Be The Change

Tag: leadership

  • Why you want your third sector staff knocking off early

    Why you want your third sector staff knocking off early

    Wow, are your people dedicated Aren’t they amazing!? You know how much your people love their jobs, and the organisation. You know they’ll willingly give up a weekend to get something important done – and you often see them leaving late and working through lunch. One on the one hand, you’re delighted they’re so into…

  • Leadership inspiration – from Harry Selfridge

      Are you a Mr Selfridge fan? Are you pining, like me, for Series 3? Googling, to discover if it was returning to ITV1* I came across this set of quotes from Harry Selfridge, founder of one of the most fabulous department stores in the world. That guy really was ahead of his time as…

  • Difficult conversations – mistake #3

    Having difficult conversations Mistake #3 Muddying your message Perhaps you’ve avoided procrastinating about holding a difficult conversation with a third sector colleague or direct report. (Congratulations!) Maybe you’ve been crystal clear about the changes you’d like to see. (Well done, it’s not always easy) But then, you blow your advantage by muddying your message with…

  • Difficult conversations – mistake #2

    Having difficult conversations Mistake #2. Not being clear about what behaviour you want to see exactly Phew! Thank goodness that’s over. You’ve had the difficult conversation you were dreading. You think the meeting went quite well and your report seemed to take on board what you’d said. You’re hopeful things will start to change for…

  • Difficult conversations – mistake #1

      One of the most challenging aspects of being a third sector manager is that you sometimes need to have difficult conversations with people in your team. This is a recurring issue for my third sector coaching clients. They can see what’s going wrong (poor performance, unreasonable behaviour, and so on) They know they are…

  • New leaders – how to flourish in your first 90 days

    The first 90 days in a leadership role are important. This is when you create an impact (or not!) and set the tone for the way you’ll be leading in the future. Whether you’re chief executive or team leader, everyone is watching to see how you behave and what you can do. You want to…

  • My vision for 2013

    There’s no doubt that 2013 will be a tough year for the third sector. We all know about the 20% fall in donations and that one in six organisations fears closure in 2013 (and not because they are no longer needed.) Yes, it’s going to be a year of struggle, there’s no question. At the…

  • 10 good reasons to get on the phone

    We’re all busy, so it’s tempting to whizz through your to-do list firing off emails and ‘getting things done’, but I encourage my third sector clients to take a break from the digital world every now and again, and make use of the old technology. Here’s why… 1. You really do get the job done.…

  • How to thrive in your role and beyond

      I’ve coached some fantastic third sector clients in the past few years. Some have been managers, others leaders, some striving to be leaders. Others have become aware of their leadership potential through coaching. And I’ve coached all personalities too – flamboyant extroverts, quiet introverts, powerful orators, gentle persuaders. Each one of them bringing a…

  • Now or later? The best time to work with a coach

      When’s the right time to get coaching for your third sector staff? When David is under-performing so badly he’s about to lose his job? When Leila is totally fed up, demotivated and desperate to leave? When tensions and disagreements in the team are taking up hours of your precious time? Certainly, organisations often bring…