Episodit
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In this final episode of the first OTMO series, host Joe Jenkins reflects back on the 11 conversations with 11 extraordinary social leaders through 2020. Recognising that the episodes were all recorded online against the backdrop of the global pandemic, inevitably COVID-19 cast a shadow across all the conversations - setting an incredible test for every leader and organisation. Yet throughout the series, Joe was struck by the ways in which every leader stepped up to the challenge.
Appreciating the diversity of guests, bringing a refreshing breadth and depth of perspectives, Joe draws out 5 key leadership themes and concerns that emerged consistently throughout the series: 1) the use of privilege and power; 2) leading through others; 3) the importance of courage and vulnerability; 4) offering a vision; 5) leading with hope.
In the episode, Joe reflects on each of the themes, drawing on comments made by leaders through the conversations and including excerpts from the previous episodes. If you’ve been on this journey with us through all 11 episodes, then hopefully you'll enjoy this opportunity to look back; and if you're yet to hear all the conversations, then this might inspire you to check them out!
As Joe concludes at the end, while the series has invited guests with “titled” leadership positions, to explore what’s on the mind of those who are required to deliberately and purposefully give attention to leadership as part of their work - it is important to understand every one of is a leader. We all carry some privilege and some power, we all have ways we can influence, inspire and empower others. And if we are to achieve the positive social progress so urgently needed - then we all have a role to play. We need great leadership now more than ever.
Thanks to all our guests in this first series: Stephen Hale, Refugee Action; Mark Russell, The Children’s Society; Lucy Caldicott, ChangeOut; Adeela Warley, CharityComms; Sufina Ahmad, John Ellerman Foundation; Polly Neate, Shelter; AmickyCarol Akiwumi, Money4You; Deborah Alsina, Independent Age; Anna Day, Centre for Social Change; Craig Bennett, The Wildlife Trusts; Simon Blake, Mental Health First Aid England.
And thank you to everyone who listened, shared, rated, commented and encouraged us to keep recording these conversations. We really hope you’ve valued the experiences shared in this first series of OTMO.
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[00.00] Introduction to the episode
[04.30] The use of privilege and power
[07.11] Polly Neate on ceding your power
[09.23] Leading through others
[11.02] Mark Russell on the 4 key words at core of being a leader
[15.23] Courage and vulnerability
[18.32] Simon Blake on vulnerability, courage and humanity
[22.50] Offering a vision
[25.00] Anna Day on transformational leadership
[30.50] Leading with hope
[32.45] Deborah Alsina on the power of people and kindness
[34.26] Final reflections on 3 core skills of leadership, how we can all be leaders, and why we need great leadership now more than ever
Resources From This Episode
Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action - www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
The Culture Code - danielcoyle.com/the-culture-code
Refugee Action – refugee-action.org.uk
Children’s Society – childrenssociety.org.uk
ChangeOut – changeout.org
CharityComms – charitycomms.org.uk
The John Ellerman Foundation – ellerman.org.uk
Shelter – shelter.org.uk
Money4YOU – money4you.org
Independent Age – independentage.org
Centre of Social Change – centreforsocialchange.co.uk
The Wildlife Trusts – wildlifetrusts.org
MHFA England – mhfaengland.org -
In this episode of OTMO, we talk to Simon Blake, Deputy Chair of Stonewall UK and the CEO of Mental Health First Aid England, a social enterprise built to create a society where everyone's mental health matters and has the same consideration as our physical health.
Simon has been the CEO of Mental Health First Aid England since 2008, joining there from the National Union of Students, where he'd also been chief executive since 2015. In the years before that, Simon held leadership roles at the Sex Education Forum, National Children's Bureau and the Sexual Health Wellbeing Charity Brook. He received an OBE in 2011 for his services in the voluntary sector and to young people and was recognised as a 2020 global diversity champion in the global diversity list.
With their core on-site training program My Whole Self, due to be launched just has the pandemic started, Simon shares the challenges and mindset changes needed to translate a 2-day office-based training course into the digital world, not least with timings (no-one wants to sit on a Zoom call for 2 days!). We also talk about how the pandemic has had its benefits to the organisation - stripping everything back (people no longer being just their job descriptions), how much tighter some of the systems and processes became, and the impressiveness of people's creativity and responses to the many challenges.
