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Posted By Clore Social Leadership,
02 June 2020
Updated: 23 November 2020
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Tony Wright, 2018 Clore Social Fellow, writes about being a CEO of a small charity, looking after yourself and family life… all amidst a pandemic.
Sometimes, running a small charity can feel like ‘clinging onto a runaway train’ and no matter how much we try to make sure we have a work-life balance, nine times out of ten, the rhetoric just doesn’t meet the reality.
It is a competitive world out there and the only thing that buys time in this business is money. By that I mean sufficient funding to employ more staff and delegate tasks, or as I have just discovered, a worldwide pandemic will buy you a lot of time to reflect on what really matters.
Never in a working career stretching over 40 years have I had to cancel every single appointment, booking or project for the next 12 months… but I have, and after the initial anxiety of doing so, it’s been truly liberating.
It was during my Clore Social Leadership programme in 2018 that I was given tacit permission by the programme tutors to put myself first. They told me my health and my wellbeing were paramount and whilst that may seem obvious, it was not to me. They said it was my responsibility to look after myself otherwise I would not be in the best place to look after others or carry out my responsibilities as a CEO in the Service Charity sector.
"Being given permission to be kind to myself has been life changing."
For the first time in my working life I made full use of my holiday entitlement. I was only available during working hours and never at weekends. If I were tired, I would finish early, I am a morning person and my best thinking and productivity is over by 3pm. The last two hours of a 9-5 working day are in my case, quite pointless as I am up at 6am and respond to outstanding emails before the daily commute to work. By late afternoon I am just going through the motions.
The enforced break has for me, been a blessing, as I have had to accept that I was not in control of anything work related. It has proved to be a fantastic opportunity to relax and reflect on professional practice, the direction of my life and what really makes me happy. This can rarely be achieved during working hours or during my annual holiday allocation - I usually get a bad cold and my much-needed break is spent recovering! As they say… the body keeps the score. It takes me at least six days before I stop dreaming about work issues and once I have reached that meditative state, I then start thinking about what I need to do before I return. It is not good!
However, this pandemic was something different, Italy was in big trouble, so I decided to shut up shop on 14th March to protect staff and those accessing our service. A great deal of our work is community based and involves group or one-to-one intervention. The fact we still don’t fully understand how this virus is transmitted tells me that my decision to stop all operations was the right thing to do. In a world where defensive decision-making rules… I was glad that I did!
Within days, members of my family went down with flu-like symptoms which may or may not have been related to the Coronavirus, but we have all struggled with a persistent chest infection for the last few weeks. My household, like many others, has experienced the anxiety, worry and mild paranoia of trying to protect and shield against an invisible threat that even the medical experts are struggling to understand.
"Despite my taking holidays and setting boundaries... the charity that I founded and manage has gone from strength to strength."
Yet, despite the circumstances, family isolation has been a wonderful experience, even the family dog has benefited from numerous walks and constant company. As a family we are concerned for friends and acquaintances and devastated by the tragic loss of life of so many. Yet, we are grateful for everything we have and more appreciative of each other too. Previously I think we may have taken everything and each other for granted. The opportunity to read all the books that never get read, listen to music, wipe the dust off neglected musical instruments, enjoy quality time preparing healthy home cooked meals and the simple joy of eating together has been a truly wonderful experience. We all know what is most important and the reality is, it is not work.
Bizarrely, despite my taking holidays and setting boundaries regarding my availability, the charity that I founded and manage has gone from strength to strength over the last two years winning numerous awards and attracting significant funding for the future. I now know that my employment matters but does not define me. I want it to continue on its current trajectory but if this pandemic has taught me anything, it is that I’m happiest at home with my family and that they come first.
To paraphrase the musician Ray Wylie Hubbard:
"The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations … I have really good days."
Tony Wright is CEO of Forward Assist and a 2018 Clore Social Fellow. Connect with Forward Assist on Twitter, or Tony on LinkedIn.
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Posted By Clore Social Leadership,
30 April 2020
Updated: 23 October 2020
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Karen Tozer, Clore Social Fellow 2018 and Programme Manager at Groundwork inspires us with the organisation’s agile and strategic response to COVID-19.
