Have you ever found yourself lost in the wilderness, not sure where to go or how to get there, surrounded by the unknown and potential danger?

Just like navigating unfamiliar territory, defining and achieving impactful goals in humanitarian and development work can feel like wandering without direction.

Without a clear vision, leaders risk inefficiency, aimlessness, and missed opportunities for positive change.

Discovering the roadmap to impactful leadership is crucial in today's complex...

What is a common fear of leaders in humanitarian and international development when it comes to coaching their teams?

The fear of losing respect.

Losing respect because their team sees them as needing to have all the answers.

So if they start asking their teams what they think, then the team will question their authority.

I understand the reasoning behind this concern, especially in certain cultures where leadership is more directive.

But how true is it?

And is it really true we need to...

When I was a leader in the international development and the humanitarian sector, I had many reasons to rush.

There is always a deadline - whether a proposal, a project need or a government request.

And yet there are consequences for being in a hurry and just trying to get things done.

In this episode I share the importance of slowing down to understand and listen, and my own experience with what happens when we do not.

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As a leader you influence the level of diversity on your team.

Allowing greater diversity results in your team contributing ideas and more innovation.

And greater contribution/ideas = greater impact.

In this episode we explore the story of Little Richard, an African American performer who despite many obstacles was able to be himself, resulting in him becoming one of the most influential people on rock and roll.

So what allowed Little Richard to do so well, and what can you do as a leader...

There are many ways to lead in the international development and humanitarian sectors.

Whether it's by using a coach approach leadership style or by mentoring others, there are many ways to demonstrate leadership that benefit those around us.

In this episode guest Fiona Macaulay (Founder of the Women Innovators and Leaders Development Network or WILD Network) shares how this year's WILD Forum will fulfill the theme "Lead at Every Level, Everywhere."

We discuss how all of us can be better...

How we spend our time each day directly relates to our likelihood of achieving our goals.

If we spend our time on what I call "empty calorie tasks" we will probably not change or grow much.

But if we prioritize high quality tasks related to our goals, we will more likely achieve them.

Understanding how to prioritize our time so we achieve our goals is one of my 2023 Lessons Learned.

In this episode I share a helpful way to make decisions so you are on the path to achieving your 2024 goals.

How have you done achieving your annual goals?

Sometimes it feels like there's some magic formula that we are missing which will allow us to achieve our goals.

Thankfully, that's not true.

Achieving our goals comes down to one thing.

And that is: how we have prioritized our time.

The way we use our time compounded leads us to the results we have today.

The good news is that means you can make a change.

If you choose to use your time on the things that will result in a stronger team or you as...

You're listening to this because you want to grow as a leader.

One way to do that is to be aware of your mindset.

Having the right mindset, or perspective, can motivate us to grow and improve.

But having the "wrong" mindset can lead to the opposite of growth.

One limited mindset I see in humanitarian and development supervisors is when they tell themselves "they already know" something.

"They already know" about this person.

Or "they already know" about this skill.

Or "they already know"...

Whether you know it or not, you have a certain way of leading your team.

They are used to you doing things a certain way.

So if you suddenly change that without saying anything...

It could be very disruptive, and unproductive.

In this episode I share what I've learned about how to introduce a new way of leading to make it successful, in part by making the transition more comfortable and inclusive.

Resources Mentioned:

The Coach Approach Leadership Style

Are you the hero or the victim of your story?

Sometimes we may be a victim - and not even realize it.

And when we are a victim - we become helpless and hopeless.

This means we don't act, we don't grow and we don't help ourselves or others.

Because we see our situation as "reality" - rather than seeing it as a story that can change.

In this episode I share how to recognize when you are in victim mode and what you can do to get out of it.

Resources mentioned:

The Coach Approach Leadership...