We hear sound advice for our mental health - how a holiday is not just about going away but is about our wellbeing and you still need that time, even when you can't go away. Accepting that it’s ok to feel disappointed when we can't do the fun things that we wanted to do and being honest, as a leader, when talking about how you’re feeling in tough times “hanging on, but hanging on well”. Simon also talks about why it isn't possible to just say the good things and nor is it sensible to just say the bad things. This leads us into consideration of Simon’s honesty around loss and struggles and how there is strength in vulnerability.
Other topics include being a gloom bag in the winter, borrowing the farmer's pony, how when you start second-guessing yourself, you're nowhere near as good as when you just trust your instincts and putting your brave pants on.
Simon’s life has always been about wanting all children and young people to grow up in a safe, emotionally literate world, whatever their ability, disability, sexuality, gender. From his own experience, he has learned to claim his own sense of masculinity to be as good as any other form. For the future he hopes to turn the culture of strength that stops people talking about grief, loss and mental health struggles the right way up (rather than upside down) and for it to be accepted that vulnerability and courage, sadness and joy, disappointment and hope can and do all sit alongside each other.
Looking to the future (while reflecting on the past) Simon tells us there are (and will always have been) people in positions of power who want to push back women's rights, to make sure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people don't have visibility within society and those who would rather we didn't talk about death and dying or about domestic violence. Having been through a few rounds himself and still standing, Simon believes that going forward the charity sector and individuals need to be brave. If you aren’t getting any negative reaction, then you probably aren’t being brave enough. When you're doing the right thing, there will be people that get mad and angry at you and you just have to keep on going.
Ultimately Simon has hope for the future - not least due to the courage that people have shown this year - the adaptability, the resilience, the ability to make an impact when things are tough and the flexibility to do things completely differently.
Date of Conversation - 11/12/2020
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[02.15] Interview Begins
[03.42] What do we collectively have to do as a civil society... -
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In this episode of OTMO, our guest is Craig Bennett - CEO of The Wildlife Trusts, an organisation made up of 46 local Wildlife Trusts in the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. The Wildlife Trusts look after more than 2,300 nature reserves, covering around 98,500 hectares. He also continues to be a Policy Fellow at Cambridge and Honorary Professor of Sustainability & Innovation at Alliance Manchester Business School.Craig has spent his whole career working on environmental challenges. He started at Friends of the Earth as Campaigner back in 1999 from the Environmental Investigation Agency. Moving to take on the role of Deputy Director at the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainable Leadership in 1997, he returned to Friends of the Earth as Director of Policy & Campaigns (where he worked with host Joe Jenkins for 5 years) before taking on the role of Chief Executive.Craig shares his leadership lessons in this episode, from joining a new organisation as CEO in the midst of a national lockdown and global pandemic (including how some of the travel restrictions have proven a leveller in a national organisation), to the challenges of The Wildlife Trusts shift in strategy - from not only protecting existing wildlife, to bringing wildlife back.He talks about the ability and opportunity of federated charities to be bold, the difference between leadership and management, lessons from Henry V & the importance of self-awareness.We get tips on how the answer you give to someone who asks âWhat can I do?â very much depends on who they are and their situation; using Twitter as a mini focus group; and re-booting your perspective of an organisation that youâve been part of a long time.Other topics include finding the sardine when youâre trying to herd cats, the leadership of Greta Thunberg, when to say âI donât knowâ, bees (of course!) and climate fatigue.Looking to the future, Craig is excited by the number of people and organisations engaged in climate awareness compared to 25 years ago, and even though it feels like there have been steps backwards, the attention the issues now are getting, is in itself a move forward. And although the requisite action still seems a way off, some amazing development could take place sooner than we think.Date of Conversation - 20th November 2020The Key Takeaways From This Episode[02.13] Interview Begins[04.14] April Fool! Starting your first year in an organisation at the beginning of a pandemic[15.50] Resetting environmental strategy: from protecting whatâs left to bringing it back[22.57] NASA and the clarity of purpose[33.05] Renegade Leadership[41.07] Taking a sabbatical during the FOE CEO recruitment process[55.35] Learning from LinkedIn[60.48] When dastardly actions create positive actionsResources From This Episode Wildlife Trust - wildlifetrusts.org Friends of the Earth - foe.org Greta Thunberg - Greta Thunberg on Wikipedia Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change - corporateleadersgroup.com Save the Bees - friendsoftheearth.uk/bees Cambridge Policy Fellow - Policy fellowships details The University of Manchesterâs Alliance Manchester Business School
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For this episode of OTMO, we chat to Anna Day, founder and CEO of the Centre for Social Change which was founded in 2018 to develop models of scaling up successful people charities and causes to enable them to grow their impact. Working with leaders across the charity sector, the centre has worked with a wide range of charities and social enterprises, including World Vision, Fertility Network UK, Full Spektrum, Pen Green Children and Family Centre, Fathers' Development Foundation, BrightPIP, Engage Antenatal, and Baytree.
