I am excited to introduce two of my former students, Brenda Kamboga and Bronwen Moore.  In this episode they share what they learned in my coaching course, The Aid Worker's Guide to Successful Coaching 101, and how it changed their perspective in how they approach their teams and at home.  You might be surprised by what they have to say, and some of the advice they give in starting your own coaching journey.

This episode is brought to you by my digital coaching course, The Aid...

Discomfort can be a sign that we're stepping outside our normal routine, and trying something new.  As I used to tell my staff, discomfort is a sign that you are growing.  But why do we get so uncomfortable in the first place and how can we manage our discomfort so it does not get in the way of reaching our goals?  In this episode you'll find four ways you can reach beyond your comfort zone in aid work and push the boundaries of what is possible.

A philosophy I am aspiring to live by right now is to take more responsibility in my work and life.  That means recognizing that the results in my life and work are consequences of the choices I have made.  Sometimes we confuse what is within our control and what is outside of it, meaning we do not always recognize how much control we have over certain outcomes (health, professional advancement, etc). 

In this episode I present three primary areas aid workers forget we have...

Whether it's managing email, determining which working group meeting to attend or balancing time to respond to our team's needs, as aid workers we need all the help we can get to be able to make deadlines and maintain a work-life balance.  Of course there are a ton of resources on how to increase productivity - but what are some of the best tips for aid work?  

My guest today has figured out quite a few - with a ninja twist.  Lauren Pelascini's role as Sub Regional Head...

A five year study by Google on highly effective teams found that by far the most important characteristic of a successful team is to feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable.   So how can we create an environment in which our teams feel safe enough to be vulnerable and in which we can have open and sometimes difficult conversations?

Whether it is a change in policy or a cut in funding, we all have to have difficult conversations as aid worker leaders.  But saying or doing the...

Maybe you've heard of a Mastermind Group.  Maybe you've even thought about joining one.  Well I can tell you from my experience, I have found them so valuable I have formed two myself and all three of my Masterminds have been invaluable in terms of giving me great advice during difficult times, encouragement when I have struggled and celebrations when I have done well.  Not only this, I have learned so much from my fellow Mastermind members around leadership and other...

Do you ever feel like you are in reactive mode, responding to what is going on around you during your day but not having the time to work on tasks that require focused and undistracted thought time?  Making time for focused time or “deep work” as Cal Newport claims in his in his bestselling book, is linked with innovation, greater productivity and staff morale.  But deep work isn’t just something you can do right away, it requires advanced planning and...

One of the major struggles in aid work that I have encountered both myself and amongst other aid workers is around protecting a certain number of hours during the work week to work on those “important” tasks. You know, the tasks that can help us make a bigger impact, and advance our teams and ourselves professionally. But somehow, it always seems like other things get in the way of working on the “important” stuff. Proposals drop, supervisors invite us to meetings, or...

It can be scary to seek feedback, knowing that if you are to get genuine feedback there are inevitably things you will find out about that you may not want to know.  Add to that the difficulty of receiving open feedback in some of the cultures where we work in the humanitarian context, and receiving honest feedback becomes even more challenging.  And what do you do once you have received that feedback?  How do you incorporate it in a way that improves your relationship with...

Being vulnerable as a leader can earn you more respect and trust with your team, and also make it more likely you will find out about any problems on the horizon before they become too great.

My guest today, Lane Bunkers, shares how being vulnerable has helped him in his 30 years working in international development and some ways you can do the same when working with your team that will make your team feel more motivated to follow you.