Explore every episode of the podcast NGO Soul + Strategy
Dive into the complete episode list for NGO Soul + Strategy. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
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078. Which INGO Roles Are Still Legitimate, Relevant, and Needed (and Which No Longer): Dylan Mathews @ Peace Direct
10 Sep 2024
00:49:46
Summary
How should INGOs discern what roles are still relevant, legitimate, and needed, at this moment in civil society history?
And which roles they therefore should *stop* playing?
Is there more here, over and beyond stopping service delivery? (Which on its own is quite the shift)
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Dylan Mathews, Chief Executive Officer at Peace Direct. Peace Direct has been quite vocal, and has acted as a thought leader on this role question -- which I consider fundamental, and which I don't see INGOs facing head-on sufficiently yet.
Dylan's Bio:
Chief Executive Officer of Peace Direct
Director of International Programs at Y Care International
Program Manager at CARE
Worked on conflict countries and issues with Landmine Action, Oxford Research Group, and the British Red Cross
We discuss:
While the sector is changing, once again, on several fronts (in terms of programming approaches, shifting authority/decision rights to the place of program impact representation, biz models, operating models etc.), what seems to get less attention is whether the organization should go through a fundamental role shift
Common sense would say role and function, as well as strategy, should come before the other types of changes mentioned above
One organization that is advocating that NGOs need to tackle the fundamental question of role shift is PeaceDirect, with Dylan Mathews as its leader.
So what roles are still appropriate, especially for global North-founded INGOs?
Dylan explains the nine roles that Peace Direct thinks are still appropriate for INGOs
What are, importantly, the implications of a change in role and function for, for instance, board competencies and mindsets, organizational size, staff competency profiles, and culture?
Dylan shares what gives him hope as INGOs traverse this journey, but also what makes him skeptical that the role shifts Peace Direct points to will actually take hold among INGOs,
077. Let’s Work Through This: Conflict Mediation in Social Sector Organizations With Nathalie Thompson
01 Jul 2024
00:42:38
Summary
Conflict management and mediation are skills that come up frequently as a weak area in many of our social sector organizations.
And these days, more than ever conflict is on the rise within our organizations.
So how can we work through our conflicts more skillfully and effectively?
Nathalie has answers for us. She's a trainer conflict mediator (as well as a Corentus, Inc. team coach) who helps teams and organizations develop better conflict management capabilities.
And she's a valued colleague in a broader team I am a part of. Which means I get to learn from her!
Owner of ‘5 Fold Consulting’, a consulting and coaching firm focused on conflict management skill building and mediation
Core Practitioner and Faculty at the Corentus team coaching company
In short: mediator, facilitator, and coach
We discuss:
It is often useful to work on task-related conflicts as a precursor to working on relationship-based conflicts.
There are cross-national cultural differences in how humans deal with conflict. As a mediator, it is important to first build relationship, to inquire what makes for a good conversation for the person, and how to structure the conflict mediation process
There are also gendered dimensions to conflict expression and management. Society tends to ascribe the term ‘aggressive’ to women (negative framing), for instance, when they engage in conflict, while men tend to be labeled as ‘assertive’ in the same context (positive or neutral framing)
One way of minimizing interpersonal conflicts within organizations is to clarify expectations, styles, and preferences. Similarly, to clarify goals and parameters, and how to do the work.
Also, to agree to tackle breakdowns in relationships by agreeing upfront how difficulties will be raised, and to work through the Corentus ‘6 question framework’ for dealing with breakdowns.
Nathalie is among others an ombuds. This is an originally Swedish term that literally means: ‘representative of the people’, and is an independent, neutral person to whom staff in an organization can go for confidential advice, feedback on policy, procedure, or when they seek accommodation. Ombuds are independent from HR and can offer mediation, and raise sensitive issues such as harassment and performance issues with those in authority.
The apparent rise in intra-organizational strife in civil society organisations is an extension of the external polarization in society: a tendency to think in terms of ‘one true way’ instead of accepting there are many different ways
Quotes:
“In the nonprofit sphere, people tend to be expected to be ‘so nice’; this makes it harder to exert accountability, and to say what needs to be said”
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067. DEI trends in US development agencies, by the numbers – Shiro Gnanaselvam @ Social Impact
12 Jan 2024
01:02:09
Summary
What is the state of DEI in US-founded international development organisations (both for-profit and nonprofit), and how has this state changed since 2021?
What has been the action, as compared to the professed intentions for action?
CEO of Social Impact, a US-based mid-size consulting company that offers MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) services to the international development sector
Former EVP and COO of Social Impact
COO of AfriCare, largest and oldest African-American founded international NGO focused exclusively on the continent of Africa.
Senior Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Millenium Challenge Corporation
We discuss:
Racial and ethnic minorities remain under-represented in positions of power
The global development sector remains predominantly white and female, including at the top
Disability reporting shows signs of greater awareness
Organizations have invested in establishing governance structures for DEI: policies, strategies and staff with dedicated responsibilities as well as collective staff bodies (DEI councils etc.)There are modest improvements in how diversity data are captured
Commitment to DEI remains, but competing priorities and resource limitations are a severe impediment to progress
There are tensions between global DEO, localization and domestic DEI that need to be resolved – but also many points of similarity
067. Life after leadership: Sam Worthington, former President and CEO @ InterAction
07 Dec 2023
00:49:52
Summary
What is life after leadership like?
What happens to you as a person when you leave a high-powered, highly visible role in civil society?
What happens with your sense of identity? Does this also perhaps touch on ego as well?
What offers new meaning and purpose, when we live our life-after-leadership?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Sam Worthington, former President and CEO at InterAction, who stepped down from a position with much positional as well as symbolic power just about a year ago.
Sam’s Bio:
Executive coach, board member and advocate
Former President and CEO of InterAction – 16 years
Former President and CEO of Plan International USA
Executive Director at Delphi International
We discuss:
In the months before you leave your leadership job, expect that the extent to which your colleagues still want you to make decisions on important things will rapidly decline
In Sam’s case, the sense of loss that was involved was not about loss of power (since he’d experienced positional power for a few decades), but was about loss of the comradery that former colleagues and peers used to provide
You can partially fill this void by offering (informal) coaching to new incoming CEOs for instance.
Life after leadership does mean you can move more from doing to being; you can be more present now
Sometimes leaders, once they retire, still are called to speak in global gatherings based on their reputation, their personal brand
Our knowledge which we can still contribute now is the synthesized wisdom of decades of experience
Sam is writing a book to look back on everything he learned, his views on the sector, and what gives him hope -- follow him on LinkedIn to stay tuned!
Quotes:
“The transition is about having been the village chief before; now, I am no longer in the village”
066. How to navigate the big scaling quandary: Amy Ragsdale @ Spring Impact
26 Nov 2023
00:47:30
Summary
What is scaling? And how is it different from growing?
What’s the role of partner strategies or multiplier strategies in scaling?
What are the implications of scaling in an era of decolonizing aid, localizing development, and shifting roles of nonprofits and NGOs, shifting power, authority and decision rights?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Amy Ragsdale, Director at Spring Impact, a consulting, coaching and training agency specializing in scaling strategiesfor mission-focused organizations, on how to navigate the big scaling quandary.
Amy’s Bio:
Director at Spring Impact
Senior Consultant at Capgemini Consulting
Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
We discuss:
Spring Impact offers coaching, consulting services, and training for mission-focused organizations keen to scale their impact
Growing the size of an organization or solution means increasing its revenue and/or impact at the same rate as adding resources to an organization. Scaling means you are impacting a societal problem at a larger scale, by increasing impact exponentially, while adding resources incrementally
Central questions to ask: 1/ What are we scaling?; 2/ Where are we scaling?; 3/ Who will do the scaling? Who are the ‘doers’? Who are the ‘payers’?
The following attributes of the organizational culture of social mission organizations act as enablers for scaling success: 1/openness to failure; 2/ an ability to hold our hypothesis on what works lightly; 3/ a realization that invention is not the same as innovation!
The following leadership mindsets are enablers as well: 1/ clarity whether your org is pursuing growth or impact; 2/ staying committed to the problem (NOT the solution); 3/ being collaborative by default
Financial sustainability models underpinning scaling strategies: examples can be government funding; earned income revenue; fee for service; advertising - and more
Quotes:
“Scaling is not the same as growing. The two are often confused. ”
“Invention is not the same as innovation! (the latter involves testing and learning)”
065. How you should transition into a new role as a leader: Adama Coulibaly @ Oxfam
13 Nov 2023
00:52:31
Summary
What are the vital steps a senior leader have to take as they step into a new leadership role? What to do and what to expect when you are transitioning into that new role?
And, separately, to what extent are African leadership models and frameworks different from global North ones? Most importantly, what could global North imprinted leadership models learn from African ones?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Adama Coulibaly, Global Programs Director at Oxfam, on both these topics. He is a very experienced NGO leader, a coach, and an eloquent thinker and author on all things leadership. And he just transitioned into his new role at Oxfam, so he is here to speak from experience!
Adama’s Bio:
A seasoned leader with nearly 30 years of experience in international development and humanitarian aid
Global Programs Director, Oxfam International; earlier in his career he was also a Regional Director at Oxfam
Leadership positions as Country Director at the International Rescue Committee, Regional Director at Plan International, and Principal Adviser at UNICEF
Certified Transformational coach, and somebody who labels himself a 'positive thinker'
We discuss:
His advice to leaders who are transitioning into an organization, based on his own experience
What differentiates African takes on leadership models and frameworks, as distinct from global North imprinted models?
Adama Coulibaly (nickname ‘Coul’) considers himself a born positive thinker; he learned this behavior in his youth while facing very difficult circumstances in his home country Mali
As an adult, he learned about the field of positive thinking; and that positive thinking is good for your physical and mental health
Coul’s advice, in a nut shell, on how to transition into a new senior leadership position:
Give yourself at least 2, if not 4 weeks between two jobs
Use your break time to learn as much about your new organization as you can
Communicate healthy boundaries immediately, otherwise, you will pay a stiff price
Build on what works; don’t feel the need to change everything or most things
Prioritize external engagement, insist on it, and commit to external engagements so that your calendar time for this is protected
On African models of leadership: they tend to focus on the collective nature of people: the person in the context of their community (see for instance the Ubuntu model)
Quotes:
“Positive thinking is not about utopia: I call myself a realistic positive thinker. There are a lot of negative things in the world. It is about how we balance negative and positive things”
“If you have a weak transitioning period, you set yourself up for failure”
“As soon as you enter the door, you have to problem solve, there is no honeymoon for senior leaders”
Currently the Senior Adviser for Equalities and Inclusion at Oxfam
Brings HR, culture, and EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) experience, with practical experience in understanding power in relation to EDI and organizational ways of working
Led on HR issues in Oxfam, and has been a Talent Advisor at UNICEF
MSC in applied positive coaching psychology
Alex’s Bio:
Independent consultant, advising boards and executives on ethics and integrity risks and related decision-making frameworks
Former head of Ethics and Compliance, Oxfam Great Britain
Former head of Corporate Responsibility, Oxfam
Former ethical trade project manager, The Body Shop
We discuss:
The Power & Integrity Initiative is focused on UK-specific agencies; it aims to complement, but not overlap, with other ongoing activities, such as the RINGO project, Pledge4Change, #ShiftThePower etc.
Concrete examples of measures and policy areas related to organizational integrity: safeguarding, anti-racism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), environmental sustainability practices, anti-corruption
How is power perceived in general? And in our sector?
How can integrity be understood more holistically, going beyond the classical interpretation of ethics, to look at people's behavior and organizational behavior in relationship to each other?
The initiative just went through several Labs to pilot getting to a shared understanding of what power is (not easy!); their write-up on what was learned will be published in late 2023
Positive power as a concept comes out of the thinking on transformative power, led by Srilatha Batliwala and others at CREA. It also builds on notions of power with, power within, power for and not just power over (hierarchical or positional or coercive power)
Even if power is used with good intention by (in)formal leaders in our sector, whether we like it or not, the impact of white-normed organizational systems and processes is not neutral
063. Decolonizing think tanks, policy research organizations and consulting agencies: Ajoy Datta
06 Oct 2023
00:58:31
Summary
How can the feelings of people who work in organizations both facilitate and suppress change?
