This is the story of how one fundraising team boosted their weekly productivity by 400 percent.
It wasn’t due to pay rises or catered lunches – or even an inspiring or well-trained manager giving staff the motivation to do their work better. So what was it?
It’s difficult to talk about power. Mentioning power can conjure up memories of encounters with parents, teachers, bosses, the law, family or partners who have exercised power over over us in negative ways.
But power relationships are woven throughout our lives, and throughout our workplaces. And being clear about who holds power – particularly the power to make decisions – in your organisation, as well as ensuring that structure reflects your organisation’s shared values – will mean that staff and volunteers understand how and why power works as it does. And that can mean the difference between an empowered staff member, and a disempowered, disengaged one.
Did you know that up to 70 percent of organisational change initiatives fail?
A new guide to change management can help ensure yours isn’t one of them.
If you’re a manager in an Australian NFP, it’s quite likely you haven’t received any formal leadership training. Indeed, one study found that leaders on average only received leadership training a full decade after they started managing people.
But what if there was one simple thing you could do now that would dramatically increase your success as a manager and leader?
Having a difficult conversation in the workplace can be, well, difficult. Giving criticism is hard – and so is receiving it. As a result, the conversations that need to be had the most often go unspoken, leaving problems and grievances unaddressed and ultimately causing issues like reduced productivity and low morale.
Inequality, injustice, environmental destruction . . . things need to change in the world – that much is clear to anyone working in the NFP sector.
And to create the future we want – and need – it’s going to take leaders who can step up and “shape the future we want.”
When Trent Innes took the helm as managing director of accounting software company Xero Australia four years ago, their team numbered just 40. Now the company has grown to 400 employees and shows no sign of slowing down. For Innes, hiring for the right attitude is critical to the success of the organisation. So, how does he do it?
One of the most admirable and arguably underrated qualities of leadership is the capacity for reflection. Confucius called it the most noble way to learn wisdom.
But when we talk about what makes someone a successful leader, we typically describe attributes like the ability to innovate, make strategic decisions or manage uncertainty. We rarely mention reflection among the core traits of a great leader.
But the ability to reflect is actually among the most important traits that will determine a leader’s success.
Most NFP organisations realise just how important having great managers is to the success of their organisation – and they should also have a pretty good idea of what makes a great manager.
So the goal is clear. But as a senior leader or HR manager, how do you get your organisation and its managers to that point?
No job is forever. Even the most essential and inspirational leaders will eventually leave the NFP sector, and it’s never too early to start preparing for that day. When an organisation’s CEO or a senior executive leaves an organisation – especially if they have been in the role for a lengthy period of time or […]