Groundwork have been working in Hull over 10 years with communities and individuals that are often those most in need. The work we do builds the skills and knowledge of people through experiential learning and/or volunteering so they are able to begin to address some of the issues that impact on their lives.
We enable people to learn through hands-on participatory activities to grow food, cook healthier meals, learn crafts and DIY skills that help make their money go further and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Our volunteering opportunities give people a sense of purpose and enable them to build their skills, confidence and social networks.
We also have managed Springhead Park Golf Club since 2014. We have worked hard to transform this former municipal facility into a hub for the whole community.
In Hull I am lucky enough to have a small but dedicated and creative team. Prior to 19 March we recognised that many of those we support were the most vulnerable and would have to self-isolate. We also studied what was happening in other countries and quickly realised that full lockdown was inevitable.
Myself and the team looked at how we could change the way we worked to ensure we were able to provide the best service possible to the communities we support.
Springhead Park – We shut down the course and Club House and transformed the Coffee Shop into a takeaway and home delivery service that runs on a skeleton staff and volunteer drivers. We immediately contacted all the local homecare providers and agencies supporting the elderly and vulnerable in our area. We sent them information on our new affordable meal service with free delivery for the elderly and most vulnerable.
Our Communities team were also quick to move and offer a virtual service on Facebook.
Groundwork Connect – A daily mix of quizzes, healthy recipes and useful information together with live stream and pre-recorded `how-to’ videos covering crafts, growing and up-cycling that utilise everyday items and things we might otherwise discard.
We also established a number of different Facebook Groups where people can meet virtually and interact.
The Virtual Shed – Here people post their lockdown up-cycling and DIY projects that use what others or they might normally throw away. People are able to inspire others and be inspired and we have found there is a massive appetite amongst all age groups. People have tried things they might never have tried and the ‘Likes’ they receive give them a much needed boost. One young mum who joined undertook her first up-cycling project and has now gone on to provide tips to others.
The Virtual Veg Plot – Excited by the success of The Virtual Shed we quickly developed The Virtual Veg Plot. Now more than ever we believe people need to be thinking about growing their own food. We provide tips on growing and how to make a planter out of everything from an old shopping bag to a pallet. To support The Virtual Veg Plot we are also sending seeds by post to those who live in our Growing St Andrews project area, around Hessle Road. I have also sought additional funding to expand this wider in the coming weeks.
The Virtual Kitchen – For a long time Groundwork have delivered healthy cooking sessions. The Virtual Kitchen along with our daily recipes is a way in which we can still encourage and support healthier eating.
The Virtual Sewing Room – This is our latest addition in response to requests by our Facebook followers. The group provides tips and ‘how-to’ advice from sewing on a button to taking up a hem; skills that many people were never taught.
Hull Story Time – Ground Hull has a long established partnership with Hull Library Services. As soon as schools were shut down we began work on this joint project. Every Friday at 1.30pm live on YouTube we have children’s stories being read by local authors, performers and currently local celebrities and sports stars.
Groundwork Connect Radio Show – Growing St Andrews project had an existing radio show that went out to over 250,000 households across West Hull and the surrounding villages. We wanted to develop something that was more frequent and interactive to support those who may not have access to social media. Groundwork Connect now goes out via live feed three times a week on FM radio, internet and Facebook Live. This has enabled us to keep the community informed, interact with volunteers and connect isolated families and friends through song requests.
"It is important that we are continually looking for the 'How Next' so that we can respond quickly to the needs of local people..."
As a result of the changes we have implemented, Springhead Park is now producing approximately 100 meals a day, ensuring the elderly and vulnerable can receive a home cooked meal for just £3 and our Coffee Shop social media following has soared to almost 900.
Our virtual community engagement and activity has also grown our already strong Facebook following by over 200% and this is still increasing daily. Our post reach is now regularly over 7,000 and our first Hull Story Time was viewed by over 4,000 families on YouTube.
