For our next #FellowFriday we are pleased to introduce you to Hannah Taaffe, Girl Voice Lead at Girlguiding and Clore Social Emerging Leader Fellow. Read Hannah's interview which covers her unique leadership journey and some of the projects she is currently working on.

Tell us about your leadership journey to date.

I’m sometimes embarrassed to admit that I grew up largely uninterested in politics – something I now know was a privileged position to be in. But I received a baptism of fire on arrival at a politically active university in the centre of London in the early 2010s, during a wave of protests against tuition fees and austerity. I was lucky to be placed in halls with some amazing feminists who took the time to help me learn and develop my beliefs. Late night (and early morning) debates with them shaped me into the feminist I am today. 
So, freshly inspired and fired up to change the world, I sought out any opportunity to make a difference that I could squeeze between my studies and part-time jobs. I was a steward at protests, did admin work for an anti-austerity organisation, and later became Publicity Officer at the university’s Women’s Network. 
This voluntary experience turned out to be a great launchpad into a career in social impact. During my final year of university, I worked part-time at the Fawcett Society, a women’s rights organisation, and after completing my final exams I worked at Global Citizen, a digital advocacy platform. I learned so much in these roles - from communications and events to campaigns and advocacy. What I love about campaigning is helping people see themselves as agents of change, and inspiring them to take positive action. No action or person is too small to make a difference – everything and everyone can have a ripple effect. 

It wasn’t until I worked at Save the Children UK that I began to see myself as a leader, thanks to an amazing line manager. Her style of line management was all about coaching and finding opportunities to help me grow. She supported me to get involved in projects where I could develop skills and experience in areas I was interested in – such as working with children and young people. 

She encouraged me to apply for the Clore Social Leadership Emerging Leaders (Women and Girls) programme. At the time, I was volunteering with Girlguiding with a group of Rangers (14–18-year-olds) in south London, and was trustee of a small suicide prevention charity called Olly’s Future. But I was in a junior position at Save the Children, so I felt a lot of imposter syndrome when I was accepted into the programme. How could I be a leader, when I didn’t have anything like ‘manager’ in my job title? My time on the programme helped me to see leadership is not about your job title or your place in a hierarchy – it’s about inspiring others around you, which has a ripple effect that can ultimately transform the world around us.

I now work at Girlguiding, where I lead the advocate panel – a group of Girlguiding members aged 14-25 who speak out on behalf of girls and young women across the UK on issues they care about. These young people inspire me every day, and show me that anyone can be a leader, at any age. 

What impact did the 2020 Emerging Leader: Women and Girls Programme have on your leadership journey?

It gave me the confidence to see myself as a leader. It also taught me that wellbeing is fundamental to sustainable social leadership – we must look after ourselves so that we can continue supporting others to create change.
Being part of the 2020 cohort, it’s impossible to think about my time on the programme without remembering the uncertainty and anxiety of early lockdowns. I think that’s what helped us as a cohort to develop such a deep connection – we supported each other through some really difficult moments. This taught me that vulnerability is a huge part of leadership; if you allow others to hold you up, it ultimately makes you stronger. 

What were your takeaways from the Emerging Leader: Women and Girls Programme? 

Many of the tools and resources have come in handy over the years. I often find myself going  back to my Clore Social notebook to help myself or sometimes to share with my partner, who is also a leader in the social impact sector.
But the best takeaway is undoubtedly the incredible network of Clore Social fellows. They’ve been there to support me as I’ve considered career decisions and big life changes. This network has also provided opportunities for collaboration; just recently I’ve worked with another fellow from the programme to plan an event to inspire young Girlguiding members to consider careers in politics.
My work mostly concerns advocacy and external lobbying, but I also support our advocates to feed into internal changes, such as within governance and strategy. I’m always looking for more ways we can bring in the voices of young people into our decision-making. I’ve taken what I learnt on the programme and put it into practice. I’m more confident in making suggestions, challenging constructively, managing upwards and influencing others.

What projects are you excited to be working on in the near future?

I’m currently in the process of two different types of recruitment: recruiting for new volunteer members of the advocate panel, and recruiting a new member of staff who I will line manage. It will be my first formal line management role, four years after I first applied for the Clore Social programme! In that time I’ve mentored and coached junior colleagues, as well as the young people I work with, but I’m really excited to apply my learnings from the programme to this new challenge of line management. As I embark on this new chapter of my leadership journey, I feel lucky to have such a strong foundation through Clore Social. 

What advice would you give to someone considering taking part in the Emerging Leader programme? 

Go for it, and commit to it. It’s a transformative experience. You will learn new skills and tools to apply to your work (or wherever you do your changemaking), and you will be welcomed into an incredible network of Clore Social Fellows which will be invaluable for years to come. But most importantly, you will learn more about yourself and your own leadership style, develop resilience, and learn how to look after yourself – so that you can continue to tackle the social challenges of today and tomorrow.

You can find Hannah on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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