What makes people attach reputation and credibility to another person? And how does this relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and these may work out in practice?
What's the problem with think tanks from the perspective of a decolonization goal, and what has been the problem historically?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Ajoy Datta, consultant, policy researcher, and coach, on decolonizing think tanks, policy research organizations, and consulting agencies.
Ajoy’s Bio:
Independent consultant
Over 20 years of experience in the global development and humanitarian sector
Supports leaders, teams, organizations, and networks to collaborate, perform better, learn, innovate, and change
Performs designing, monitoring, and evaluating work to engage with and influence policy and practice as well as strengthen decision-making systems
Worked 12 years at the Overseas Development Institute (DI)'s research and policy unit
Worked 3 years at the On Think Tanks (OTT) consulting group
Started at VSO, the British volunteer agency, in Zambia
We discuss:
The useful role of psychodynamics in organizational development: what goes on in our minds, consciously and unconsciously, while working in organizations. Some of these feelings are suppressed and below the surface
Decolonizing organizations means that we aim to do away with hundreds of years of Western, global North power, such as philosophical underpinnings, concepts, frameworks, assumptions, knowledge systems, and leadership profiles.
When organizations recruit people who are dissimilar in demographic or experiential profile from those that were thus far considered the 'norm', the 'default' -- if their organizational culture, expectations towards staff, and org systems don’t adapt to these new profiles, tension will be the result. These people will be at higher risk of either leaving or being ‘spit out’
The phenomenon of the glass cliff: when people with demographic profiles different from what was the norm thus far are recruited to high-risk leadership positions, and then fail.
What to do about all of this? 1/ Name and acknowledge what is happening. If we fear talking about it, it will never be addressed; 2/ “decriminalize bias"; 3/ create a safe container for discussion; 4/ communicate externally but also internally
062. Nonprofit operations CAN be a driver of transformation: Kim Kucinskas @ Humentum
24 Sep 2023
00:50:56
Summary
How should we think about the ‘collective journey to equitable development’ of Northern-founded NGOs, national NGOs and their funders?
What obstacles stand in the way of continuing on that journey?
Why does Humentum argue that NGO operating models need to enable ERA (Equitable, Resilient, and Accountable) development, and how does that need to come about?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Kim Kucinskas, Director for Community Strategy at Humentum, on nonprofit operations as a driver of transformation.
Kim’s Bio:
Director, Community Strategy, Humentum
Director, Member Engagement and Services, Huentum
Several other roles in Humentum since 2012
Worked in Namibia on issues related to local epidemics
Fundraising role at the International Institute for Cooperation and Development
We discuss:
The pressure is building for significant change in the northern INGO sector; it’s coming from all frontiers
There is actual strategic power in the operations model; if we change it in a significant way, big change happens in the power distribution between northern INGOs, funders, and national NGOs
Humentum argues this in their new 3-part series of reports on ERA: how to move to an Equitable (E), Resilient (R) and Accountable (A) development sector
But this will only happen if northern INGOs, funders, and national NGOs make significant changes in their institutional architecture, people and culture, funding, and risk frameworks
Institutional Architecture is one of Humentum's main building blocks towards ERA: within this, organizations have to have sufficient autonomy for the sector to be able to be equitable, resilient, and accountable
People and Culture: who is recruited, and works where; a shift in the ‘headquarters’ concept from one that is location-based to role-based; where staff receive fair and equitable compensation, etc.
Funding: the islands of innovation that are happening in various places need to become ‘mainland’
Accountability, with a focus on risk management: within this, a shift from risk transfer to risk sharing is required
Be mindful: the way in which the process of #shiftthepower is happening is actually reflective of the very ways in which power is still being held right now.
Quotes:
“There is strategic value and potential in operations; not as “back-office functions” but as drivers of transformation”
“We are at a tipping point in terms of significant NGO sector change”
Click here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.
Or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportunities.
You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels:
061. Between high profile civic disobedience and building broad public support: A youth activist
21 Jul 2023
00:36:53
Summary
How does a climate change activist movement such as Extinction Rebellion (XR) chose among strategies and tactics on the spectrum between more 'radical' actions such as civic agitation, (nonviolent) disobedience, high-profile stunts that may lead to arrests and more 'mainstream' actions that may (or may not?) help them build a more broad public base?
How does Extinction Rebellion (XR) see the distinction between insider and outsider strategies in climate change activism?
Is it necessarily the case that 'radical 'activism by nature is cyclical, i.e. that it cannot be maintained on a long-term basis because of the intensity of this activism model?
And how does Extinction Rebellion deal with internal as well as external equity dimensions of the fact that low-income people and/or those who face discrimination tend to get hit harder by the impacts of climate change?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview a youth activist in the Netherlands (my original home country), on how she sees Extinction Rebellion tackle all these choices and trade-offs.
Bio of the youth activist X:
Student at Erasmus University College, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Involved for the last year, 4-5 hours/week
We discuss:
How climate change fights and climate justice issues need to be interlinked to both benefit from sustained civic action
The nature of the three global XR demands: 1/ Tell the Truth; /2. Act Now; 3/ Decide together
How environmental activism in the global south has a history of white elite-level advantage, how it rightfully has been critiqued for suffering from white elitism and how it is now trying to overcome this by focusing on embracing everybody’s contribution and being expressly inclusive
Climate change requires both civil disobedience and broad public support. Collaboration between social movements such as Extinction Rebellion (XR) and formally registered NGOs is therefore important
Groups like Greenpeace are better than XR at drawing in the media, examples such as the Netherlands NGO Milieu Defensie (Environmental Defense) are good in online petitioning, while movements like XR are good in mass mobilization. They need to complement each other
The sustainability of engagement in XR-type activism, with its typical peak-type activities, fairly time-intensive forms of self-organization and democratic decision making styles may be challenged; XR expressly tries to compensate for this through encouraging collective self-care
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Or email Tosca attosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organizational needs, challenges, and opportunities.
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060. Should climate activists pivot their campaigning strategies from agitation to broadening public support? Aseem Prakash
21 Jul 2023
00:42:40
Summary
Environmental activism, environmental justice and equity concerns: what, if anything, is challenging about holding all of these three concerns at the same time?
Can a better integration or balance be achieved between these 3 concerns?
To what extent is radical activism cyclical in nature because it is hard to keep activists motivated for peak public mobilization moments?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Aseem Prakash, Professor of Political Science and Founding Director at the Center on Environmental Politics at the University of Washington, Seattle (USA) on climate change activism by nonprofits and social movements. Aseem does much of his research together with Nives Dolsak, also a Professor at the University of Washington.
Aseem’s Bio:
Professor of Political Science; Walker Family Professor; Director, Center for Environmental Politics at the University of Washington, Seattle
Former Assistant Professor in Strategic Management and Public Policy at the George Washington University in Washington DC
Obtained his Ph.D. at the Dept of Political Science and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University
MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India
Nives’ Bio:
Nives Dolsak is Professor in Sustainability Science and Director of the School of Marine & Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA
Visiting professor at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
We discuss:
Is environmental activism still guilty of white elitism? To what extent is a concern for environmental degradation, including climate change, still primarily a concern for citizens only once their material needs are met? Is the focus on environmental justice making a difference in this regard?
There are few climate deniers anymore – even in the US: it is more a conflict over what instruments or ways of fighting climate change to use, not a conflict anymore over the goals themselves. Who carries most of the burden of energy policy implications coming out of climate change mitigation needs? Who loses and who wins across rural/urban areas, class, and race? Who pays for the costs of mitigation, and who gets the benefits? These are equity concerns
Climate change contention and the surge of populism across the world are closely linked since class and location or place (rural vs. urban concerns) are intertwined
What are the merits of outsider strategies – a la Extinction Rebellion and Sunrise Movement vis-a-vis insider strategies (Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace (partially) etc.?
‘Radical’, disruptive activism can have several benefits while it can also antagonize or turn away broader publics (see the radical flank argument)
Museum vandalism to draw attention to the climate crisis is primarily a European tactic and surged in 2022; it seems to have died down so far in 2023.
Academic article on climate change activism motivated museum vandalism (open access!): https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-023-00054-5
Example of a article by Aseem and Nivek for broader audiences: HERE
Their article on South Africa and coal:
059. Potential and peril when NGOs aspire to use a network structure: Doris Bäsler, formerly @ Oxfam
24 Jun 2023
00:48:23
Summary
What are the strengths of a confederated nonprofit organizational structure and what are its inherent weaknesses and limitations?
What is a ‘diversified network’ type of organizational structure?
To what extent does having a confederated organizational structure, as well as the aspiration to be a diversified network, Impact the nature, legitimacy, adaptability, and quality of decision-making?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Doris Bäsler, formerly Oxfam, on the potential and peril when NGOs aspire to use a network structure
Doris’ Bio:
Right now, Doris is resting, learning, and volunteering in Berlin, Germany
Former Director for Strategy & Feminist Futures and Strategy & Confederation Development at Oxfam International
Former Director for Organisational Development services at Transparency International, as well as head of capacity services
Worked at Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
Former Head of office as well as other roles at the country level for the International Committee for the Red Cross
We discuss:
The path by which Oxfam chose a confederated organizational structure
The differences between federated, confederated and corporate unitary structures, and the strengths as well as challenges of confederated structures – and how it is all about places on a spectrum
How Oxfam got stuck for a while in discussing the choice of a federated versus confederated model – and how the aspiration of a ‘diversified network’ came up
A diversified network implies that there is diversification of voice: not just global South members, but also non-Christian affiliates, greater recognition of the primacy of Africa within Oxfam, diversification of affiliate business models, etc
How Oxfam tried to prevent the creation of a lot of “mini me’s”
The implications for internal systems of decision making, valuing of different forms of knowledge, assets etc
Quality Decision making can be challenging in a diversified network like Oxfam, but if the values and the ‘why’ and purpose are clear, this helps
Quotes:
“Complexity of organizational structure is not inherently negative, if you understand it”
“Being a diversified network is an imperative, not a nice to have in a world within which power is clearly shifting”
Click here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.
Or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportunities.
You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels:
076. Trends in Direct Fundraising: Keeping It Real With Erica Waasdorp
15 Jun 2024
00:57:20
Summary
What constitutes a culture of philanthropy within nonprofits and NGOs? It's a term easily bandied around, but how do I see when it's in place?
How has the field of direct giving by small donors, and monthly giving as one donor practice in particular changed in the last 10-20 years?
Are there hurdles to be overcome in persuading donors to adopt monthly giving?
Finally, there is a lot of discussion about the need for a shift towards ethical storytelling, with local program participants in the driver's seat, and while focusing on the local person's agency. The raison d'etre for this is clear; however, is this aligned with what motivates donors (at least in traditional fundraising 'markets') to give?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Erica Waasdorp, President of A Direct Solution, a consulting agency with expertise in direct giving and monthly giving, on trends in direct fundraising.
Erica's Bio:
Author and Speaker, and a Master Trainer affiliated with the Association for Fundraising Professionals
Expertise in Direct Marketing, Monthly Giving, International Fundraising
US Ambassador for the International Fundraising Congress (IFC)
Before launching A Direct Solution, she held several consulting, coaching and direct marketing roles in various consulting agencies, nonprofits, and in the publishing industry.
We discuss - particularly with regard to the US donor arena:
Online donations have blossomed since 2011, to the point where people now have access to many online payment platforms, donation-by-text, etc.
Religious people are more generous than non-religious people; and so are low to mid-income people (in relative terms, as a proportion of their income), as compared to wealthy people
Monthly giving is an important strategy to underpin financial sustainability since it guarantees nonprofits potentially significant levels of dependable unrestricted revenue; this in turn allows the agency to do long-term planning.
In the short term, when setting up monthly giving as one avenue, it is more capacity and resource-intensive for an agency
Monthly giving as one donation strategy has been around for decades, but many nonprofits have only started focusing on it in a serious way in the last 10 or so years
There is some tension between the NGO sector’s aspired direction of ethical, authentic storytelling – what Erica calls ‘the complete story’ --, that starts from a program participant’s strengths and assets and the opportunities they have rather than from a deficit perspective, and the need of donors to feel that they contribute to a clear need. This tension is not yet fully acknowledged.
