Category: Learning

  • How to succeed by failing

    How to succeed by failing

    We’ve all been there. A really crucial event at work has gone wrong – and it’s your fault! It’s over and you’re home now, bracing yourself for all the criticism and fallout from your mistakes. Your stomach’s fluttering, your mind’s buzzing with regret and with those ‘staircase thoughts’ – the sort that only come when…

  • The seven best books for  awesome leaders

    The seven best books for awesome leaders

    When I start coaching with a new non-profit leader I usually get asked for a list of what to read. I’ve ceased being surprised that these busy people want to keep learning and growing between all the other million things they have to do. I guess that’s why they’ve come to me too. There are…

  • Wellbeing on a shoestring – more top tips

    Wellbeing on a shoestring – more top tips

    I’ve had a lot of lovely feedback following my recent blog about supporting your non-profit teams to wellbeing.  It seems to have struck a chord with my coaching clients and other leaders looking to make the world a better place and help their people thrive. Just yesterday I was talking to a senior leader in an NGO.…

  • When doing it wrong is doing it right

    When doing it wrong is doing it right

    My 12 year old daughter and I have just painted her room. She’s been asking to lose the bright green and pink walls she’s had since she was six for a good year, I reckon. At the weekend we did it. She gave the walls a speedy wipe. We whizzed a quick brush around the…

  • Why you absolutely must trust your team

    Why you absolutely must trust your team

    It’s hard to put total trust in your people sometimes, isn’t it? A big project is about to go live and you find yourself awake at night, worrying. All those disastrous worst case scenarios go round and round.  You wonder whether the staff member in charge really is on top of everything. What if? What…

  • Great feedback is like gold dust. Be generous with yours

    Great feedback is like gold dust. Be generous with yours

    You know how feedback you give to your reports sometimes goes in one ear and out the other? That team member you spoke to last week, for instance, he just doesn’t seem to have taken on what you said, despite your carefully prepared constructive criticism. Changes you thought you’d agreed, just aren’t happening. It’s as if you’d…

  • Speed coaching gets results

    It’s amazing what 30 or 40 minutes of focused one-to-one coaching can achieve.  Insightful questioning and deep listening from a skilled coach can quickly get to the core of a problem, help someone discover what is really getting in the way,  and come up with do-able actions to move them on immediately. During my last…

  • 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…

  • Learning at Work Day giveaways

            Today is Learning at Work Day. To celebrate I’m giving away lots of free coaching to charities. If you think your charity would benefit from one of the services below totally free of charge DM me on twitter @katieduckworth or email me at katieduckworth@mac.com (if we’re not already following each other.)…

  • It’s all about people

    Reading the new Third Sector/nfpSynergy State of the Sector report on a crowded rush-hour tube recently, I was struck by the answers to the question ‘what makes for an effective charity?’ Not surprisingly, ‘quality of work and/or services’ comes out top. This is after all what we are all here for. But ‘ability to attract,…