What is authenticity

We see this word so often now, but what does it really mean? Authenticity is when your actions are congruent with your beliefs and values, irrespective of what pressures may be applied. To be authentic, it is not enough to know your values, you must be your values. Brene’ Brown describes it as “a collectionContinue reading “What is authenticity”

What does your business actually do?

Ask someone what their business does and you’ll usually get an answer about products or services. “We sell tyres.” “We provide accounting services.” “We manufacture widgets.” All perfectly accurate but it completely misses the bigger picture. One of the questions that changed my thinking about business was: What difference does your organisation make to theContinue reading “What does your business actually do?”

It should be simple

We know we should keep it simple. Even the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said “Ask yourself at every moment – is this necessary?” Knowing it and doing it are two different things though. Had a great coffee catch up yesterday with a team who have been successful for well over 15 years using a veryContinue reading “It should be simple”

The old bloke is going high tech…

Really looking forward to starting the AI for Charities course tomorrow. Up until now I haven’t paid too much attention to how AI can be used in the sector, mainly because writing, thinking and researching are things I enjoy doing. Now it’s time to broaden my horizons…and become young again (well that’s my plan)

It will never be everything

I had another fantastic coffee catch up today – having been head down for three years, I really did miss these mental stimulation opportunities. One of the many topics we discussed was AI and once again I was reminded that no matter how clever it is, it definitely has limitations. AI is really an amazingContinue reading “It will never be everything”

We need to end fragmentation

In case you didn’t notice, it’s hard out there. Increasing number of organisations applying for a smaller pool of donations. New contracts are almost unheard of while compliance is a never ending beast. If we want a thriving charitable sector, we need to be smarter. We can’t keep on setting up new organisations in theContinue reading “We need to end fragmentation”

Who needs a sounding board?

Owner operators or founders of an established SME If you carry responsibility for people, cashflow, and reputation Anyone who feels busy, stretched, or isolated at times If you need clear thinking, not theory or hype It works well for purposeful leaders. It can be a hard and lonely place when passion and management collide. IContinue reading “Who needs a sounding board?”

You’re making a decision? Why?

When trying to find solutions, we’re told to first understand the problem. Many of the decisions we make as leaders, and as people, don’t stem from what we see as a problem. We don’t sit and try and analyse it, we just know we have to make a decision and that’s what we do. SometimesContinue reading “You’re making a decision? Why?”

Just Explore

In an environment where everyone is trying to give you advice, it can be reassuring to sit down with a sounding board and just explore. This what I do…. I’m not a coach or advisor; I’m not an expert on some American management model that is apparently the answer to every issue, and I certainlyContinue reading “Just Explore”

Advisory Boards

We see that advisory boards are becoming more common in the commercial space, especially with SME, but I haven’t noticed this flowing through into the for-purpose sector. Advisory boards are set up to provide guidance and expertise to an organisation on a specific issue or strategy, not the business-as-usual governance, compliance and decision making thatContinue reading “Advisory Boards”