Alongside the Centre for Social Change, Anna also founded the CEO Hacks for NonProfit Leaders and ChangeMakers, a CEO training community for charity CEOs who manage smaller charities with a turnover of less than £1m.
In this episode, Anna shares her unusual motivation and route to CEOdom and the perspectives and benefits this has brought to the role. Anna became a Chief Executive out of necessity - in order to raise her child as a single parent and with minimal experience - and ironically found herself CEO of a homeless charity whilst in an insecure housing situation and living in poverty herself.
Having dived in at the deep end, she struggled to find suitable ways to train and learn to be a great CEO, eventually flying to the US to train with the Global Women's Leadership Network in Transformational Leadership - a methodology she continues to work with and explains in layman's terms for us, in this episode.
She was lucky enough to have built a great network and have mentors to work with, but finding this gap in suitable training and learning for herself, she realised that chief executives across the charity sector, particularly in smaller organisations, have very poor support in place for them, as well as the un-necessary ploughing of money to train chief execs by charities who can’t necessarily afford the high consultant fees. This led to her creation of the CEO Hacks training community.
We talk about how bringing life experience and challenges to the role as CEO, helps create deeper understanding of the people the charity supports. How overworking doesn’t heed results and about burning out - everybody thinks they are invincible until they're not! Anna also talks about how those that we are trying to be helped, can be held back by the low expectations people can have of them - how when you categorise people by their problems, it becomes such a strong part of their identity, making it very hard for them to move on.
Other topics include leaving Alan Sugar style boardrooms to the TV and keeping them out of charity organisations, taking a proactive not reactive approach, the misuse of NDAs within the sector and closing a charity with as much magic as possible.
Looking forward, Anna talks about the need for strategic advisors within organisations and not wasting volunteer time on what isn’t their expertise and how she would like to see genuine opportunities for proper chief executive training programs that enable not only people to step into new chief executive roles, but also for those who’ve been in a chief executive role for some time to stretch and continue their professional development. Post pandemic, as there's going to be a lot less money around, funding will gravitate towards the “best” organisations, so boards of trustees need to step up their game and do more for their charities and CEOs; and CEOs need to help these trustees right back.
Anna has an enormous sense of hope for the future, as experience has proved to her that people really are prepared to go above and beyond help.
Date of Conversation - 6th November 2020
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[02.50] Interview Begins
[06.01] Lack of professional support for charity CEOs
[15.00] Challenging yourself to step into executive leadership
[21:01] How casting low expectations limit people’s capabilities to change and grow
[22:07] How the cut off point of services can lead to perverse and damaging incentives fo... -
In today’s episode of OTMO, we are talking to Deborah Alsina, Chief Executive of Independent Age.
Deborah joined Independent Age as Chief Exec in October 2019. Founded over 150 years ago, Independent Age’s mission is to ensure that as we grow older, we all have the opportunity to live well with dignity, choice and purpose. The charity provides a free helpline, information and advice, friendship services through their volunteers and actively campaigns to ensure people can enjoy a financially secure, healthy, active and connected older age.
Deborah began her career in publishing and has subsequently worked in the voluntary sector for around 30 years, working with a broad range of organisations from academic think tanks to charities working on international refugee and human rights issues.