Intermediary nonprofit ranking and rating sites (e.g. Guidestar, Charity Navigator, Give Well, etc in a US context) fulfill a donor’s felt need for transparency and the ability to trust an agency, but such data is unlikely to shape donation behavior of new donors in a major way.
Child sponsorships are likely to continue as a vehicle for fundraising, but at a lower level than before. Many nonprofits’ donor pools are aging (a lot), and this will remain the case till current day Millenials and subsequent generations age themselves.
058. Can civil society get better at anticipating futures? Heather Hutchings, Danny Vannucchi and the International CS Centre
10 Jun 2023
00:46:32
Summary
What is the difference between forecasting and foresight, as a skill and an area of work?
What are the pitfalls when international civil society organizations (ICSOs) apply crisis frameworks to trends that are actually longer-term, intersecting, and systemic?
Decolonization and diversity: how are these big current discussions and areas for taking action intersecting with what sometimes is called 'anticipatory capacity': the capacity to anticipate futures and know how to act in order to try to influence them?
ICSC's mission is to strengthen the impact and resilience of international civil society organizations to support people to change their world for the better. The Centre does this by convening civil society actors, offering training, research and other activities.
The Centre is planning further work on civil society's anticipatory capacity and is keen to get in touch with potential partners. Email Miriam Niehaus at ICSC: mniehaus@icscentre.org
Former senior Advisor, Conflict and Organizational Development at Amnesty International
Danny’s Bio:
Senior Strategy & Human Rights Consultant
Senior Strategic Facilitator at GRID Impact
Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
Former director of Global Strategy & Impact at Amnesty International
We discuss:
Foresight and forecasting are two different concepts, yet they easily get misunderstood in civil society (CS): forecasting is about the mitigation of risk and is a more pragmatic concern. Foresight is about imagining different futures, shaping visions of the future, and forging strategies to shape the future that emerges. To be ahead of trends, in other words.
Crises can keep civil society in a ‘defensive crouch’, in a reactive mode. Crisis management mode is a well-honed capacity in civil society, but we do not focus enough on the trends underlying those crises.
Due to a lack of anticipatory capacity within civil society, we miss opportunities to make use of or shape longer-term trends
CS has sufficient awareness of macro trends, but we fail to make this knowledge actionable; what are the reasons do decision-makers not act on the data on trends that is offered to them?
Future scanning is actually often primarily about good strategy
Civil society collectively can improve its anticipatory capacity by pooling resources
Quotes:
“How to not sit at the table laid out by others, but rather, invite others to sit at your own table – that is the challenge”
“Crisis response is an important part of NGOS’ public relations
057. From transnational advocacy networks to transscalar activism: Beth Bloodgood & Chris Pallas
21 May 2023
00:44:16
Summary
What is ‘transscalar activism’ in a nutshell? And how is it different from what academics call the 'Boomerang' model of international advocacy NGO networks?
When did international NGO advocacy begin attracting the attention of academics, and why? What had shifted at that point, what had changed?
What was the dominant narrative in academia for a long time? And what was wrong with that?
Associate Professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Lecturer in non-state actors at the University of Pennsylvania, USA
Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College, USA
Christopher’s Bio:
Professor of Conflict Management at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Kennesaw University in Georgia, USA
His research focuses on nongovernmental organizations and their role in international policymaking and development
We discuss:
Chris and Beth argue that how we think about advocacy strategies in relation to the roles and practices of global North and global south founded NGOs is well overdue for an update
The argument they make in their 2022 book ‘Beyond the Boomerang: From Transnational Advocacy Networks to Transscalar Advoacy’ is linked to hot topics of today, such as decolonizing aid, and a shift in power and agency between global South-founded and global North-founded NGOs – a shift that Beth and Chris argue has already been well on its way for 10+ year.
The era of the so-called ‘boomerang effect’ model in global advocacy -- in which national-level global South-founded NGOs would link up to global North-founded NGOs on advocacy causes when they did not find their government to be responsive -- that era is over
Their argument as expressed in the book implies changes in what are legitimate, needed roles for global North-founded NGOs into the future.
National NGOs in the global South now choose at what scale to operate (thus the term ‘transscalar activism’) – whether local, national, regional or global -- and these days ally with Southern CSOs as much as with global North-founded NGOs
This also means that we should expect to see that global South-founded NGOs will feel less obliged to engage in marketing and reframing of their local causes in order to get international partners or global-North based media on their side.
056. Philanthropy that’s less colonial in mindset and practices: John Hecklinger @ Global Fund for Children
08 May 2023
00:50:27
Summary
What’s problematic about philanthropy in the ways the sector has practiced it for many decades?
Are there limits to trust-based philanthropy?
How do boards of grant-making philanthropies such as the Global Fund for Children have to change their composition, mindset, and oversight practices to lessen a compliance and upward accountability lens and to make themselves more responsive to actual needs?
Co-Chair, Alliance for International Youth Development
Chief Program Officer, Global Giving
Business development director, Global Giving
Director of Data Acquisition in the private sector
Peacecorp volunteer (US volunteering program)
We discuss:
Global Fund for Children acts as an intermediary in on-granting philanthropic resources from family and corporate foundations to child and youth-focused, local civil society organizations. It also facilitates peer cohort capacity strengthening among grantee partners
What John learned from working at Global Giving in terms of its innovative role in introducing crowdfunding to the nonprofit and citizen-giving sector
The risks when well-intentioned philanthropic organizations reinforce a mindset of compliance and upward accountability
GFC stimulates homegrown philanthropy because communities have assets that can be leveraged
How GFC’s board had to evolve in composition, mindset and practices composition to be liberated from simply approving ‘pre-baked’ dockets of prepared projects and to move to an approach that allowed GFC to become more flexible and responsive to needs
What does the future of philanthropy look like, beyond grantmaking, when on-granting organizations such as GFC have taken themselves out of the picture?
Quotes:
“Everyone was getting smarter together once the board composition became more representative of the grantee partners it worked with”
055. Digital advocacy NGOs: a necessary, complementary force: Nina Hall
26 Apr 2023
00:49:11
Summary
What are the characteristics of 'digitally native' campaigning organizations?
How do digital NGO campaigning organizations compare and contrast with traditional, 'brick and mortar' NGOs?
Do digitally native civil society organizations and traditional NGOs sufficiently seek to complement each other, in order to maximize impact? I don't think they do.
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Nina Hall, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University, on my episode 'Digital advocacy NGOs: a necessary, complementary force'.
Nina’s Bio:
Associate Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, Europe
Nina's research explores the role of transnational advocacy and international organizations in international relations
Published research on advocacy organizations and multilateral institutions
Author of the recent book Transnational Advocacy in the Digital Era, Think Global, Act Local (Oxford University Press, 2022)
DPhil (Ph.D.) in International Relations from the University of Oxford
We discuss:
Nina studies progressive national digital advocacy and other digital campaigning organizations
Digital advocacy organizations use digital campaigning tactics such as online petitioning, combined with offline tactics such as street mobilization, offline meetings with campaign targets, etc.
Digital advocacy organizations are less likely to work on issues that are less broadly popular, such as minority rights issues
Nina pushes back on the use of the word ‘platform’ for digital advocacy organizations since the actors she studies have actual HQs, paid staff, etc.
The kind of digital advocacy organizations that Nina studies have most potential to be effective in more or less democratic societies, where they are in a position to pressure elected or appointed decision-makers
The profile of most ‘members’ (i.e. supporters) of digital advocacy organizations is that of middle-class, educated, urban citizens with adequate internet access
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this type of digital advocacy organization, as compared to those of traditional NGOs?
What's the difference between staff-stewarding campaigning approaches versus member-driven approaches?
INGOs have been rocked by scandals and allegations of abuse of power, discrimination etc. in the last 5-10 years.
What kind of different types of scandals can we distinguish in our sector?
Which factors that affect nonprofit scandals remain understudied?
What's the distinction between integrity violations and competency violations? And should we be getting more concerned as a sector about the latter
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Cassandra Chapman, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Queensland, Australia, on causes, consequences, and prevention and recovery strategies for NGO scandals.
Cassandra’s Bio:
Associate Professor in Marketing at the Business School of the University of Queensland
Associate Editor at Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
Former practitioner - Supporter Development Manager as well as Fundraising & Communications Manager at ChildFund, New Zealand
We discuss:
If the consequences of transgressions by nonprofits are directly relevant to the mission of nonprofits, then they are being punished harsher by the public and the media
Scandal consequences go up, if the nonprofit is perceived to be inactive afterward, or tries to cover it up
‘Expectancy violations’ happen when nonprofits engage in ethical transgressions because nonprofits are perceived to be/are expected to be ‘good’
Researchers should examine more on whether sector-level actions by nonprofit apex or peak bodies engage in apology, acknowledgment, and reparative actions
Persons who feel morally credentialled by working in nonprofits are actually more likely to transgress
Quotes:
“My mission as an academic is to create usable know-how for practitioners”
“People assume that there is a crisis in trust in charities; instead, actually, trust in charities has continued a little bit in charities over time”
053. Change is not a project: Hazem Fahmy on CARE Egypt’s Country Office transition towards full membership
19 Mar 2023
00:51:27
Summary
A number of NGOs have aimed to strengthen their global legitimacy by adding more global South members/affiliates. Is this truly a valuable strategy? Does it help with legitimacy to be more 'globally balanced'? What are the hard lessons learned about how to manage this process? And how do local civil society as well as government respond?
Hazem Fahmy, the CEO of the CARE Egypt Foundation and former Country Director of CARE USA-line managed Egypt Country Office, is an excellent source of wisdom on all of this. He, together with his senior leadership and with other 'change champions' in his broader team and in CARE globally, shepherded CARE Egypt's transition into full membership.
What does Hazem consider the most interesting or rewarding about the ‘art and science’ of change leadership?
Equally, what is the most difficult or frustrating about this experience with change management and leadership?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Hazem Fahmy, CEO of CARE Egypt Foundation, on CARE Egypt’s Country Office transition towards full membership.
Hazem’s Bio:
CEO of the CARE Egypt Foundation
Country Director for CARE Egypt Country Office
Worked at CARE Egypt for 19 years
PhD from New Mexico University in Water Resources
We discuss:
CARE USA had overseen the CARE Egypt Country Office for almost 60 years before it transitioned to full CARE membership (with a voice in global governance)
These kinds of transformations should not be seen as a project but as a change journey
The addition of global South members to CARE’s confederation means that new topics have been introduced within CARE: it has changed the organization’s discourse on what matters
How the new global South members demanded that global North members too should live up to the same standards that are expected of them
Organizational change processes like this always take longer than expected, but that is acceptable– it's about living up to the intention of change, not about project deadlines
Hazem finds it rewarding to hear people who used to be doubtful about this strategic direction now applaud what has been achieved
One cannot be overfocused on keeping staff comfortable by saying that most things will not change
Egyptian civil society largely accepts the CARE Egypt Foundation as part of its own, while Government has started to involve it more in consultative roundtables - so the transition to full membership has helped with local credibility.
Quotes:
“Change management means navigating a lot of ambiguity, it is a discovery process; change is not a project”
“Don’t leave influential people behind”
“I am not denying there is a privilege in being tied to the CARE mothership”
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052. Influence and power in complex NGOs: leadership insights from John Samuel @ Oxfam
18 Feb 2023
00:46:39
Summary
What is most difficult or challenging about operating as a leader in a place like Oxfam?
What does it take to lead from a political frame in NGOs?
