I LOVE questions.

Not all questions....

The powerful questions.

I collect them actually.  :)

And so it's not easy for me to pick out three favorites. 

But I have chosen three that really helped me as a leader, and I know can help you too.

In this episode I share three of my favorite questions that have inspired others to take action and also helped me understand them better.

You'll learn what types of situations to use them, and how they work.

I challenge you to try at least one...

Today's guest has really done it.

He has taken what he learned about coaching and created a culture within his organization that has resulted in a more proactive team.  This in turn has allowed him to grow his organization and focus on the important.

In short, Salif Kanoute, President of DECLIC NGO in Senegal, has gotten out of his own way.

This is not easy as a leader - we often think our teams need us too much for us to step back.

But Salif is a great example of what can happen when a...

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 important to know when we are using the "I Don't Know" excuse, and how we can overcome it.

So you can move...

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 resolve conflict Jo shares, which we sometimes ignore or skip - resulting in creating more conflict...

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 way of doing something.

So that’s all well and good, but how do we...

“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.

The work that will make the most impact.

But sometimes...

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 can make smoother and better transitions, even as a humanitarian leader.

Resources and links:

Asel's...

If you listen to this podcast you already know how important leadership is in the humanitarian and international development space.

Great leaders can motivate others toward achieving a shared vision.

Not so great leaders can cause team members to work long hours, lose motivation and quit their roles.

So how do we become great leaders, the kind that we admire?

One way is by going WILD.

The Women Innovators and Leaders (WILD) Network, that is.

The WILD Network is specifically for aid worker...