Prior to joining Independent Age, Deborah worked for Bowel Cancer UK for eleven years including ten as the Chief Executive. Deborah was awarded an MBE in 2016, in recognition of her service to bowel cancer patients and she was named Charity Chief Executive of the Year at the Third Sector Excellence Awards 2017 as well as Charity Principal of the Year in the Charity Times Awards 2018.
In this episode, Deborah shares what’s going on in her constantly churning brain, from stepping up to challenge ageism and discrimination to how Independent Age behaves like a 100-year-old startup!
She shares tips for working through any challenges (pandemics included) - breathing through the fear, keeping momentum going and how a good walk with the dog always helps!
On leadership, Deborah talks about not pretending or fobbing people off, surrounding yourself with brilliant people (who can fill the gaps in your own performance) and that there’s nothing like a crisis to bond a leadership team.
Deborah believes in our work tackling social injustice we are right to feel hurt, angry and passionate about the work we do, in her case addressing the terrible treatment of many older people in our wealthy society. But she also finds it is people that give her great hope for the future - as during her career, not least previously at Bowel Cancer UK, she has witnessed so much generosity of spirit and the astounding kindness of strangers.
Other topics include encouraging tears in the office, the hover and dive theory of leadership and “sustaining the hum” of a great team.
Date of Conversation - 02/10/2020
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[02.50] Interview Begins
[07.44] Not losing your strategy in the midst of a crisis
[13.37] Planning for the future with flexibility for crisis, pandemics, Brexit and the economy
[14.10] Learnt from working with refugees and asylum seekers - the one thing you can factor in your plans is change
[16.40] Keep on planning as the world context changes all the time
[18.02] Recruiting people who fit the context you’re in
[20.23] Wanting to do the right thing as a leader and building a brilliant organisation
[30.20] The tragedy of an elderly person ending up out of sight out of mind
[38.15] Understanding the complex challenges you’re dealing with and looking ahead
[40.20] Allowing people to have ownership and grow
[41.25] Effective senior leaders hover and dive!!
[49.38] The importance of social connections at work - especially during a pandemic
[54.24] Learning through doing and experiencing
Resources From This Episode
Independent Age - independentage.org
Bowel Cancer UK - bowelcanceruk.org.uk
Bowel Cancer UK Podcast - Bowel Cancer UK Podcast
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In this episode of OTMO, our guest is Amicky Carol Akiwumi, the CEO of Money4YOU which she founded in 2014 to tackle inequality by teaching people how to make money, helping organisations to raise funds and support everyone to make the most of their resources.
Starting her career as an investment banker, Carol has since brought her skills and experience to a myriad of roles, as social entrepreneur, fundraising consultant, trainer, inspirational speaker, and general charity sector legend.
Alongside Money4YOU, Amicky Carol is also Director of the International Fundraising Consultancy Nigeria and CEO of RAA Solutions, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, where she chairs the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, as well as serving as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Carol shares the origins of Money4You - from the early inspiration of a lunchtime club setup as a parent governor, it has grown into a fast-growing charitable organisation with a vision to transform disadvantaged communities - empowering people with a solid knowledge of financial management and giving them confidence to engage in profitable enterprise. Alongside delivering financial literacy and entrepreneurship workshops and resources for children and young people, the charity also runs the UK’s only accelerator programme for BAMER (Black, Asian, Multi-ethnic and Refugee) led charities and social enterprises, and an incubator programme designed to kickstart and bootstrap small businesses led by entrepreneurs in underprivileged communities and developing nations.
In this lively episode, we cover topics such as financial education for the young, the importance of being grateful (especially when you are surrounded by lots of talented, passionate, and committed people), not being a super-hero and putting the emphasis on attitudes over skills.
Carol’s take on leadership includes the belief that whether you have influence over one person or over millions, you can still be a leader - and leadership comes with responsibility. She also believes that leadership is a journey not just a destination, where mistakes will be made along the way. And to never forget, it is a privilege.
We also hear why you can’t do it all, to make such for other people to come along on the journey with you, inspirational childhood posters and the power of data for the future of BAMER organisations.
With an infectious optimism, Amicky Carol is full of positivity for the future and in human resilience - reflecting on the many new skills, ideas and opportunities she has found through the pandemic in 2020. Looking ahead, her inspirational goal lies in building a family of world changers.
The question we are left to ponder - will people wonder what on earth Joe and Amicky Carol were talking about in 200 years?