Rational persuasion: is it overrated?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview John Samuel, Oxfam Asia Regional Director on influence and power in complex NGOs. John is an expert on Organizational Development. He is also the founder of Bodhigram, an Indian grassroots social movement,
John’s Bio:
Regional Director of Oxfam Asia
Former President of the Institute for Sustainable Development and Governance
President & CEO of Trancivic International
President of the National Centre for Advocacy Studies
CEO of FORUM-Asia, the Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development
International advisor at UNDP
We discuss:
What John is most excited about in Oxfam at this moment, as well as what can be challenging as a leader in Oxfam
Oxfam is a complex organization, combining multiple DNAs of the respective affiliates, their histories, organizational systems and national cultures - how to navigate this most effectively
What it takes to develop relationships of trust in an organization like Oxfam: negotiation across differences, people, power, and national cultures. Also understanding where people are coming from, rather than using the same measuring scale on all
How integrity, truthfulness, conviction, and principles can bypass or negate internal organizational political dynamics
John's experience is that some people are mission-focused; some are career-driven; and some task-driven; knowing how to recognize these different drivers is helpful.
Quotes:
“Organizations are about people, systems, and power”
“An organization is a living system, it’s organic; an institution, on the other hand, is about systems”
“Humans are fundamentally relational, so you lead through people and relationships”
“Leadership is about communication acts, through language”
“Power is not what you have but what you are perceived to have” (Saul Lewinsky)
051. Charity Navigator's changing expectations and its impacts on US nonprofit behaviors: Michael Thatcher, Charity Navigator's CEO
03 Feb 2023
00:50:56
Charity Navigator is a free online resource for US-based donors, an intermediary rating agency with 11 million unique users per year. It currently rates just about 200.000 US-registered nonprofits, both domestic and internationally operating ones, and is quite influential in driving the behavior of donors and, indirectly, of nonprofits that are rated on the platform.
Charity Navigator has changed the indicators with which it rates nonprofits in significant ways in the past 10 years - and more is to come. High time to have a talk with Michael Thatcher, CEO of Charity Navigator, about what they are up to!
Summary
Who pays for generating the data that nonprofits need, and who should pay?
What about the idea that some or all nonprofit outcomes are fundamentally immeasurable or have unmeasurable components?
How could the US government IRS 990 forms that nonprofits have to submit to the US Treasury Service be improved to provide better data on activities and actual results?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Michael Thatcher, President & CEO at Charity Navigator, on his organization’s changing expectations of nonprofits, and how this impacts US nonprofit behaviors.
Michael’s Bio:
President & CEO of Charity Navigator
Board member of Giving Gap and Keystone Accountability
Chief of Technology for Asia, Middle East, and Africa at Microsoft
We discuss:
Charity Navigator purposively does not charge donors or nonprofits to use its platform.
Charity Navigator’s methodology has changed substantively since its inception – and in ways that at least partially respond to the widespread criticism that had been lobbed at the agency by nonprofit leaders, analysts, and funders. One of many criticisms had been that CN reinforced the 'overhead myth' and thereby indirectly harmed the nonprofit sector.
There is an interesting tension that CN has to hold between being largely publically funded (through average donations of $45 per person, annually) and offering just enough – but not too much – information to the average user of Charity Navigator's platform
Which non-US countries are considering starting an intermediary rating agency similar to CN, and how are they going about it?
050. Innovation in social change organizations: shepherds or adopters? Emma Proud
13 Jan 2023
00:38:10
Summary
Welcome to our 50th podcast episode!
In this episode, we continue to zero in on what it takes to adopt and shepherd innovation through social change organizations. I interview Emma Proud, head of Learning and Adapting at Brink, an agency that coaches and consults on behavioral innovation approaches.
Emma’s Bio:
Head of Learning and Adapting at Brink
Former Director of Organizational Agility at MercyCorps
Director for Center for Adaptive Management at MercyCorps
Emma played other roles at MercyCorps, as well as at Save the Children and in private-sector consulting as well
We discuss:
Leadership mindsets Emma observes in social change organizations that act as an obstacle when it comes to creating innovation-friendly climates:
overconfidence
low-risk appetite
getting distracted by the 'halo effect' of the new or the 'shiny'
difficulty in killing your 'darling innovation projects' ( sunk costs phenomena also plays a role in this); in other words, difficulty with stopping
when considering the risks attached to innovation, not thinking through the risk of doing nothing as well
It is helpful to move clients to an innovation portfolio approach (groups of innovation), accompanied by the development of criteria before you intervene in innovations;
The importance of aligning innovations with the organization's strategic priorities
Innovation 'shepherds' are different from those that need to be concerned with the adoption of innovation – the former are more organizational change managers
Quotes
“Innovation is about better, not necessarily about new” (Ann Mei Chang, author of Lean Impact)”
049. Women and positional power in faith based NGOs: Martha Holley Newsome @ Medical Teams Int.
13 Dec 2022
01:32:42
Summary
What are the strengths of faith-based organizations that secular NGOs may have reason to covet?
On the other hand, what weaknesses or potential blind spots may faith-based organizations face?
And is there anything specific, or ‘typical’ about being a woman top leader in a faith-based NGO?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Martha Holley Newsome, President & CEO of Medical Teams International, and we talk among others about women and positional power in faith-based NGOs, and why, based on anecdotal data, they seem to be underrepresented as compared to secular organizations.
Martha’s Bio:
President and CEO, Medical Teams International
19 years at World Vision International (Vice President, Sr. Director and head of the Africa Region’s HIV/AIDs division, National Director, and more)
Degree in Public Health from John Hopkins University
We discuss:
Medical Teams International is a small to mid-size Christian health and humanitarian aid NGOs, working in the US as well as in 7 countries. In the US, it offers a large dental aid program as well as wrap-around medical and social service care programs for underserved populations such as the elderly, houseless people, and veterans. Outside the US, Medical Teams focuses on long-term refugee and displaced people’s medical care needs, primary care improvements, and health sector reforms
Medical Teams aims to be a "big tent" for its staff and volunteers (as well as the target populations it serves) – and not to be exclusionary based on people's faith traditions
Martha’s own professional journey which ended in senior leadership at World Vision and top leadership at Medical Teams International was heavily influenced by her father’s medical career and his tragic loss of life when Martha was 12 years old
What Martha learned about change management when she was unprepared to lead a large change process at World Vision: the costs of not focusing on building a strong, broad-based change coalition and on the creation of a strong, widely shared sense of urgency for change. As a result, the intended change process petered out
Faith-based NGOs tend to be somewhat behind when it comes to the full inclusion of women in top leadership. Possibly, this is due to unconscious bias, linked to how the religious institutions that these NGOs originate in preach about the role of women during their religious gatherings and services.
Quotes
“Faith-based NGOs can suffer from isolation when they think their vision suffices. This can come with naivete, and insufficient appreciation for professional standards that sector organizations need to uphold”
“Faith-based NGOs come with tremendous assets, through the motivation instilled in staff and volunteers – our vision is our calling”
“Younger and smaller faith-based organizations can have a tendency to come barreling into a country setting...instead of being part of a coordinated approach, with other NGOs”
Medical Teams' Storytelling guide background is HERE (created by a
075. What Happens When a Start-Up Nurtures an Evidence-Based Culture: The Taimaka Project
14 May 2024
01:09:01
Summary
What does the name Taimaka mean?
To what extent are there challenges, as an organization, when you aim for evidence-based decision-making?
What kind of culture is needed to truly live the aspiration of being evidence-based?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Dr. Umar Abubakar and Justin Graham, co-founders and co-directors of The Taimaka Project -- an NGO working in Gombe state, Nigeria, on what happens when a start-up nonprofit wants to nurture an evidence-based culture.
Umar Abubakar's Bio:
Co-founder and director, Taimaka Project, an NGO working on child malnutrition in Gombe state, Nigeria
Medical doctor, Ministry of Health, Nigeria
Umar has degrees in clinical medicine as well as public health
He runs the medical side of Taimaka’s malnutrition program
Umar manages Taimaka’s team of nutrition care specialists, oversees hospital partners, and ensures that patients receive the best possible standard of care
Justin's Bio:
Co-founder and director, Taimaka Project
Worked in the past for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
Former intern at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Justin oversees technology, finance, and innovation at Taimaka
He handles Taimaka’s tech portfolio and manages in-house digital case management database
We discuss:
Taimaka Project is a start-up NGO working on child malnutrition in Gombe state in N-W Nigeria.
Taimaka Project stands out in how much attention it gives to rigorous evaluation of its program treatment methods (in this case with regard to child malnutrition related interventions).
Using this approach entails the following question: what is the most amount of impact we can ‘produce’ or contribute to, per dollar spent?
This can come across as utilitarian to some, and a vigorous discussion about the ethical trade-offs of such an approach is always a good thing
If you want to promote an evidence-based culture, what does this entail? One facet: when you are told you are wrong, whether you are a leader or staff, you should take this personally.
Taimaka regularly collaborates with academics on rigorous program evaluation. What are the ins and outs of working with academics, as a practitioner organization?
Taimaka is also shifting from a start-up into a ramp-up phase and is currently experiencing fast growth. What does this imply for policies, systems, and processes that now need to be built or adapted, and how do we preserve what is precious about the org's culture?
Quotes:
· “We go a layer deeper in our measurement and evaluation”
048. How to kindle innovation in large development agencies: Soren Vester Haldrup @ UNDP
03 Dec 2022
00:47:17
Summary
Do you work in a large NGO or UN agency, and wonder how the heck you are supposed to stimulate innovations in such a sizable, potentially quite bureaucratic organization?
Do you assume that organization size and structure matter when it comes to creating a good climate for innovation?
And is lack of innovation funds as big an issue as we make it out to be?
In this podcast episode, I interview Soren Vester Haldrup, Innovation Fund Manager at UNDP, on how to kindle innovation in large development agencies. Many people associate 'innovative culture' with small start ups, but there is not necessarily a link between the two.
Soren’s Bio:
Innovation Specialist and Fund Manager, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Board Member, Global Integrity
Senior Consultant, Oxford Policy Management
Policy Analyst, UNDP
We discuss:
How and why UNDP's approach to innovation transitioned from a focus on going after small, project-size innovations to a portfolio approach of larger-scale innovations that aim to address system-level challenges and multi-faceted ‘wicked issues’ that only groups of actors can address
Too many innovations are solutions looking for a problem; stay focused on the problem longer!
Perhaps counter-intuitively (at least for me), not all solutions need to be pursued, as scale is not always good for wicked issues. Rather, UNDP uses an innovation funnel model, in which many innovations are expected to fail fast. But getting to that one solution that can be scaled is not always the solution
You need buy-in from leadership at the right time and interest, engagement and encouragement from the grassroots
UNDP uses 'deep demonstrations', instead of scaling. It also aims to create demand for innovations on the side of peers, primary constituents, and funders
A leadership mindset of humility and comfort with uncertainty is not always present across cultures
Human inertia may be present more strongly in large organizations because they’ve been around for a long time. And the number of approvals needed in such organizations is typically significant. On the other hand, in small organizations, groupthink can be more prevalent
Availability of money is an issue, but the flexibility of money is a bigger issue
Innovation is both about small tweaks to existing solutions as well as big breakthroughs to overcome system-wide issues
047. Crisis leadership skills during war: Pact's Alyona Gerasimova in Ukraine
19 Nov 2022
00:47:51
Summary
Leadership in crisis contexts.
Many NGOs regularly work in contexts of crisis, or war. The war in Ukraine was one of those contexts, and it led quite a few NGOs to reallocate programming resources toward the Ukrainian population.
PACT is a US-founded NGO which has worked in Ukraine for many years. In this podcast episode, I took the opportunity to ask Alyona Gerasimova, its Country Director, a number of things related to leadership skills, behaviors and actions in crisis.
What leadership aspects are most important in such circumstances?
How do you maintain your own individual sanity, while trying to keep your team motivated as well as safe?
Does your leadership style vary, depending on what lens you use towards the crisis? There is some research that indicates whether a crisis is expected versus a surprise, or whether there is some time to respond, or not, impacts how leaders respond, who they consult to get to good decision-making, etc.
You are in for a remarkable conversation.
