Terry Waite CBE

As Adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Terry Waite successfully negotiated the release of hostages in Iran, and later negotiated with Colonel Gadhafi the release of hostages in Libya. Attempting to repeat these feats in Lebanon in 1987, he was taken hostage himself and held in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in solitary confinement. After his release, Terry chronicled his story in the best-selling book Taken On Trust.

Prior to his work for the Archbishop, Terry had been an international consultant to a Roman Catholic Medical Order, travelling throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas conducting and advising on Institutional Change and Development , Inter-Cultural Relations , Group and Inter-group Dynamics and a broad range of development issues connected with health and education.

Earlier he had worked in Africa as Provincial Training Adviser to the first African Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Together with his wife Frances and their four children he witnessed Idi Amin's coup in Uganda and both he and his wife narrowly escaped death on several occasions. From his office in Kampala he founded the Southern Sudan Project and was responsible for developing programmes of aid and development for this war-torn region.

He now devotes his time to study, writing, lecturing and humanitarian activities. His lectures include relating his experiences as a negotiator and as a hostage to the pressures faced by executives and managers. Terry is also a Director of Educational Interactive, an educational internet company. His voluntary work includes being President of Y-Care, the International Development Wing of the British YMCA, and of Emmaus UK, an international charity working with homeless people.

In these and other roles, Terry brings a deeply committed and personal involvement to his work. But his work in building trust goes deeper and is fundamentally about his way with other people.

The Informal Communicator

Terry has an immediately apparent interest in people at all levels in the organisation - a key quality of leaders who inspire trust. He characteristically takes as much time and interest in talking with people at reception or on the 'shop floor' as he does with people in managerial positions.

His aim in building trust in an organisation is "to be available to people and to make an attempt to discover their real concerns." Asked what daily tips he has for people in leadership roles who wish to build a positive culture, Terry comments: "Do not be remote. Take an interest in the work that all members of the organisation engage in, definitely including those who may play a less heralded role in the organisation."

Seeing the Whole Person

Terry manages to implicitly show people that they are all important, an approach that enhances their sense of value in themselves and in their shared work. He does this "by acknowledging them as human beings and recognising that they have a vital role to play in the functioning of the organisation."

Facing challenge positively

Terry describes how, when taken hostage as a negotiator, he had to come to terms with his captors’ betrayal of his trust in them. "I recognised then that no one in this world is immune from experiencing difficulty at certain times. When difficulty occurs one has to meet it and attempt to deal with it positively." His determination not to complain or to blame, even when justified, showed another characteristic of trusted leaders.

Terry’s role models in building trust include Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who made a striking impression on him. He found that Tutu's ability to inspire trust made an enormous difference not only to the lives of individuals but to the whole future of a nation.

Terry Waite was awarded the CBE in 1992 and has been awarded honorary doctorates at many UK and US universities in recognition of his achievements.

Terry re-visited Lebanon and Palestineon 15-21 December 2003, returning to Lebanon for the first time since his years as a hostage. His visit was is in his capacity as President of Y-Care International, to see programmes including schemes to help young Lebanese people find employment in the aftermath of the 17-year civil war.

Terry is now involved in the campaign over the hostages currently held by the US government in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His view, shared by many international leaders, is that they must be either set free or tried in a court of law. He has likened their internment, blindfolding and denial of basic human rights such as access to a lawyer, to his own captivity in Lebanon. Terry commented: "The US is adopting the methods of terrorists to deal with terrorists and it will fail. Human rights law is international and non-negotiable."