Date of Conversation - 11/09/2020
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[2.30] Interview Begins
[5.25] Becoming less of an idealist over time - leadership situations are contextual
[7.55] The only thing you can control is your own responses and behaviours
[20.00] The scary responsibilities of money for young people - the origins of Money 4 Youth
[25.16] Expanding and becoming CEO
[28.00] Embracing change and growth
[29.45] Committing to growing and learning and finding mentors
[31.00] No-one is a superhero - don’t be ashamed to look for help
[32.18] You can’t do it all - allow people to come along on the journey
[33.55] Colourful leadership analysis with Insights Discovery
[38.25] Speaking your mind, while delivering it in a way that allows people to hear what you want to say
[42.37] Hiring for attitude and character, not just skills
[45.56] Getting it wrong sometimes and learning from those mistakes
[48.18] Speaking your mind on things you’re passionate about (while you have the chance)
[54.50] Learning from the pandemic - adapt, keep calm and carry on!
Resources From This Episode
Money4YOU – money4you.org -
Todayâs guest is Polly Neate, Chief Exec of the homelessness and housing charity Shelter which exists to defend the right to a safe home. Before Shelter, Polly was chief executive of Women's Aid, the national charity working to end violence against women and children, before which she had worked at Action for Children and been editor of Community Care magazine.Starting out her professional career as a journalist, Polly has contributed to many national newspapers, magazines and books. Alongside regularly writing for the Guardian, Telegraph and Huffington Post, Polly is prolific on social media, winning âBest CEO on Social Media 2019â at the Social CEO Awards.In this episode, we explore how Pollyâs feminism intersects with anti-racism and the frustrations of white middle-class complacency in the charity sector - especially when catching yourself. Polly openly shares her personal regret that she has not been more proactive in tackling anti-racism since joining Shelter, and the privilege to be able to choose which days to think about racism.We talk about how Shelter are engaging in learning and auditing themselves to embrace their role as an authentic social justice organisation, and explore how being a good communicator, sticking to purpose and selling your organisation are all key factors as a CEO. Polly believes that itâs not enough to use your power kindly, you have to give some away for true change to be made.We hear how being CEO of a womenâs charity can make it more difficult to open doors and be heard (not just seen as a ranty feminist!) while the vast majority of men donât want to hear how male violence is killing women at a rate of 2 a week; and the cross-over with the tone-deafness on anti-racism issues.We learn that despite what people think, Polly doesnât actually spend all her time on social media, how Zoom meetings arenât really her style and how she is all about disco!Naturally optimistic, her hopes and aims for the future are to create change in the community and crucially, win the battle for more social housing. Polly is enthusiastic about all that young people have to offer and strongly believes that we should be helping to empower younger generations to take over the reins.Date of Conversation - 4th SeptemberThe Key Takeaways From This Episode[02.14] Interview begins[04.46] Reflections on personal responsibility for leading action on anti-racism this year[08.27] The pull of intellectual conservatism in leading a large organisation & white middle-class complacency[10.30] Staying engaged with anti-racism as a white leader and drawing on lessons from fighting other battles with privilege[14.50] Itâs not enough to use your power kindly, you have to give some away[16.23] Leading as a feminist Chief Exec[18.45] Arriving at an established household charity and leading change[22.27] Bringing a campaigning voice to Shelter[24.05] How being CEO of Womenâs Aid was an extremely challenging & transformative experience[26.30] Why Polly doesnât lie awake at night with stress[29.08] Ways of dealing with pressure as a CEO[32.02] Strengths as a CEO, particularly the importance of communications[36.15] Approaching communicating during a lockdown[39.50] Prioritising Shelter being there to help those that most need them in the future[42.48] Legitimising Shelterâs claim to be a social justice organisation[43.17] Optimism in the Shelter team to successfully take the charity forward[44.16] Why young people make Polly feel hopeful and the responsibility to empower the next generationResources From This Episode Shelter â shelter.org.uk Womenâs Aid - womensaid.org.uk Action For Children - actionforchildren.org.uk Community Care Magazine - communitycare.co.uk Social CEOs Awards - socialceos.org Polly's Huffington Post Articles Polly's Telegraph Articles Polly's Guardian Articles Me & White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
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In this episode we hear from Sufina Ahmad, Director of the John Ellerman Foundation, which supports small to medium-sized organisations to make a difference to people, society and the natural world, particularly focussing on the arts, environment and social action.