My team and I are now thinking about the next phase of COVID-19. The way of life and working we knew before will not return for quite a while. Social distancing and other measures may stay with us for many months, perhaps into next year, with a potentially longer lasting impact on the communities we work with.
It is important that we are continually looking for the 'How Next' so that we can respond quickly to the needs of local people and the challenges and opportunities the 'New Normal' present for us as an organisation.
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Karen Tozer, Clore Social Fellow 2018, is Programme Manager at Groundwork, an organisation that positively changes places and people's lives, in partnership where possible. Visit @GroundworkHull on Twitter & GroundworkHull on Facebook.
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Posted By Clore Social Leadership,
17 February 2020
Updated: 23 October 2020
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I remember sitting in the reception of the Mental Health Foundation in London thumbing through materials on the coffee table. I picked up a flyer for a new leadership programme, Clore Social Leadership, something I had never heard about at that point. I subsequently secured a space on the inaugural Clore Social Leadership programme as part of the 2010 cohort. In April 2009 I had registered Dementia Adventure as an organisation but in reality, the organisation at that time was just me in a spare bedroom at my parent’s house. No staff, no resources, no hierarchical power. But what I did have was a vision of a better life with dementia. The more I told people about this vision and the idea of Dementia Adventure the more it grew. Before I knew it I was becoming a leader, not because I was a CEO (there was nothing to be a CEO of at that point) but because people like Clore Social believed in me. People wanted to follow me, wanted to join with me to make this idea, this dream, a reality. There were a number of pivotal experiences on the Clore Social programme including producing and launching the research, taking part in Action Learning Sets and mentoring sessions with an in the USA. But perhaps most critical was the experience, confidence and validity I gained from the Clore Leadership programme at Windsor Castle. I learnt over a few days that you are a leader regardless of your position or status in an organisation. You are a leader if you have a vision and a mission which others believe in and want to make happen by choosing to take positive action towards the goal you have articulated. The Clore Social motto resonated then and still does today: ‘know yourself, be yourself and look after yourself.’
Ten years on and thanks to Clore Social, and many many others, my vision is now a reality. During my ten years of leading Dementia Adventure from a back bedroom idea to a £1M organisation supporting thousands of families, I learnt a great deal. Leadership involves following your path, listening to your followers, coping with self-doubt, staying true to your values and having the courage and bravery to fulfil your purpose. I guess looking back I did better at the first two elements of the Clore Social motto: knowing myself and being myself, than I did with the crucial third element, looking after myself. With hindsight, I should have invested sooner in more consistent peer-based support, something which worked so well during the 2010-11 programme period. Being with and talking through challenges with other leaders in an Action Learning Set is now something I have brought back into my life as the host of the Clore Social Chapter for the North of Scotland.
2019 was quite a year. Dementia Adventure celebrated its tenth birthday. My extended family and I relocated to North East Scotland, from Essex, to live a simpler life by the sea and the mountains. As I sit here in 2020 I am deeply proud of everything the growing team of people at Dementia Adventure has achieved and will go on to achieve. In the same way that I am deeply proud of my children, the work has yet to produce more great things. My current path involves writing more and supporting other social sector leaders, as well as swimming in the icy coastal waters of Scotland. Reflecting back on 2010 is an important thing but how many of us plan the next ten years? Where will you be in 2030? What will you be doing? What will you have in your life? For more reading and resources on planning your next decade do please read my blog post: Little green (& black) books.
Neil is a 2010 Clore Social Leadership fellow and Chapter Lead for the Clore Social Leadership North of Scotland Chapter. For more information on the work of this chapter click here to visit their page.
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Posted By Clore Social Leadership,
10 February 2020
Updated: 23 October 2020
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Blog by 2019 Cobseo Emerging Leader Fellow, Katherine Lawrence, Head of Operations at the SCiP Alliance
The Cobseo Emerging Leader programme gave me so much more than I expected. When I plucked up the confidence to submit my application in the hope of expanding my narrow network in the military charity sector, I had no idea how transformative it would be, not only professionally but also personally. I felt welcomed, supported and part of something special and I would advise anyone else considering or starting on this journey to embrace it with openness, curiosity and a willingness to be vulnerable.
