented in many caring professions.

The implications for leadership are that one of the most vital current requirements is to encourage a spirit-filled leadership at all levels in the organisations that provide care.

The paper addresses the issue that leadership can never be a purely intellectual or emotional activity, it must combine all aspects of the person in an holistic approach.

The examination researches the impacts of cultural identity on entrepreneurial performance in the southern Nigeria. The examination connected a cross-sectional overview approach in choosing the small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in south-south district who reacted to an organized poll. The Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM 3.2) were utilized in analyzing. The examinations show that there is an association between family structure, communal spirit and entrepreneurial performance. Nevertheless, there is a weak connection among individualism orientation, profitability and survival. The examination reasoned that SMEs could raise performance by embracing significant antecedents of cultural identity from successful cultural groups.

Western societies have been shaken by the economic crisis brought on by ‘casino capitalism’ and the recklessness of the financial institutions. Once esteemed financial institutions, like Lehman Brothers, are now shown to have used dubious accounting methods to cover losses; and accountants, regulators and governments have come under scrutiny. In public life, the scandal of MPs' expenses at Westminster and the blockages in legislative assemblies in the US are compounded in England by reports of deficient and degrading care in acute hospitals, where organisational considerations appear to have taken over from the prime mission of patient care. At this time, a new, or perhaps rediscovered, form of leadership is required. One that taps into the spirit, the animating and motivating force within individuals and groups, and uses values to create a better public service for all.

For many people with mental health problems, spirituality is an essential part of their recovery. This is something that mental health services are beginning to recognise. Peter Gilbert and Natalie Watts outline the role and aims of the NIMHE spirituality project and the issues it aims to address.

People go into employment for a range of reasons. One of those is usually to find a sense of meaning, as humans are meaning‐seeking animals.In the public sector there is even more likelihood of some kind of ‘calling’. This may not be a religious call, or even an overtly spiritual one, but there will usually be some sense in which the role and the individual reach out to one another.In a time of recession and strain on public finances and services, leaders need to work in a way that appeals to the spirit, the vocation in each person and the team.

Two learning sets have been established for senior managers who are responsible for social care in what are traditionally health service organisations. For the future health and welfare of wider society and the economy it is vital that mental health remains part of the local authority agenda and that social perspectives, care and inclusion become an integral part of the ‘health’ agenda.This article explores the value of the two learning sets, one supported by NIMHE and the second by SCIE, to its participants and the organisations that they serve.

The authors explore the concept of leaders as storytellers and suggest that this approach to leadership is helpful as a way of communicating effectively with people. The authors conclude that story skills are also helpful for people with mental health problems to create their own recovery stories, frontline staff designing their professional development and leaders negotiating organisational change.

In the context of the current financial crisis, this paper aims to examine values and spirituality in the modern workplace.

Using contemporary examples and examining recent literature on spirituality and loneliness, the paper considers the concept of loneliness and argues that this may stem from an over‐preoccupation with the workplace and employment‐based achievement, at the expense of having rounded lives as human beings.

It is demonstrated that, over the last decade at least, the levels of stress in life and work have risen noticeably. In this context, leaders need even more to be forgers of a sense of meaning and purpose in the workplace and engage the hearts and minds of staff towards improved outcomes.

The current financial crisis is also a major spiritual crisis. Now there seems to be a growing gap between leaders and the led, and an increase in what the author terms “soul‐less leadership”, which fails to engage and motivate and inspire. The author calls on leaders in this crisis of capitalism to work and engage with staff in health and social care, so that those serving at the frontline feel‐valued and supported, developed and engaged in a common purpose.