Prior to joining John Ellerman, Sufina worked in corporate strategy and performance at the City of London Corporation. She has also held roles in policy and learning at the National Lottery Community Fund, including a secondment to the City Bridge Trust. Sufina holds trusteeships with Just for Kids Law and The Charterhouse and is also a fellow of the RSA.
Host Joe Jenkins got to know Sufina through their involvement with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising - during his time as Chair of the Institute’s Annual National Fundraising Convention, Sufina was chairing a new expert panel on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. Happily, Sufina didn't hold back in challenging Joe and the conference board on the steps they could be taking to create a more diverse inclusive event - in a manner that was thought-provoking, constructive and always thoughtful. Under Sufina's leadership, the panel went on to create the excellent Manifesto for Change, setting out a bold vision for a sector where everyone is the right fit.
Topics in this episode include stepping into titled leadership roles, driving change from within existing systems, navigating 2020 and the impact of the global pandemic, the lessons to be learned from trusteeship alongside professional development, and why it’s crucial to empower others and opening the door for others to step in.
Starting out with a degree in genetics and currently pursuing an executive MBA with Warwick Business School, Sufina describes herself as a specialist in generalism - a strength that is serving her well in her role at John Ellerman which works across a wide range of issues and causes.
Sufina is optimistic about the future of the charity sector - hoping we will build on the important collaborations that have been necessitated by Covid-19 and the increasing recognition that unrestricted core funding is essential to strengthen charity impact. Some important steps have been taken forward in 2020 - and we must all make sure they lead to long-lasting positive change.
Date of Conversation - 4th August
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[2.57] Interview Begins
[03.54] First 100-day plans - and how they change when the world changes
[04.55] Stepping into a Director role for the first time
[11.00] What is unlocked in a ’Titled Leadership Role’
[14.52] Being confident to seize new job opportunities when they arise
[19.12] Understanding hierarchical systems while bringing your own values
[21.00] My job as an empowering leader
[23.28] Intentions and through-line - are we reaching a tipping point on equity, diversity, inclusion in the charity sector
[26.28] The personal cost of talking publicly about “labels” and identity
[31.45] The joys of trusteeship
[38.50] Being a specialist in generalism
[41.21] Strengths, passions and loving to learn
[44.12] Work-life balance and finding time for an MBA
[49.00] Responding to and staying open during the pandemic
[52.26] Addressing issues with sector funding
[54.58] Hopes for change and continued questioning within the charity sector
Resources From This Episode
The John Ellerman Foundation – ellerman.org.uk
Chartered Institute of Fundraising - institute-of-fundraising.org.uk
Future Foundations UK - future-foundations.co.uk
Charity So White - charitysowhite.org
ACEVO podcast episode featuring Sufina
ACEVO Report – Home Truths: Undoing racism and delivering real diversity in the charity sector
Women and Girls initiative - womenandgirlsinitiative.org
Resourcing Racial Justice Fund - Resourcingracialjustice.org
City of London Corporation - cityoflondon.gov.uk
City Bridge Trust - citybridgetrust.org.uk
Just for Kids Law - justforkidslaw.org -
Today we talk to Adeela Warley, Chief Executive of CharityComms, the membership organisation for charity communications professionals in UK Charities. She is also a member of ACEVO, The Marketing Society and Fellow of the RSA.
Host Joe Jenkins first met Adeela a decade ago when he joined Friends of the Earth, where Adeela worked for over 20 years and they’ve been firm friends ever since. Adeela left her role as Head of Communications at FoE in early 2017 to take on the leadership of CharityComms.
In the conversation, we hear Adeela sharing how she is coping with the challenge of TOO much on her mind! As well as communications in a time of crisis and why we shouldn’t believe, or be too intimidated by, everything you read in leadership books.
Adeela reflects on the last 3.5 years as a first-time CEO, why mentors and peers are so crucial, her strengths as a cautious leader, learning to be more honest and being unafraid to seek help.
