In the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of the charity sector, our ability to adapt and thrive is intricately linked to the diversity within our teams. As leaders and managers, it's crucial that we not only recognise the value of diversity but actively seek to understand and appreciate the vast array of perspectives that make up our colleague groups. 1. Innovation Beyond Boundaries: In our world, innovation is our currency for creating lasting impact. Diverse teams, with their rich tapestry of experiences and backgrounds, bring a plethora of creative ideas to the table. Embracing diversit ..read more

So I'm trying to not giggle to myself at the thought of you reading this post and grabbing your phone to check your teeth But "things getting stuck in your teeth" has been the topic of conversation in more than one of my People Management Done Differently training sessions this week And obviously, I don't mean your physical teeth - so I'll explain what I do mean In the people-management workshops we deliver, we talk through layers of need and expectation that the people in our teams have of us as their managers. First and foremost is that they need to know: what is expected of them, what 'goo ..read more

Let's back up a little We've been working with individual colleagues and teams on increasing people-management skill and confidence since conducting our wellbeing research back in 2018/19 A big part of the blended training and coaching we provide looks at self-awareness and emotional intelligence. And time and time again, when we've started with these, and then we work through the programme content and look at styles and behaviours in many areas, one of the comments we hear a lot is "Oh god, that's me, I do that!" And every time we hear that our response is the same "Great!, the more you recog ..read more

Happy Bank Holiday Week (number one of three) to you! I don't know about you but I'm totally discombublicated with what day it is, what date it is and how many days there are left this week and month. But then, it doesn't take that much to confuse me How are you? How's your week going? How are you feeling about work, life and everything in between? Today I want to talk to you about the rest of the line from the title - "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it", and, why we do things the way that we do them here at Lift When I first started looking into the concept of wellbeing and th ..read more

This week's Lift Letter is introducing something I've been wanting to create for a while A Rising Tide.... Being the Manager or Leader of a Team, Department or whole organisation in the charity / not-for-profit sector is amazing. But at times it can also feel quite lonely and isolated. So we've created a new FREE community based in a group on LinkedIn (because I hate facebook) where we come together as People Managers & Leaders in the charity sector, to link arms in shared passion, challenge and solidarity Based on my favourite premise, that "A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats", the group is d ..read more

The subject of this week's Lift Blog has been 'brewing' for a while. It's a question I've been asked on and off for a few months now. But I've been asked it by 3 different people this week (and this has been a short week!) Don't you do Wellbeing anymore? This question in itself sits at the heart of the problem I've had since starting working in charity wellbeing back in 2018. Wellbeing Basically, Wellbeing is a $h!t word. It's totally inadequate (especially when you're looking for images to help depict it) It can be interpreted in a million different ways. And yet the more common connotations ..read more

The History Back in 2019, I created the first pilot outline of the Thrive Leaders programme. Thrive was the wellbeing-led thing I wanted to be able to deliver for Fundraising Leaders - the programme where the person who leads an organisation's fundraising function (the role I had previously inhabited and LOVED for 10+ years) could get the support, cheerleading, camaraderie, access to expertise, and Squad vibes they need in what can be a lonely role.Thrive was created to provide all of the things I knew I needed but never managed to access all together when I was a Fundraising Director. Thrive ..read more

I don't know if you feel this way about the end of March, but I always find the end of March feels like a real anti-climax. It's possibly a hang-over from my years in Fundraising when everything seemed to go from "Hero to Zero" as the calendar clicked over from March 31st to April 1st. Or it might be that I always have in my head that the Weather at the end of March going into April is going go be warmer and dryer than it actually is. Or, may be it's the realisation that a quarter of the calendar year has already gone? I'm not sure exactly what it is that has me in a rut but I regularly am Wha ..read more

Have you ever worked somewhere where, when you enter the office, you can tell just by the vibe that the senior leaders are in today? Perhaps your current workplace is like this (or was like this when you all worked from the office everyday and the feeling has now crept over into your hybrid working model too). The CEO, or the Fundraising Director, or perhaps a trustee is in for the day and everyone is on their "best behaviour”. Interesting phrase, that - because I think in this situation, the version of “best behaviour” we see isn’t “best” at all. It’s often quieter, head down, perhaps taking ..read more

This week I've been thinking a lot about a particular word, and how I feel about it Unstoppable I'll happily take a punt that at various times over the last few years, things in your life have seemed unstoppable. It's a word Lisa used last week. She said "I have a feeling we might be unstoppable". And it's sat with me for a while since. Because it's a sentiment I love. It's a sentiment that I really want to subscribe to. But there was something about it that just didn't feel right. And then it hit me... The reality of being Unstoppable is an oxymoron To be unstoppable in the very best sense ..read more