ABSTRACT
GROW describes leadership as 'love showing the way', a shared activity that is 'good' for both the individual and the organisation. Many participants described how leadership positively challenged their habitually negative and powerless self-image, providing seeds for a new and positive identity as well as affirming latent abilities. Being involved in leadership and striving to do the good ordinary thing again offered glimpses of new and exciting identities which enabled people to shed feelings of stigma, such as that attached to the label of 'mental illness'. Perhaps taking on responsibility for the group through a formal leadership role had such a deep and healing effect on Jess because it was in direct contrast to the leadership of Jess's place of work, the army. Participants' accounts included many descriptions of striving 'to be a good ordinary human being' and confirmed the healing effects of adopting this as a life strategy.
