On leading with integrity

Today is the biggest celebration in the Scottish calendar.

266 years since the birth of Robert Burns, yet his message is timeless and universal.

As the son of a farmer living in the Ayrshire countryside, not far from where my grandmother was born and brought up, Burns was not entitled to vote or have a say.

So using his gift with words, he challenged the status quo anyway.

His vision for a fairer world resonates as much today as in the 18th century. Few have better captured the essence of equality, freedom and shared humanity.

My favourite stanza is from his 1795 work, A Man’s a Man for a’ That:

"Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that),
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an' a' that."

It’s about looking beyond wealth, status and appearance to what truly matters.

“Sense and Worth” is what endures - living with integrity, honesty and generosity. Burns is reminding us to lead with these qualities.

His enduring message: real worth lies not in titles, but in how we live and connect with others.

What better day to celebrate that?

Robert Burns by Alexander Nasmyth, 1787