Looking to the future, Adeela is feeling positive about women leaders, sector collaboration and believes that at this time, more than ever, communication is the life-blood of charities wanting to change the world.
Date of Conversation - 24 July
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[2.10] Interview Begins
[3.50] Charity Communicators in a time of crisis
[7.17] From overdrive to structure and discipline during Covid
[10.34] Understanding your charity eco-system, CEO mentors and peers
[13.44] The motivations to become CEO of Charity Comms
[17.37] Transition from leading a department to leading an organisation
[24.05] Being honest about your vulnerabilities
[23.17] Being seen and heard in leadership
[32.10] Being a sector leader
[37.31] Working in coalition
[44.18] Why Communications can BE the change
[45.05] Leadership can be learned but you need motivation and opportunity
[48.52] Being a cautious leader, learning to be more honest and seek help
[51.10] How the creativity and liberation of working remotely has brought the team together
[54.12] The future of Charity Comms
[56.24] Keep an eye on the prize - what are we here for
[58.07] How human resilience and support can give us hope
Resources From This Episode
CharityComms - charitycomms.org.uk
The CharityComms Re-launched Podcast
Adeela's Third Sector Articles
Small Charities Commission - smallcharities.org.uk
ACEVO - acevo.org.uk
NAVCA - navca.org.uk
Directory of Social Change - dsc.org.uk
The Frameworks institute - frameworksinstitute.org
Amy Cuddy Power Stance on YouTube
The Marketing Society - marketingsociety.com
RSA Fellowship - thersa.org/fellowship -
This episode we talk with Lucy Caldicott, founder of ChangeOut and Councillor for London Borough of Lambeth.
Lucy started out in the commercial world but soon realised it wasn't the path for her and moved into the charity sector, working in marketing and fundraising senior roles at the Prince's Trust, Jewish Care, VSO, and then Clic Sargent. Her next step was into executive leadership, first as interim CEO for Diversity Role Models and then as Chief Exec for Uprising.
In 2018, Lucy was elected ward councillor for Stockwell in the London Borough of Lambeth while also founding the social purpose business ChangeOut - with the mission of diversifying the voluntary sector, seeking to make it more representative of society.
In this episode, we chat about how you can best learn from the bad choices of former bosses, that it’s ok to be nervous, the need to rid the charity sector of bad behaviour - and getting out of the way of future leaders.
There are some valuable tips - particularly the power of smiling, not looking at your phone at night and the importance of listening before you speak.
We learn that Lucy is thoroughly enjoying her well-earnt current roles - making change happen and being her own boss (while possibly ruling out future job offers!). We discuss the different leadership styles Lucy has learned through the different roles in her career - leading from the front in politics, the importance of teamwork and how to manage upwards.
Ultimately, despite the growing inequalities and challenges in our society that keep Lucy awake at night, she is keeping positive - hopeful that the Corona pandemic has finally woken people up to the need for change, and that through collaboration, charities will be relevant in the future.
Date of Conversation - 10 July
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[2.23] Interview Begins
[3.30] The search for justice and ‘The Great Grace’ protest
[7.17] White privilege and responsibilities for racism
[9.55] Getting out of the way of young leaders
[12.03] Different leadership approaches for different roles
[18.53] How building trust and being authentic is fundamental in leadership
[24.24] Moving into politics and learning quickly
[27.50] Not giving up and people power
[29.55] The veneer of confidence and how feeling nervous is ok
[31.50] Smile and the world smiles with you
[35.50] Nature vs Nurture in leadership
[41.00] Widening your frame of reference
[43.27] The future for the charity sector
[49.20] The dangers of complacency amongst the ‘do-gooders’
[53.23] Taking risks and collaborating for a better future
[55.45] The hope that the pandemic has woken people up to the need for change
Resources From This Episode
ChangeOut - changeout.org
Fundraising Chat Facebook Group - Fundraising Chat
Lucy on Facebook - fb.com/LucyforLabour
Institute of Fundraising Conference 2020
Lucy’s Talk at the Conference - What are we really talking about when we talk about diversity and inclusion?
Simon Sinek Talk - Be The Last To Speak
The Booker prize-winning novel by Bernardine Evaristo - Girl, Women, Other -
Today’s guest is Mark Russell, CEO of The Children’s Society, trustee at the Church Of England and RSA Fellow.