Alyona’s Bio:
Country Director of Pact Ukraine
Independent consultant for Organisation Development/ Organisational Change
Country Director of Holt International Children’s Service
We discuss:
How work can be a coping mechanism when everything else in the context is out of control – but you have to watch out for its downsides
The power of gratitude for the little things when in crisis
The need to switch between short-term, medium-term, and long-term time horizons and perspectives and planning, all the time
In volatile contexts, you need to frequently change your decision-making. This does not necessarily reflect bad decision-making, but just the need to be agile
Personality type-wise, some thrive in crisis; some can switch from a planful to an adaptive style, and some have difficulty functioning or making decisions in crisis
Some opportunities for change, learning and innovation, which organizations learned during crisis are things they may want to hold on to after the crisis is over
Quotes:
“This is more than a crisis, this is a war. War consists of multiple crises”
“Interestingly enough, the humanitarian sector was slow to respond in Ukraine, while the development sector was more agile in switching to humanitarian work”
046. Signaling your financial trustworthiness lowers your NGOs impact by half: George Mitchell and Thad Calabrese
19 Oct 2022
00:45:52
Summary
Did you know....
When nonprofits signal they are financially trustworthy, they actually give up to half of their potential impact.
Why is this "financial trustworthiness signaling behavior” so pervasive, when it has this high a cost?
In this podcast episode, I interview George Mitchell, Professor of Nonprofit Management at Baruch College, City University of New York – and a long-time collaborator, including on our book (Between Power and Irrelevance: the Future of Transnational NGOs’ (Oxford University Press, 2020) -- and Thad Calabrese, Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management at New York University about their provocative new findings.
George’s Bio:
Professor of Nonprofit Management at Baruch College, City University of New York
Director at Center for Nonprofit Strategy and Management
Moynihan Research Fellow at Syracuse University
Independent consultant at InterAction
Ph.D. from Syracuse University
Co-author of our joint book ‘Between Power and Irrelevance: the Future of Transnational NGOs’, together with Hans Peter Schmitz, University of San Diego (Oxford Uni Press, 2020)
Thad’s Bio:
Professor of Public and Nonprofit Financial Management
Assistant professor at Baruch College, earlier on
Ph.D. from New York University
We discuss:
Nonprofits frequently adhere to four financial ‘orthodoxies’ or norms:
Though shall keep your overhead costs minimal
Though shall be financially lean, i.e. not look too profitable, not sit on a large financial or capital reserve
Though shall diversify one’s revenues as much as possible
Though shall avoid taking out debt (in the form of loans, bonds, bank notes) etc to acquire capital for investment
What if these practices, these financial norms, actually reduce your impact as a nonprofit by as much as 50% (in terms of your overall spending levels)?
George and Hans did a large-scale, quantitative study on US-based international and domestic nonprofits that indicated exactly this. Their research findings were picked up by several national US media, given their provocative nature.
Quotes:
“Norm-adhering nonprofits sacrifice about half of their mission impact over a 10-year period compared with norm-busting nonprofits.”
“Forgone mission impact is the hidden cost of trustworthiness”
045. What we as NGO leaders need to do to spur innovation: Dermot O'Gorman @ WWF Australia
06 Oct 2022
00:45:30
Summary
What can we learn from civil society leaders who wish to spur the adoption and implementation of innovations?
How do humans – within organizations, and particularly in NGOs – react to change?
What is the best advice when leading NGOs through innovation, from a senior team leader’s perspective?
Today, I am interviewing Dermot O'Gorman of WWF Australia on the do's can don'ts of NGO leadership when it comes to promoting innovation.
Dermot’s Bio:
Global Leader in Innovation for Sustainable Development
CEO at WWF Australia
Visiting Scholar, Stanford University Digital Civil Society Lab
Board of directors, ACFID, Australian Council for International Development
We discuss:
How can AI help us with our nonprofit core purpose: e.g. in the field of conservation, the monitoring of fish caught/harvested, from the source to the plate of the consumer – to find out whether it was poached or legitimately harvested
High-risk, long-term capital in philanthropy is not sufficiently available, but NGOs also do not ask enough for it. We don’t have the right organizational risk profile in place, but also do not have the organizational systems to execute
One of the most important things leaders can do to spur innovation is to invest in it
CEOs cannot afford to delegate the creation of an innovation-friendly organizational climate to others: they have to be Chief innovators
CEOs have to be able to say transparently: I do not know if this will succeed, we will test and validate, iterate, and work with decision stage gates till we figure it out
Don’t fall victim to ‘shiny’ innovations and their halo effect, or to supersmart single ‘heroes’ that purport to introduce and manage innovation on their own
CEOs among others have to give senior staff protection so that they can focus on 4-6 weeks sprints, and they have to signal to the org that they will manage the risks that come with innovation
The board’s risk appetite matters a great deal as well
Why the removal of old org processes is hard: you need something in place till the new process is in place; and if old processes are linked to values/ideas that staff have an attachment to, this is particularly hard
Quotes:
“We fundamentally underestimate both the upsides and the downsides of innovation”
“As CEO, you cannot delegate innovation to an innovation chief; you need to be around to take away obstacles, indicate the strategic boundaries within which innovations have to fit, etc."
“Don’t let the perception on brand risk – often in the head of one Communications staff member -- be an overblown obstacle”
044. Disability rights: how NGOs go about actually claiming them - Susan Sygall @ Mobility International USA
09 Aug 2022
00:43:55
Summary
Why has it taken so long to mainstream disabled people's concerns, when 15% of the global population has some form of disability?
Has it been helpful to see disability integrated into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) approaches -- or have there been some downsides to this approach?
Are there disadvantages to being perceived as a single-issue organization (i.e. disabled people’s organizations)?
Today, I am interviewing Susan Sygall of Mobility International USA (MIUSA) about how NGOs go about claiming rights for people with physical, mental and cognitive disabilities.
Susan’s Bio:
Co-founder of the Disabled Women's Coalition at the University of California, Berkeley
Co-founder of the non-profit organization Mobility International USA (MIUSA)
Mobility Int. USA (MIUSA) works on disability rights. It does programming with men and women, though its leadership development program WILD (Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability) has a special emphasis on women with a disability and their leadership, given these women's ‘double disadvantage’.
Organizations like MIUSA and others are sometimes indicated as DPOs – Disabled People’s Organizations -- , or OPDs – Organizations for People with Disabilities
MIUSA’s business model is built, among others, on a consulting offering: MIUSA advises ‘mainstream’ NGOs as well as other international development actors on how to integrate disabled people's approaches into their work
One of the focal points of MIUSA’s advisory work with non-disability-focused development actors is to make sure that these organizations do not just have policies on paper, but have integrated disability concerns into actual budgets, by adding 2-3% to the budget to allow for disability accommodations and 5-7% for integrating disabled people into program evaluations
Susan senses that disabled people’s rights finally are getting more fully taken on board; the focus on DEI seems to have helped with this coming to fruition
If funders request as a standard measure that grant applications indicate how disabled people will be incorporated into the programming, this supports mainstreaming in significant ways
One of the aspects common to disabled leaders is that in their biographical background, there often were one or more family members who believed in the capacities of the person and supported them wholeheartedly.
043. How I practice virtual leadership in a complex membership organization - Lysa John @ CIVICUS
04 Aug 2022
00:48:09
Summary
What works in establishing personal relationships and developing trust and bonding in the virtual space, when we as leaders have never met our colleagues face to face?
Some NGO leaders and managers started their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic and led entirely virtually for a long stretch - onboarding, developing personal relationships, bonding, trust development - the whole deal. Lysa John, Secretary General at CIVICUS knows a thing or two about this. So I was really curious how this experience impacted her leadership experience and approaches.
In this NGO Soul + Strategy podcast episode, I interview Lysa about how she practices virtual leadership -- and in a complex membership organization. nonetheless.
CIVICUS, for those who might not know, is one of the preeminent global alliances of civil society organizations and activists dedicated to strengthening civic action and civil society throughout the world.
How to establish personal relationships and bonding and develop a sense of trust in the absence of ever seeing each other face to face? What are the preferred leadership style and behaviors in a virtual setting? And what are the rewarding elements in leading a complex membership organization such as CIVICUS?
Lysa’s Bio:
Secretary General of CIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Global Campaigns Director, Save the Children International
Head of Outreach, UN High-Level Panel on the post-2015 agenda
International Campaign Director, Global Call to Action Against Poverty
And if you too want to excel in virtual and hybrid leadership: Five Oaks Consulting School's online course on Virtual Team Leadership skills may be just right for you!
Upcoming course dates: September 24 - November 5, 2022
042. Feminist leadership: organizational practices to make it real -- Kirthi Jayakumar & Leila Billing
08 Jul 2022
00:39:58
Summary
Today, I am interviewing Kirthi Jayakumar of World Pulse and founder of the Gender Security Project, and Leila Billing, senior advisor on youth, gender, and social movement building on Feminist Leadership. Leila, along with Natalie Brook, runs an open enrollment Feminist Leadership training program (We are Feminist Leaders), and Kirthi is one of its alumni.
As some NGOs and development organizations have embraced, how much of its subversive elements get diluted and cooptated; and how should we think about this? Is there still good being achieved, or is there a real danger here?
Kirthi’s Bio:
Founder of the Gender Security Project
Head of Training at World Pulse
Digital Engagement Manager at Every Woman Treaty
Advisor at Women7
Editor at Cactus Communications
Leila’s Bio:
Senior advisor on gender, youth, and movement building
Co-founder of We Are Feminist Leaders training program
Trustee at Gender and Development Network
Head of Partnership to End Child Marriage
We discuss:
We start from the premise of Srilatha Batliwala's beautiful phrase: "the self as a site of change". Self-reflection and self-awareness have to be at the start. But that is not enough.
We also have to put in place concrete organizational practices that embody feminist leadership, such as:
Normalization of a focus on staff/volunteer well-being and care – instead of on productivity and numbers
Organizations with zero deadlines and where people co-own the mission
Organizations where everybody has the same base salary, and people receive extra pay based on their caregiving responsibilities
Organizations where performance appraisal processes focus more on collaboration skills and attitude/aptitude and on sharing power rather than productivity against set targets
Cultures where it is OK/encouraged to bring your full self to work, and where emotions do not need to be checked at the door
Organizations where joy and dreaming are part of the parlance of the organization
Organizations comfortable with the messiness of emotions; as well as with the political dimensions of Feminist Leadership
041. Rest, reset, resilience: how my mind journeyed when I took a sabbatical - Chris Proulx @ Humentum
26 Jun 2022
00:36:32
Summary
What happens when NGO leaders take a 4 months sabbatical?
What happens to the mind -- what journey does it go on during a 4 month's rest from work?
What happens, especially when we are talking about a leader who was already quite steeped in mindfulness and meditation before he started his sabbatical?
In this podcast episode, I discuss with Chris Proulx, Global Director at Humentum the topic of rest, reset, reflection, and personal resilience when leaders take an extensive break from work.
Chris’s Bio:
Global Director at Humentum, the global network of NGOs that strengthens operational excellence through community building, training, consulting services, and policy-influencing work
Former President and CEO at LINGOs
Former CEO of e-Cornell - Cornell University's e-learning platform
We discuss:
Resilience is not helped when we do not dare to rely on the help of others, even in the presence of a great team
What is the art of ‘doing nothing’? At first, anxiety about the empty space.
To what extent is the notion of time an illusion?
How leaders spend their attention is precious. Most of us spend it quite poorly.
How organizations can create more opportunities for sabbaticals, as part of a benefits package, even when you are not huge.
Quotes
“My mind was not ready to rest in the first few weeks after starting my sabbatical; I was not yet able to pull back the mind”
“I at first still kept scheduling, trying to stay in control mode, I was still crossing things off my to-do list”
“It took a while to really be able to listen to what bubbled up in the mind”
040. Can NGOs Stay Human-Centered while Embracing Smart Tech? Beth Kanter and Allison Fine
13 Jun 2022
00:45:39
Summary
The new generation of 'smart technology' - chatbots, AI, machine learning, natural language processing, robots etc. can bring major benefits to nonprofits - if they can discern what they need to do to remain human-centered in their choice of technology. And if they remain aware of the potential for bias in AI-generated data, given its profound potential negative impact?
What can nonprofits – who are frequently not digital natives, let alone coders themselves – do to protect themselves against these?
