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A brief book review: If you're involved with any kind of complex organisation - and quite possibly complicated ones - you'll find something to take away from this book. What do I mean by complex/complicated? Any effort that draws on more than a few dozen people trying to achieve an overarching goal often has bureaucratic … Continue reading A study in simplicity with takeaways for any organisation that involves people
Next week I'm heading to a leadership conference and I thought I'd share my basic high-level pre-attendance checklist in case it is useful to anybody else: A is for Align Take a moment to clarify what success looks like. Think of it like a countdown: 3 for the organisers 2 for the people you're representing … Continue reading Your ABC Checklist for Conference Success
1.2% of UK charities turn over 68.9% of the cash cycling through the sector. So never mind Oxfam's predictions for individuals - it is already true for the sector that often says it is out to change the world for the better. Are they doing enough though? A recent Stanford Social Innovation Review webinar grappled with the way … Continue reading What’s Your Endgame? The 1% conundrum for the non-profit sector
... so said Oscar Wilde ... and I'd add it to it that you can't get solid experience without engagement - and that was the topic I was asked to cover at this morning's South Africa / UK Communicator's Breakfast, hosted by Lisa Wannell at the VMA Group HQ in London's leafy Bedford Square. Specifically, … Continue reading ‘Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing’
Einstein is often quoted as having said... 'If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.' Well, what … Continue reading #StartUpSeason – Business Plan Basics
Benchmarking survey reveals that high performing organizations, when compared to their peers, are: Twice as likely to keep language simple and jargon-free 80% more likely to have a process for creating great corporate stories. Twice as likely to make emotional connections to their audiences 60% more likely to think about communication from the audience perspective. … Continue reading Only half of communicators say all their work is aligned to corporate strategy and goals
Are you in? The #11ways benchmarking database linking comms to org performance has 73 orgs. http://t.co/fazIuhfrmG If yours isn't one of … — Stephen Welch (@StephenWelch11) May 22, 2014 Hwæt! Whether you’re in Toronto in person – or attending remotely via Twitter – we would love for you to pitch into what @StephenWelch11 and I … Continue reading #11ways @ #IABC14 – TUNE IN
As we're warming up for the upcoming #responsiveorg event which will take place in London this May (come along if you're not already signed up) I'm going to take a stab at collating some of the thoughts and approaches that might help us have a more productive time. As you might expect, I'll be coming … Continue reading Could Smart Simplicity be the business model wave of the future?
Earlier this week I attended the 2014 Socia Collaborative Leadership briefing, which this year focused on Collaborative Leadership in the Boardroom. (Last year's saw the launch of Messrs Archer and Cameron's book Collaborative Leadership). Who better to share practical experience on boards than the Chair of super-sized global recruitment firm Harvey Nash plc: Julie Baddeley. In case you … Continue reading Collaborative leadership in the boardroom?
The executive director of Nesta sets out in a recent article what she thinks are the factors that will make voluntary organisations thrive in the coming ten years: "What makes charities more likely to thrive? Which charities will do well? Like in any sector, it is the organisations that best adapt to change and innovate in … Continue reading Deliberate
#alignyourorg 