Sometimes creating a more diverse and inclusive environment in the aid sector seems like a huge task that's going to take time.  And there is some truth in that.

That said, there are things we as humanitarian leaders can start doing immediately with our existing teams to create more diversity.  Things that we may not normally consider.

My guest today Saraounia Mboka-Boyer has 13 years' experi...

How often do you tell yourself or hear your team say "I Don't Know"?

"I don't know how to do a donor presentation."

"I don't know how to write a strategic plan."

"I don't know how to manage my time."

It sounds like a reasonable thing.

To not know how.

But often times, we use it as an excuse.

An excuse to not take action.

And so we are stuck and stay the same.

And nothing happens.

It's...

Handling conflict as a humanitarian leader can be scary.

How do we best address conflict so that it is a win-win for us and the other person(s) involved?

My guest today, Jo Rodrigues, has 16 years' experience working with the UN, INGO's and various other organizations on how to overcome conflict in a way that everyone feels understood and valued.

You may be surprised by some of the steps to ...

In last week's episode, Chen Kadungure and I talked about how to create focus and eliminate distractions so you can do more focused or deep work.

Once again deep work is focused, uninterrupted, undistracted work on a task that pushes your cognitive abilities to their limit.

Examples of this include——writing or reviewing a donor report, proposal writing, strategic planning, or creating a new w...

“If you don't produce, you won't thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.”  Cal Newport, author of “Deep Work”

Noisy generators.  Crowing roosters.  Loud music.

Working in the aid world can be very distracting!

Not to mention all the email, texts and other notifications.

Sometimes it's hard to create an environment for focus.

So you can do the IMPORTANT work.... concentrated work....

Today is a bit different from our typical episode.  

After publishing "The Power of Silence",which discusses how we can use silence for more meaningful communication, I received a question from a longtime listener.

She asked "how do we use silence (or should we) during a difficult conversation?"

This is a great question, and so I decided to do a follow up episode to answer it!

How DO we use...

If there's one thing we can count on in humanitarian work, it's CHANGE!

We are constantly making transitions - and as leaders, even more so.

Whether it's managing a new team, a new project or just wanting to become a better leader, being intentional about how we transition can make a big difference in how we show up.

In this episode my guest and fellow coach Asel Ormonova provides ways you c...

We all know the nightmares. 

You go through a hiring process -- and think you've found the perfect candidate.

They have tons of great experience.  And they have a great network.

You can't wait for them to start working on your team!

Until... their true character is shown.  Perhaps they are late to work repeatedly.  Or maybe they don't trust anyone on the team.  Or maybe they cause a lot of ...

Have you heard of the TV show Undercover Boss?

It's where a senior manager for a large company disguises themselves and then works alongside their staff on the ground.

What usually happens is they find out all the things going right, but also those going wrong.

And what's interesting is the people on the ground know what's going wrong and know how to solve it - but don't have the power to ch...

"Man can be destroyed but not defeated." - Hemingway

Mehmet Gunes has not had it easy.

After the conflict broke out in Syria, he lost everything.

And so he had to look for a new livelihood in a new country.

Fortunately he had his poetry to help him persevere.

After facing failure after failure, he found his calling:  mixing music with learning.

In this episode he shares his journey and ho...