With a background in education, I’m used to supporting young people to know themselves, to identify the paths to their goals and to have the confidence to go for it; until now I hadn’t thought how to apply these lessons to myself. The programme provided time to reflect and a safe space to take on challenges and step out of my comfort zone, learning both with and from my fellow participants.
"The programme provided time to reflect and a safe space to take on challenges and step out of my comfort zone."
Some elements of the programme were familiar to me but previously hadn’t deeply touched me; now they were delivered with a thoroughness that was transformative. There were some real ‘oh dear!’ moments as I realised things about myself and my way of interacting that I’d never let myself look at before.
The programme didn’t just make me face these, it gave me tools, motivation and peer accountability which enabled me to change habits of a lifetime. One powerful aspect of the programme was the training in identifying the type of response needed in a situation; I learnt to think about what sort of person I would like to be in an interaction and have been trying, with various degrees of success, to act as that person rather than in my default mode.
I have developed my own leadership identity; I feel more comfortable leading with conviction and am buoyed by a clarity of purpose I have never felt before, confident to take action, take responsibility and handle difficult situations head on.
"I feel more comfortable leading with conviction and am buoyed by a clarity of purpose I have never felt before."
So, to sum up, I certainly did gain those contacts I had hoped for but so much more; true friends and deep understanding of the context they work in. I have a better understanding of not only my own sector but the wider social sector. I am really excited to be part of the new Clore Social South Central chapter – an opportunity to feel again that challenge, reflection and exhilaration I enjoyed on the Cobseo Emerging Leader programme.
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Posted By Clore Social Leadership,
05 February 2020
Updated: 23 October 2020
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My name is Serena Cecchinato, currently Operations Director at Give Us Time, a small military charity supporting Armed Forces families in need of rest and rehabilitation after suffering stresses and strains as a family unit.
I applied for the Cobseo Emerging Leader Programme after my Managing Director heard about the opportunity. At the time, the charity was going through some changes and adjustments which resulted in me having to take up more responsibilities in my role as well as managing a full-time member of staff. Back then, I took the opportunity more to benefit my organisation and my team rather than myself. I didn’t know it would be an extraordinary and life changing personal journey, as well as a professional one.
I think what a lot of people get wrong about “leadership” is that they consider it to be a skill to acquire, some magic wand you can buy along the way. What I have found thanks to the Programme is that everyone is a leader and leadership belongs to everyone; you just need to discover your own leadership style and in which situations you can put it to good use.
"You just need to discover your own leadership style and in which situations you can put it to good use."
Even though all participants had different backgrounds, different years of experience and different paths ahead of us, the Programme created a safe environment where we could learn, grow and develop from each other. I found it enlightening to be able to share experiences, thoughts and ideas with peers from my sector. It was important to realise how people react differently to situations. With understanding comes the knowledge of behaving in a way that brings the best of everyone to the table.
"With understanding comes the knowledge of behaving in a way that brings the best of everyone to the table."
Some people need to be reassured, others need to shine, while others prefer structures and deadlines. It’s about understanding your team and how the different personalities can work together at their very best, improving the efficiency and productivity of your organisation, as well as making the work environment a much better place.
It is also important to understand yourself and how you react to situations and others’ behaviours. Thanks to the Programme, I have understood that you need to be aware of yourself (the good, the bad and the really bad!) in order to be a good leader and inspire others.
The enthusiasm and skills the Programme gifted me with proved to be extremely important for my team and my charity as well. I took what I learned back to the office, discussed it with the team and involved our Board of Trustees as well; overall creating a breath of fresh air we are all benefiting from!
Since I have spoken so highly about my experience with Clore Social, my colleague is now taking the Programme as well! I am looking forward to seeing his journey now.
I also think that the Programme benefits our sector as a whole. Not only because we have created long lasting relations with our peers on the Programme, but because we are influencing our teams, our organisations and by extent: our sector.
I am so grateful I had this opportunity as I have learned so much about myself and improved so many aspects of my professional life as a result. I honestly cannot recommend the Programme more highly!
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