In this episode, we discuss the timely new book by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine: 'The Smart Nonprofit: Staying Human-Centered in an Automated World'.
Beth’s Bio:
Nonprofit and foundation-focused trainer and independent consultant
Virtual facilitator
A nonprofit innovator in digital transformation and workplace well being
Author
Adjunct Professor at the Monterrey Institute of International Studies
Allison’s Bio:
Principal consultant at Allison Fine Consulting
Founder/CEO of Network of Elected Women
Senior fellow at Demos, at the Wagner School at New York University
Founder and Executive Director at Innovation Network
Author of multiple books on (digital) networking, social media and the nonprofit sector
We discuss:
Tech is more available and more cheaply available than ever; that actually increases its dangers
Smart tech can eliminate ‘grunt work’ done by many nonprofit frontlines, operations, and fundraising staff, and create a ‘dividend’ of time, which can be more strategically spent on frontline interaction with clients, evaluation and learning, horizon scanning etc.
Smart tech can reduce the need for ‘astroturf campaigning’, in which nonprofits transactionally engage with their ‘members’ on a superficial basis; instead, it allows them to engage more deeply in getting to know new donors
Smart tech is used in the form of bots, for instance, to engage with people in the public who need services– but we have to do so very carefully
How leaders need to be ‘digitally literate’ and not leave these decisions with regard to adoption of new 'smart technologies' up to the Chief Technology Officer
How nonprofits need to remain overall reflective in adopting smart tech
Quotes
“This book is not technical to me”
“Leading through resistance in organizations is among others about doing away with outmoded ideas that only people can do nonprofit tasks”
039. How NGO CEOs are thinking about operating model changes, right now: Christine Sow of Humentum
31 May 2022
00:53:01
Summary
Christine Sow is the CEO of Humentum, a global support organization for NGOs who wish to enhance their operational performance. Humentum helps NGOs translate their aspirations into operating models that give them the ability to deliver on those aspirations.
In that capacity, and given that Humentum among others facilitates peer sharing among CEOs on lessons learned in improving operating models, she has the perfect perch to give us a sense of what types of change CEOs currently are considering.
So what are some of Christine's overriding impressions from recent discussions in Humentum's 'CEO track'?
Where do CEOs lean in on the need for change? And where do they - as yet -- hold back?
Where does Christine see the biggest disconnects between what NGO members say they are about, and what their real in-use and practiced behaviors are?
In this episode, Christine and I discuss the outcomes of CEO discussions in 2021 and the first half of 2022, and her predictions on what may be future directions for changes in NGO operating models in the years to come.
Christine’s Bio:
President and CEO, Humentum
Senior Director, Country Programs (Health), Palladium
Chief Operating Officer, Population Services International (July 2017 – Dec 2017)
Executive Director, Global Health Council (Nov 2013 – July 2016)
We discuss:
How Humentum offers support in the areas of operational excellence capacity building to national and international NGOs alike
The pandemic has been hard on CEOs; there has been no playbook to rely on, and it has been very hard to connect with NGOs’ constituents directly – including staff
We as a sector cannot go back, and we need to watch out for any tendency to ‘snap back’; neither operationally, nor ethically, nor in terms of strategy;
INGO pay scale systems are one of the elements that need to change, to get to greater equity, and NGOs also need to recruit from global pools, instead of pools that are limited to their country of founding
They also need to learn how to better onboard staff, managers and leaders virtually
In the context of decolonizing aid, the time for top-down, centralized decision making, including finances and in terms of budget controls, is over
Quotes
“ We cannot go back now, and we need to watch out for any tendency to ‘snap back’”
“I see CEOs shrink back from bigger change when it comes to seeking a better balance between showing commitment to their individual donors and supporting local organizations”
Click here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces.
Or email Tosca at tosca@5oaksconsulting.org if you want to talk about your social sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportunities.
You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels:
074. Can Nonprofit Program Evaluation Truly Be Made Easy? Chari Smith
19 Apr 2024
00:53:08
Summary
Quite a few smaller size social sector organizations assume that program evaluation is too complex or demanding an undertaking for them. Is that the case, though?
If we want to introduce program evaluation to staff, leadership, and boards who have not yet been inducted into the importance of program evaluation: what are the most effective questions to generate genuine interest in and motivation to engage in such program evaluation?
How can we build a more evaluation-friendly culture all around?
Chari Smith, President and Founder of the consulting company Evaluation into Action has written a book that gives clear answers to these questions: Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple (2021). She explains her core argument in this podcast episode.
Chari's Bio:
Program Evaluation enthusiast: Author, Speaker, Consultant, and Trainer
President/Founder of Evaluation into Action, a consulting company
Program Evaluation Associate at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
We discuss:
Chari’s book is meant for small to midsize nonprofits who have not yet taken up program evaluation, to make it achievable to them. The book is also meant for entry-stage evaluators
Chari values Beth Kanter's and Aliza Sherman’s definition of organizational culture – “Organizational culture is a complex tapestry made up of attitudes, values, behaviors, and artifacts of the people who work for your nonprofit.”
If you apply a collaborative, inclusive, participatory, and non-siloed approach to introducing program evaluation, your chances of increasing buy-in grow considerably
Only collect data that you will actually analyze and synthesize into actionable data and that is likely to influence decision-making
A program evaluation-friendly culture cannot be ‘mandated’, on the one hand
On the other hand, the role of culture ambassadors – people who already are in favor of program evaluation – is important in instilling an evaluation-friendly culture
What's also important is the role of organizational ‘heroes’, and the use of stories, images, and narratives, while organizational artifacts (tangible objects that can be seen around the organization) can be used to signal a desired culture.
Quote:
“By gathering data, nonprofits can pivot from a reactive stance to a proactive one, by acting on the data gathered”
038. Exploring Possible Futures for Conservation NGOs: Anca Damerell @ Luc Hoffman Institute
09 May 2022
00:52:25
Summary
What is the future for conservation NGOs?
Is there a future?
If so, what kinds of roles, mandates, organizational culture, and capabilities do conservation NGOs of the future need to embrace?
That was the question that a small team of consultants, including yours truly, tried to address by providing 15 - sometimes bold -- propositions for changes in roles and mandates.
In this episode, I interview Anca Damerell, Head of Programme at the Luc Hoffmann Institute, and in turn, she interviews me right back :). Listen to our dialogue!
Anca’s Bio:
Head of Programme at Luc Hoffmann Institute
Research and Innovation Programme Officer at United Nations Environmental Program
Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Cambridge
We discussed:
Many NGOs are somewhat anxiously asking themselves what their relevance, legitimacy, and effectiveness are in the future. NGOs in the conservation sector are no exception to this.
The Luc Hoffmann Institute, a leading organization in innovation and transformative change for biodiversity protection, is specialized in turning complex challenges, like this one, into opportunities for change by bringing together diverse views and facilitating the co-creation of innovative solutions.
Some of the 15 – sometimes provocative– shifts in roles and mandates for conservation NGOs.
Moving towards the envisioned future: The urgent need for a mindset shift and transformative change
Conservation NGOs need to develop a greater capability to work across sectors, recognizing the cross-sectoral interdependence of conservation with adjacent areas
Our need to decolonize narratives, and have space for diverse plural narratives
Quotes
“Are NGOs motivated by mission or by self-survival?”
“This is not about replacing conservation NGOs but about envisaging a much more 'niche- specific 'role, and possibly a smaller presence”
“We don’t have to give in to self-flagellation, but we do have to be willing to shift roles towards much more specific niches, playing primarily facilitative roles vis-a-vis much bigger actors (multinationals, China, security forces etc.)”
037. We need to rethink the 'virtue narrative' surrounding NGOs: Aseem Prakash
21 Apr 2022
00:36:41
Summary
Why might the assumptions we frequently make about the ‘virtue narrative’ that surrounds NGOs be problematic? Aren't they meant to create social good in the world?
In this podcast episode, I discuss this with Aseem Prakash, a well-known academic who focuses on nonprofits as well as on environmental activism, particularly focused on climate change. Aseem wrote an article, problematizing exactly this ‘virtue narrative’ surrounding NGOs.
Aseem’s Bio:
Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle (USA)
Founder of the University of Washington's Center for Environmental Politics
Contributor to many well-known publications, such as Forbes.com, The Conversation, Huffington Post, The Hill, and the Washington Post
Ph.D. at the Dept of Political Science and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, USA
MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India
We discuss:
Academics in the past have created typologies of types of NGO failures:
Agency failure: when NGOs have problems with what academics call ‘principal-agent’ issues, i.e. when the 'agent' - in this case the NGO -- is too subordinate to the 'principal' - in this case the contracting agency, donor or another provider of funds to NGOs
'NGOization' failure: when managerialism and professionalism transform NGOs from citizen-agent and community-focused actors to contractors
Representation failure: when the assumption that NGO activities reflect the needs of the communities they serve turns out to be not entirely to be true
Cooperation failure: when the assumption that NGOs work cooperatively with each other to solve 'wicked' social, political, and economic problems turns out to be incorrect (due to competition for scarce funding resources).
Given these failures, it is not healthy to assume that NGOs always do good. In other words, when NGOs are assumed to be ‘virtuous’ and this virtue narrative is held too tightly, it can create conditions for lapses in how NGOs' actual performance is monitored (or regulated)
In addition, self-regulation by NGOs has been helpful, but probably not sufficient to weed out 'bad apples', or more important simply underperforming actors.
Quotes
“Do ‘global charity chains’ function like a supply chain for multinational corporations?”
“When NGO agendas or advocacy stances do not represent the preferences of the underprivileged – who are already neglected by the state and markets --, NGOs may actually reproduce inequality”
036. Why the NGO Halo Effect is problematic: a conversation with Isabel De Bruin Cardoso
08 Apr 2022
00:43:12
Summary
What is the 'halo effect' when it comes to NGOs, and why does it matter?
Here's a rough definition of ‘the halo effectj. The term comes out of the psychological academic literature: if the first impression of a person or an entity is positive for a person, this tends to stick with people. This tends to be the case for NGOs: NGOs are assumed to be ‘good’; thus they are glorified.
And why can this be problematic? Because when NGOs are assumed to be 'good' (i.e. morally, ethically good), they don't see their own 'shadow'. Moreover, that may make them justify questionable means for an end. They may also feel morally superior -- which has all kinds of potentially unhealthy consequences, some of which I observe regularly as well. And it can lead to moral naivete.
How can NGOs as a sector, individual organizations and as staff/leadership best keep alert to the dangerous downsides of this halo effect?
In this podcast episode, I discuss with Isabel De Bruin Cardoso, development practitioner, consultant, and PhD researcher, why and how NGOs as supposedly morally good organizations can behave badly - and why the two may be connected.
Isabel’s Bio:
Ph.D. candidate researching unethical behavior of NGOs, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, the Netherlands
A practitioner and consultant with 15 years of experience in international safeguarding and child protection across UN agencies and NGOs
Advisory board member of the Society of Jesus
We discussed:
When NGOs expect safeguarding policies to go beyond staff to boards, ex-staff and volunteers, the policy becomes more meaningful
Safeguarding is not just about minimizing its incidence, but also about enforcement of consequences when incidences happen
Manifestation of the halo effect:
NGO missions may be assumed to be better than they actually are
The idea that NGOs know best what is good for the public is a dangerous one
People who work in the NGO sector are assumed to be morally superior
It is problematic when NGOs do not feel the need to be monitored or held to account due to the assumption that they are morally good
How the halo effect may impact on the problem of 'white saviorism'?
How can NGOs as a sector best address this halo effect? A self-assessment tool (which Isabel is developing) could be one mechanism
Quotes
“In the field of safeguarding, it can be difficult to operationalize worthy concepts such as 'respect': what does this actually look like, behaviorally?”
“Normalizing having conversations about safeguarding is a significant form of role modeling”
Resources:
Visualization of Isabel's main arguments about the Halo Effect
035. Chasing impact - ever more elusive? One more exchange with Chris of MZN
06 Mar 2022
00:43:32
Tosca is in conversation with Christian Meyer zu Natrup, Managing Director of MzN International, a boutique consulting firm that focuses both on nonprofits in international development, and on businesses that wish to do good, in this final episode of our 3 part joint podcast series. The other 2 episodes cover ‘Chasing innovation’ (episode #33) and ‘Chasing funding’' (episode #34).
