Blog

What Do You Make Ok?

A leader who does not excel for a brief period of time, but impresses over decade can be a rare find. What distinguishes this leader is their passion, their attention to every detail. One of the hallmarks of great leaders is how obsessed they are by their pursuits and their willingness to push every distraction […]

Reframing Leadership

As we start afresh in 2017, here are 5 tips on reframing leadership: Be respectful If you are going to raise a concern, make sure it is specific (versus being vague and general). It is an issue that can be addressed and the individual can influence Carry out your role well (and be willing to […]

How to Engage your Trustees with Social Media

Charity trustee boards don’t always see social media as an essential communications tool. The use of social media in organisations over the last few years has grown dramatically among charity staff and trustees, according to Onboard’s report Governing with Intent. But even with this growth, social media is not high on the boardroom agenda. According […]

Make Minutes Count

The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) has published a new guidance note on minute taking.   The guidance rather than being prescriptive is principle based offering suggestions that are tailored to each organisation.   The purpose of minutes is to provide an accurate, impartial and balanced internal record of the business transacted at a meeting. […]

The Culture of Conflict – Part 2

Bridging those really sticky situations We have two ears and one mouth.  In listening well we can build stronger, sustainable and healthier relationships.  Why listening can be more tiring than talking? Even positive and constructive relationships can be riddled by tension and conflict.   These can be interpersonal,  indicative of systemic, structural,  cultural difficulties or a […]

The Culture of Conflict – Part 1

How much energy is lost squabbling or mired by tension? We may not be aware but conflict and evolving events can create their own culture. Disputes can become personal, dissent can be acted out in public and energy may be dissipated by situations spiralling out of control. Conflicts can be costly relationally and financially. They […]

Influencing Others by Influencing Ourselves

I have been reflecting on the awesome work of William Ury,  co-author of the classic bestseller on negotiation ‘ Getting to Yes ’ and author of ‘ Getting past No ‘. William notes that the Three “ahas” or discoveries that have been life changing: 1. The power of a guiding question:  a guiding question that remains […]