Agencies can be difficult places to work. The main reasons we see for this, are: You are constantly switching between different contexts There is a natural power imbalance between client and service 1. Context switching can lead to insecurity Switching between contexts means that you can often feel unprepared for the meeting you’re going in to. When…

Everyone focuses on capabilities, job titles and salary when trying to progress their careers. The single most important thing I’ve found in my career is actually building relationships with others. — As with all skills, those that are good at it make things look effortless. However in my experience people who have lots of connections tend to have taken a very proactive decision to build that network.

More diverse perspectives create better solutions Real collaboration is the ability to bring lots of different points of view together to create new ideas that none of those viewpoints would have made by themselves. This is all good in theory — but in practice is incredibly difficult to make happen. In reality, you have power differentials…

Pressure is only unbearable, when you think you’re the only one who’s experiencing it Steve Hansen, record breaking New Zealand rugby coach Over the last 18 months we’ve switched to a remote first model. This has allowed us to work with people from a wider variety of perspectives than would…

The aim of a pitch process should be to find a partner that truly matches the skills and approach you’re looking for. The people involved should feel safe enough to provide their best work, to help you make this decision effectively. If you don’t create a safe space, then you’ll…

We held another fascinating discussion with some of the charity sector’s top leaders in digital. Here’s the biggest opportunities and challenges they’re seeing at the moment. 1. New ways of working Equalised power structures & international hiring The power dynamic was skewed for an international org with a London base, in terms of who got to speak, how many projects people…

The new year means lots of people starting new jobs. In coaching and mentoring dozens of people that have been through a similar experience, largely in the UK charity sector, here are a few things that i’ve noticed the most successful do. 1 Write down why you wanted to move in the first place Sometimes we fall into a new job. It…

Summary: Culture is based on what people do. A team with a psychologically safe culture will outperform any other team, even with less resources. Now is the ideal time to change your culture and you can do so by spending time listening, empathising and trusting each other. Culture is what it’s ok to assume Edgar Schein defined…

Summary: Break sessions into 10 minute chunks Switch between presentation and interactive activities Always write out the exercise instructions Spend time building trust with people outside of meetings Remote sessions have opened up a whole new way for people to contribute to the direction of your organisation. …