Summary
Nonprofits are here to solve complex problems. But can they?
Where is the impact?
And why do some organizations spend so much time and money to achieve what some might typify as relatively little?
And are we as NGOs actually interested in measuring and knowing our impact? And how do we build data-informed cultures?
In the final episode, I discuss with Chris of MZN NGO impact and what are some NGOs' mental models around impact.
Christian’s Bio
Managing Director of MzN International
Disaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)
Senior Executive at Ernst and Young Management Consultants
We discussed:
The dangerous seduction of being embedded in a charity architecture (see Tosca's co-authored book)
Cost-effectiveness of program interventions: why do NGOs not seem more interested in this? Is it difficult/impossible/too expensive to measure?
How to create learning and evidence-driven cultures
034. How to generate greater innovation capability in your nonprofit: observations of an innovation coach
20 Feb 2022
00:51:20
Summary
NGOs are sometimes labeled fairly critically as 'dinosaurs' or 'legacy organizations'. How can they create a more innovation-ready or innovation-friendly culture?
What can NGOs learn from other types of organizations when it comes to generating more innovation, either in the broader civil society sector or outside of it?
What stands in the way, in terms of organizational structures, processes, or ways of working when NGOs struggle? Leadership mindsets?
In this podcast episode, I interview Shervin Fekri at Board of Innovation. Board of Innovation (BoI) is a strategy and business design firm that coaches private and public sector organizations -- including INGOs and donor agencies -- on how to generate a healthy innovation pipeline.
Shervin’s Bio
Global Social Innovation Lead at Board of Innovation
Co-founder of Board of Innovation, Netherlands
Founder at Ministry for Change
Innovation Strategy Consultant at UNHCR (via Board of Innovation)
We discuss:
Some NGOs have sought help with innovation and design thinking-related coaching and have introduced innovation labs, teams, and sprints, but the mindset that needs to accompany design thinking can prove to be challenging
Organizational cultures that are quite hierarchical and not amenable to flat, lean, and agile decision making are problematic, as are leaders who do not feel they can trust their innovation teams to do their work in an uninterrupted manner until it is time to make a pitch
Leaders who get engaged in micromanaging instead of setting strategic criteria for what innovations should respond to while otherwise getting out of the way are also problematic.
Some NGOs in the development sector have evolved into hybrids of nonprofit/for-profit forms, by integrating social enterprises or impact investing units into their organization or by setting them up 'adjacent' to their organization.
Organizations can show different archetypes: some seek innovation (incl innovation support) outside of their organization. Some prefer to experiment within. How they go about it can affect their innovation-capability.
Common challenges in social sector organizations who are wanting to become more innovation-friendly:
o The big social sector organizations tend to be complex in organization structure (sometimes too much so) with distributed country offices/affiliates. There is also variation in the extent to which decision making is centralized or decentralized
o National cultures vary a lot, and NGOs sometimes have somewhat less of a ‘corporate’ culture
o NGO cultures tend to be very process-oriented; they are not very user-focused, fairly siloed and have a hard time simplifying what the user needs/wants
o Marketing/fundraising/comms people typically are more user-focused.
Quotes
“Some NGOs are good in starting innovation projects but bad in killing bad projects”
“It is best to use an innovation portfolio approach, where the organization and decision-makers have visibility into how many innovation projects they have going on at any one time, how long they have been going on, which ones are lagging and which ones have to be stopped. That oversight is sometimes missing”
033. Chasing funding - will it ever end? A back-and-forth with Chris of MZN
07 Feb 2022
00:38:41
Tosca is in conversation with Christian Meyer zu Natrup, Managing Director of MzN International, in the second episode of our 3 part, joint podcast series. The other 2 episodes cover ‘Chasing Innovation’ (episode #032) and ‘Chasing impact’ (episode #34, expected to be aired around Feb 23).
Summary
Good projects/programs need good funding. But why do some organizations continue to grow and some stagnate?
And is growth even a good or necessary thing in this era of a renewed look at the appropriate role of global North-founded INGOs, when global-South civil society is asking to #shiftthepower?
Isn’t the business model of nonprofits, taking tax money from the global north for projects in the global south, inherently inefficient and even perpetuating colonialism?
In the second episode, I discuss with Chris the disconnect between the funding we need to solve a problem and the funding we can get.
Christian’s Bio
Managing Director of MzN International
Disaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)
Senior Executive at Ernst and Young Consultants
We discussed:
There's a disconnect between the funding NGOs need to solve a problem and the funding they can get. It's more effective to ask what funding people need to solve a problem, then build an organization to get that funding. If grants form part of the mix, great. If not, look for alternatives.
What are the trade-offs between a strategy of seeking diversification of revenues versus focusing on one source which the organization has shown success in obtaining
Digitally-enabled fundraising strategies, and the blind spots of 'brick and mortar' NGOs
Necessary components of a business plan, such as:
* How to generate revenue * For what impact * Intersection of revenue and impact * Intersection of revenue and costs of delivery (which many NGOs don’t really track), compared to the impact generated * How to interact with the market/ecosystem of other nonprofits * People side: skills staffing and governance.
032. Chasing Innovation: can we do better as NGOs? In discussion with Chris Meyer of MzN International
23 Jan 2022
00:39:06
Tosca is in conversation with Christian Meyer zu Natrup, Managing Director of MzN International, in the first episode of of a three-part podcast series. The other two episodes which will air in February 2022 will cover ‘Chasing Funding’ and ‘Chasing Impact’
Summary
Are INGOs inherently inefficient, slow and lack innovation to the point that they will go, or ought to go, extinct?
And if not, what should leaders do to transform their organisations into solution providers at a time when the world faces unprecedented upheaval, a climate crisis, pandemics and a myriad of other challenges?
In the very first episode, I discuss with Chris whether non-profits at risk of being incapable of solving problems and therefore at risk of becoming obsolete. How can our organizations get better at innovating?
Christian’s Bio
Managing Director of MzN International
Disaster relief and assessment coordinator at European Union (2006 – 2013)
Senior Executive at Ernst and Young Consulting company
We discussed:
NGO, like all bureaucracies, can be shaped - and intentionally so.
Unfortunately, some NGOs start out with good intentions but end up being shaped by the rules and confinement of government grant guidelines, rendering them inflexible while chasing compliance legislation
They get used to a comfortable existence with moderate impacts, rather than solving a problem. This is acceptable if their aim is a continuous existence in a relatively stable environment. It is less helpful if they want to solve problems in a fluid context. For that, they need to be agile.
We discuss, among others:
Trade-offs between being a large organization with an ability to offer scale and work across many sites, i.e. multi-sectorally, vs. offering sharply delineated competencies
Leadership mindsets that get in the way of spurring innovation
The problem with a compliance mindset, or 'falling in love with the solution too early, not with the problem' (Ann Mei Chang)
Is a lack of innovation funds part of the problem?
The balance needed between unleashing creativity and maintaining a certain level of discipline within an innovation policy
Overreliance on in-house production of solutions vs. buying 'off the shelf'
Insufficiently flat organizations
Innovations not aligned with strategy or strategic priorities
031. What you can do to excel in virtual team leadership: Monica Maassen @ Oxfam
26 Nov 2021
00:45:35
Summary
Monica is a change management specialist par excellence. She is also thoughtful about all things management and leadership. How does she see the linkages between change management and virtual/hybrid team leadership - something we all got thrown into big time in the last 2 years (if we did not already practice it before)?
What is the biggest thing(s) we may be missing about not working in a co-located team, and what is it that we may not miss that much?
What are the biggest differences between leading a virtual or hybrid team, and leading a co-located team? And what are the distinct advantages and disadvantages of either situation?
In this podcast episode, I interview Monica Maassen, Head of Change Management and Learning in the context of our new online course ‘Post-Pandemic Virtual Team Leadership Essentials’. A small team of talented freelance contributors and I at Five Oaks Consulting have recently launched this course! And Monica was part of our first cohort. In this interview, I explore some of Monica's reflections and lessons learned after having taken the course.
Monica’s Bio
Head of Oxfam International’s Change Management and Learning team
Head of Oxfam International’s Organizational Effectiveness unit
Deputy Director, Change Management, Oxfam Int
Head of Change Management, Oxfam NOVIB ( Netherlands' affiliate of Oxfam)
We discuss:
What are some of the common fallacies when team leaders shift to leading virtual/hybrid teams? For instance, task orientation versus human connection
The implications of the fact that spontaneous interactions/conversations are more difficult to have
How we miss body language signals, cannot read the room as well - and what are the consequences of that
The skills needed for interpersonal conflict resolution in the virtual space
What are the implications of collaborating virtually for how power is (re)distributed
A specific challenge: inter-team virtual collaboration – and what to do about it
The risk of a sense of disconnect
Quotes
“What you don’t see in virtual collaboration, you won’t ask about as a manager”
"Conversely: what you give attention, as a managr, will grow”
“In INGOs, we tend to like to debate, but we avoid conflict”
030. Reinventing social change by overcoming self-limiting belief systems: Nell Edgington
13 Nov 2021
00:38:48
Summary
Nell Edgington, a well known American consultant who serves US domestic nonprofits is of the opinion that nonprofit leaders maintain too many self-limiting beliefs and mindsets.
In her new book 'Reinventing social change: Embracing abundance to create a healthier and more equitable world' she explains how these self-limiting beliefs have seeped into the collective mindset and DNA of the nonprofit sector. In the book, Nell strongly advocates for abundance thinking -- instead of scarcity thinking, one of those dominant self-limiting beliefs.
In this podcast episode, I discuss with Nell the central arguments of her book.
Nell’s Bio
President of consulting practice Social Velocity: Social Velocity helps nonprofit and philanthropic leaders create more effective social change.
Fellow Leap of Reason Ambassador -- an invitation-based network of nonprofit leaders, funders, government regulators and consultants and academics who all are motivated to make the nonprofit sector more performance-focused
Former senior-level leader at a US public broadcasting TV station (Austin, Texas)
We discuss:
Scarcity mindset: the mindset that nonprofits never are enough nor have enough: not enough money, not enough good board members, etc. – in other words, the ethos of 'never enough'. She observes such a scarcity mindset in individual leaders, boards and funders, but also at the sector level
Why Nell agrees with Dan Palotta’s well known, though contentious TED talk that the market should decide what salary to pay nonprofit CEOs, or how much money to invest in fundraising, or how big of a financial reserve to build; and that nonprofits should not accept self-imposed restrictions
The problem with the 'helper syndrome': if we 'over-give', we deplete ourselves -- something quite distinct from giving generously
Why historically, charities (perpetually in need of money) have been run by women while men have worked in the private sector where money was made. This created a very gendered makeup of the sector
Why nonprofits can reframe their relationship to funders and maintain more agency that way: funders have money they want to invest in social change, while nonprofits have solutions to offer -- and thus they can be seen as equal partners
Why if you ask each board member individually what unique assets they can give this will drive more board engagement and greater efficacy
Quotes
“Let’s pull back the curtain on how the sector is broken”
“We need to fix and heal ourselves first before we can work on social change externally”
029. Potential and peril when NGOs collaborate with social movements: May Miller-Dawkins
08 Oct 2021
00:41:31
Summary
What are the biggest limitations social movements encounter, time and again?
What are the good examples of positive collaboration between INGOs and social movements?
And what characteristics, what attributes made that collaboration positive?
In this podcast episode, I discussed with May Miller-Dawkins about the potential and peril when NGOs collaborate with social movements.