Mark started out as a youth worker in his home country of Northern Ireland, in a divided town bringing young people together in the run-up to the Good Friday agreement. At the age of 30, he was appointed CEO of the Church Army, a social justice charity working in some of the most deprived areas across the UK and Ireland, a position he held for 13 years.
Mark joined Children’s Society in 2019 - and now has the pleasure of being OTMO host Joe Jenkins’ boss!
We speak on a range of topics including burning the candle at all 4 ends, building resilience as a leader, white privilege, the stereotypes of CEOS and the importance of both family time and BBQs.
There is also a great Chief Exec/Lion King analogy and talk about being an extrovert (with introvert tendencies) while dealing with life and death during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Date of Conversation - 26 June
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[2.15] Conversation Begins
[3.15] Balancing time with family/friends vs work
[5.25] Consequences of taking on too much
[9.19] Leaders are not superheroes
[11.02] “I can’t breathe” - #blacklivesmatter & using white privilege
[17.57] Challenging the traditional stereotype of a Chief Exec
[21.57] What can only a Chief Exec do
[26.00] The importance of organisational culture
[32.35] Leading through presence and leading through absence.
[40.00] How Mark builds his resilience
[43.03] What is keeping Mark awake at night
[44.58] Being an extrovert in a time of a pandemic
[51.30] Three kinds of charity will emerge from the pandemic
[56.25] Why Mark is filled with hope for the future
Resources From This Episode
Children's Society - childrenssociety.org.uk
Third Sector article with Mark on his first year at The Children's Society:
'Constant communication has carried our charity through lockdown – and tragedy'
Church Army - churcharmy.org
RSA Fellowship - thersa.org/fellowship -
Today’s guest is Refugee Action Chief Exec, Stephen Hale. Voted Charity Chief Executive of the Year in 2019, Stephen is greatly respected across the charity sector and has much to share on the lessons he has learned in leadership.
In our conversation, we explore the effects of Covid-19, building self-confidence in leadership, how the issues raised by #BlackLivesMatter is prompting debate about diversity and inclusion within the charity sector, and the moral obligation to put the cause before your own organisation.
We also discuss collaboration amongst charities, both the struggles and opportunities, along with Stephen’s own leadership strengths – and why he loves winning. Reflecting on what helps Stephen to succeed, we discuss the breadth of his experience, recognise the value of space to reflect and how his love of cycling has helped Stephen to clear his mind and clarify ideas. And why he remains hopeful.
Date of Conversation - 19 June
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[2:47] What’s on Stephen’s mind?
[4:30] How Covid affects everything
[12:15] Rebuilding self-confidence
[17:19] Privilege, power and EDI in the charity sector
[26:13] Cause before organisation – offering wider leadership
[31:09] Stephen’s strengths as a leader
[36:20] How wide experience can inform successful leadership
[39:30] Creating space to reflect
[44:40] Hope for the future
Resources From This Episode
Refugee Action - refugee-action.org.uk
Forum for the Future - forumforthefuture.org
Samworth Foundation - samworthfoundation.org.uk
ACEVO Report - Home Truths: Undoing racism and delivering real diversity in the charity sector
Voice4England - voice4change-england.co.uk
For background on the host, Joe Jenkins, and his reasons for creating the podcast see our About OTMO page.
Follow 'On The Mind Of' on Facebook and Twitter. -
A brief introduction to what 'On The Mind Of...' is all about by its host and creator Joe Jenkins.
We talk about the aims and background of this podcast, who will be on the show and what we will be asking them.
This podcast will attempt to capture and learn from the wisdom and experience of CEOs, Directors, Founders and Leaders in charities, social enterprises, politics and grassroots organisations – to share more widely, and hopefully inspire others to grow in their own leadership. There is a lot in the world that needs changing, and we need great leadership now more than ever.
The Key Takeaways From This Episode
[0:30] Does the world need another podcast?
[1:40] Who are some of the guests we have lined up
[2:22] What kind of thing will we be asking our guests
Resources From This Episode
For background on the host, Joe Jenkins, and his reasons for creating the podcast see our About OTMO page.
Follow 'On The Mind Of' on Facebook and Twitter.
