Category: Leadership
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Five Big Questions. One Short Chat – CEO Andy Cole
I’m so excited to be sharing this with you! It’s the first in a series of mini video blogs in which I ask talented, dynamic and go-getting non-profit leaders the exact same Five Big Questions to find out what it’s really like to head up their organisations. First up is Andy Cole, Chief Executive of The Royal Star and Garter…
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Is there anybody there? How to ensure your people have a voice
I was talking to one of my third sector coaching clients the other day about someone in her team who’s giving her a hard time. They’re withdrawn and passively disruptive but won’t open up to her as a senior leader. She knows it’s her responsibility to help close that ‘them and us’ gap and is at…
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Let your light shine
This was never said, and never could have been said, by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech as President of South Africa. But as he let his light shine, he gave the people of South Africa, and the world, permission to do the same. Rest in Peace, Nelson Mandela. Our Greatest Fear Our deepest fear…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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What makes a great team player?
Love her or hate her, not many people would say that Margaret Thatcher was a great team player. These days even top leaders recognise they need to be team players to get the most out of their people. Team working really matters. Tensions and conflict from poor team playing wreck havoc on productivity and take…
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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…