May’s Bio:
Researcher, advocate and facilitator, working with social movements, NGOs, foundations, universities and community groups on social change processes
Used to be based in New South Wales, Australia, now in New Zealand
Works with social movements and social sector organizations as well as universities to strengthen their advocacy, deepen their coalitions and sharpen their analysis
Former director, Governance and Transparency, The B Team, which seeks to redefine the culture of accountability in business by creating and encouraging the diffusion of new norms for business in society
Head of Research at CoreLab, focused on research aimed at influencing policy and practice
Former head of research at Oxfam Australia
We discussed:
When NGOs collaborate with social movements in a respectful manner that recognizes movements’ autonomy and the need for its members to maintain safety, it can increase the credibility of their work
InnovationNetwork has developed a very helpful framework with four dimensions for evaluatingsocial movements:
Institutional power
People power
Influencer power
Narrative power
Social movements tend to be more effective in raising broad public consciousness, while NGOs can be effective in agenda setting with elites and institutions
NGOs are more at risk of reinforcing their power structures, or get coopted or become victim to ‘insider incrementalism’. On the other hand, they can set agendas in ways that are considered more ‘palatable by the mainstream opinion or elites.
Quotes
“It can be hard for NGOs to step back sufficiently to make sure they are complimentary and respectful of the power and agency of social movements”
“NGOs have to be careful in how they exercise their gatekeeping capabilities”
"Long-term, flexible funding is one of the most important ways in which social movements can be supported”
Understanding Activism (2017) with Rhize and The Atlantic Council – Link
The State of the Growing Movement Fighting Inequality (2019) – Fight Inequality Alliance, Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity and Rhize – Link
073. From a Hub and Spoke to a Horizontal Network Model: Anu Kumar @ Ipas
31 Mar 2024
00:55:37
Summary
What are the main benefits of a network structure, where power, authority, and leadership are dispersed and shared across regions, from an effectiveness perspective?
What are the most important enabling habits, practices and behaviors that go with that, as a change leader?
And what are the most valuable network-related frameworks, concepts, resources, and tools at work in moving towards this structure?
In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Anu Kumar, President and CEO at Ipas, on the why, the what, and the how of changing an organization from a hub and spoke to a horizontal NGO model.
Anu's Bio:
President and CEO at Ipas
Former Chief Strategy and Development Officer as well as Executive Vice President at Ipas
Senior Program Officer, Program on Global Security and Sustainability, Population and Reproductive Rights, MacArthur Foundation
Program Officer, MacArthur Foundation
Social Scientist in Human Reproduction, WHO
We discuss:
Ipas is the leading technical org that advocates for access to contraception and abortion services, globally
Traditionally, Ipas has had a hub-and-spoke organizational model, like many traditional NGOs
A strategy change – for Ipas to contribute to a sustainable global contraception and abortion access ecosystem – demanded that countries would take over much of the lead in Ipas. So form followed function
Ipas started its change towards a network model by defining what decentralization meant for itself
It then defined shared leadership as its management model, and articulated change behaviors, practices, and management set-up as required next steps
Subsequently, it changed its structure to that of a network in which the US no longer was the primary member, and a Network Leadership Group, a Staff Community Council, and a NetCare group were formed -- the latter nurtures the network
Ipas explicitly chose not to become a (con)federated organization and to remain a corporate hierarchical structure
As a next step, it adopted horizontal decision-making for some of its decision-making on budget aspects and recruitment
Adopting a horizontal management approach does *not* mean there is no hierarchy anymore: the CEO, CFO, and a few other executive leaders still have some positional power, but their realm of decision-making is now reduced
Decentralized decision-making means faster decision-making; more cross-country collaboration is also happening that's not involving the US.
Role clarity is still an issue to be improved upon. On the other hand, global coherence was facilitated through a codified collaboration agreement
Ipas' board, still based in the US, retains fiduciary responsibilities, so compliance continues to be important
LinkedIn article on Ipas change approach by Anu Kumar
Bridgespan consulting group article on Re-imagining Multi-Country NGO Operating Models
Samantha Slade’s book was informative for Ipas's change journey: Going Horizontal
YouTube
028. Strategic planning when your CSO faces fundamental uncertainties: Dave Algoso, facilitator & consultant
25 Sep 2021
00:41:18
Summary
How has strategic planning changed during the pandemic?
What are general blind spots when it comes to strategic planning in our social sector?
What are jazzy new approaches to strategic planning that civil society organizations should consider?
And what are the warning signs, as a strategy consultant, that tell you you should not get involved?
In this podcast episode, I discuss with Dave Algoso, strategy facilitator and consultant 'par excellence', how civil society organizations (CSOs) have changed how they go about strategic planning in this very uncertain world.
Dave Algoso’s Bio
Independent consultant at Open CoLab, Dave's consulting company
In-house Organizer at Civic Hall, NYC (2017)
Managing Director at Reboot (2013 - 2015)
Program Manager at MercyCorps (2010 - 2013)
Senior Analyst at Advisory Board Company (2005 - 2007)
We discuss:
What makes strategic planning in the social sector different from the private sector (where much of the publications on strategic planning originates)?
How has strategic planning changed for nonprofits and social enterprises in the pandemic, and what kind of blind spots does Dave see?
How can facilitators of strategic planning processes work around any attempts by participants to primarily protect self-interest or turf, that may muddy a good process?
How can we avoid a strategic plan merely ending up on a shelf, collecting dust, never to be used again?
Why do some nonprofits show little discipline in making sure a newly formed strategy is ‘cascading’ down in the organization and translated into real direction setting and consequences for everybody - and what can be done about this?
What's the latest and greatest in strategic planning? And what are ‘classics’ that still merit using?
Quotes
“I am skeptical about using private sector strategic planning tools in the social sector”
“A strategy should not fall prey to irrelevance by being just a shiny PDF”
“In terms of strategy tools, I am still a stickler for the good old 2 X 2 matrix”
027. People, resistance to new ideas and the power of removing friction: interview with Loran Nordgren
11 Sep 2021
00:41:27
Summary
Why do people resist new ideas, including inside organizations, and including with regard to organizational change initiatives? And what can we as change managers/leaders do about this?
What's more important: making your new idea more 'shiny', more attractive, or removing obstacles that stand in the way of people accepting new ideas?
Would resistance to new ideas play out differently in the nonprofit sector as compared to others?
What does ‘neophobia’ mean, and does it apply as much to the (international) nonprofit sectors as to the private sector and government sector?
In this podcast episode which is of prime relevance to change managers and leadres, I interview Loran Nordgren of Northwestern University, USA, whose research together with David Schonthal, also at Northwestern, on why people resist new ideas, and the importance of removing friction.
Loran focuses on individual-level psychology, more than on organizational or industrial labor relations fields of work. His research is cross-sectoral: he looks at change processes and the adoption of new ideas in the private sector, government sector, and nonprofits.
Loran Nordgren’s Bio:
Professor of Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management at NorthWestern University in Chicago, USA
Co-author of the book ‘The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance that Awaits New Ideas’, to be published on October 5th, 2021, together with David Schonthal
Co-founder of Creative Candor LLC
Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at University of Amsterdam
We discussed:
Forces that propel a new idea forward: this is fuel
When you want to change people’s mind, or bring them to your side, including in organizational change processes, you need to not just focus on making the new idea more attractive, and increasing the incentives to adopt this new idea (the ‘fuel’ or ‘ammunition’) . You need to also take away the sources of 'friction', the aspects that may make it difficult for people to adopt or accept your new idea or initiative
Friction becomes a drag on innovation
Strategies for taking away friction: consider how the new idea stacks up in terms of:
Effort: Does this idea represent a big or small change? If big, expect more resistance
Does this change happen quickly, or gradually? The bigger and faster the change, the greater the inertia
Does it take a lot of effort to implement the idea? Can you reduce the level of effort needed, as change manager?
Does the idea create ambiguity among audience: if people don’t know how to implement, and it requires discovery, it is harder to embrace
Emotion: Does the idea represent a threat? (and neuroscience indicates humans experience change as ‘pain’, as threat)
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026. Right Work and Right Team: how the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (BRAC) is aspiring to become a truly diverse, global entity - Rasha Natour
22 Jul 2021
00:45:57
Summary
What are the advantages and disadvantages (if any) when an organization is in a position to start almost as if with a new slate after a large core grant infusion, and thus can propel an ambitious DEI agenda?
And how do local authorities and national governments in global South countries respond to a localization push by an initiative like the Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative, part of the large Bangladesh-founded NGO BRAC?
In this episode, we talk with Rasha Natour, Senior Advocacy Manager at UPGI, about the Initiative's two strands of DEI-related work: ‘Right Work’ and ‘Right Team’, and the different roles these two approaches play in UPGI becoming a truly global entity.
Rasha Natour’s Bio:
Sr. Advocacy Manager, Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI), at the Bangladesh Rural & Advancement Committee (BRAC)
Formerly senior Strategic Direction manager at CARE International
Former Knowledge Management & Global Advocacy, CARE International
Former researcher on civil society at the London School of Economics (LSE)
Quotes
“We cannot divide external change from the internal change. If we really want to see something happening externally, we need to ensure that we build internally to enable that.”
“The way to have more local sustainability is by starting from the very beginning and not just as a consultative process.”
We discussed:
When a nonprofit received a large core grant (such as the TED Audacious grant in the case of the Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI)), it not only obviously allows the organization to expand its programming but also offers that organization security as well as flexibility and agility
When it comes to UPGI’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging work (DEI+B), UPGI operates two workstreams: ‘Right Team’ and ‘Right Work’. Under Right Team, the focus is on how to change the recruitment strategy, how to emphasize DEI+B values in recruitment steps, and how to change UPGI's performance management system
‘Right Work’ relates to how to further shift the locus of decision making and authority to people most close to the impact; and how to work with local civil society in a way that recognizes its autonomy and identity and in a way that supports it in flexible manners
The focus throughout UPGI’s work is to center the voices of those closest to the level of impact
Note:
Since this episode was recorded, BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) has begun a transition to move its administrative home from BRAC USA to BRAC International. As BRAC seeks to expand uptake of the Graduation approach worldwide through advocacy and technical advisory services, BRAC UPGI is increasingly hiring more staff in the regions where they work. As the main entity housing BRAC's programs outside of Bangladesh, BRAC International is well-positioned to oversee BRAC UPGI's expansion as a global program.
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025. Gabriela (Oxfam), Julia (ActionAid), and Sofia (CARE): a celebration of Latina women's leadership
05 Jun 2021
00:45:18
Summary
How often does it happen that three of the biggest INGOs are all headed by three Latina women. Not often -- and definitely a reason to celebrate.
Sofia, Julia and Gabriela discuss their perspectives on leadership When it comes to crafting the new employee experience after COVID, what changes in that experience stand out?
To what extent the interviewees experience that women leader still cannot bring their whole person to leadership, and need to adjust to male expectations of leadership?
How have the NGOs fared in the past year and a half of COVID?
In this episode, we discuss women and leadership, and also their visions on leadership in general.
Gabriela Bucher’s Bio:
Executive Director of Oxfam International
Chief Operating Officer, Plan International (3 years)
Executive President Plan Foundation, Columbia (10+ years)
Julia Sanchez’s Bio:
Secretary General, ActionAid
Ex Senior Researcher, Canadian Union of Public Employees
Federal NDP Ex-Candidate for by-election in Outremont
President-CEO of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCCI) – (7 years)
Sofia Sprechmann’s Bio:
Secretary General, CARE International
Program Director, CARE International (8 years)
Deputy Regional Director, Latin America & Caribbean (8 years)
Board Trustee, International Budget Partnership
Quotes “The pandemic has speeded up our delegation of authority to the country level, thereby allowing more space for decolonization to happen”
“The pandemic has been like an X-ray: it has provided us visibility into what is wrong with the system in a way that has been evident to each family”
“We have had to learn how to balance the global and the local in new ways now”
”How do we own our leadership behaviors, without worrying about how they may differ from ‘what is expected’”
We discussed:
What motivates them: to permit themselves to lead in their way, and be vocal about others being able to do the same
Without wanting to essentializing women as leaders, and while recognizing the non-binary aspects of gender: preference to focus first on listening, learning, building bridges towards consensus
The choice to own one’s leadership behaviors and style
Change management and crisis leadership lessons from the past year and half of pandemic
How the pandemic enabled new opportunities (the upside of pandemic): for example, for global teams that had been hybrid before to now truly ‘gel’, as well as equalizing those teams
How the employee experience will be different after the pandemic: localization and shifts of authority/delegation, democratization