Using Appreciative Inquiry to make Strategic Choices Appreciative inquiry is a powerful tool for developing a new strategy: It builds an organisation-wide conversation that identifies existing strengths It generates a vision of how to make the most of those strengths It creates optimism around the new strategy, fuelling the organisation with energy. Most importantly: It…
Starting the year with appreciation A new year gives a sense of new possibilities, of doing things differently. One simple approach we can take in this first week of 2023 is to pay attention to what we appreciate. Appreciation is powerful because it is a positive lens through which we see what is happening around…
Planning in a complex and uncertain world How to plan in times of complexity and uncertainty? We are living in a time of VUCA. VUCA describe situations and environments that are: VolatileUncertainComplexAmbiguous For organisations working on change this is the world we inhabit. When we think of planning, we are, in effect, predicting how best…
Build leadership where you need it, when you need it Over the years I have worked alongside hundreds of not-for-profit organisations – big and small. All these organisations have one thing in common: talented and committed people. In most cases, they also have really good leaders, women and men with a vision and a dedication…
The power of appreciative inquiry Over the past year Lucy Roberts and I have been using appreciative inquiry with a range of organisations. We have found it a powerful way to unlock potential and generate momentum. It’s also very flexible. Teams have used it to build trust and create psychological safety. A global NGO worked…
What have we learnt about leading in tough times? Over the few weeks I have asked dozens of people across the not-for-profit sector what have they learnt about leadership during the pandemic. It’s not a surprise to hear that many people said they were exhausted, had struggled with motivation, felt underprepared and were just focusing…
Connect Deeply – Focus On Your Strengths Today’s blog looks at how we generate more connection to our work, by focusing on our strengths. It’s sounds simple, but it’s not that common. Research shows that most of us spend only 15-30% using our strengths each day. What are we doing the rest of the time?…
Connection Regained – the Power of a Vision The previous blog explored how over time people can lose connection between the ‘work they want to do’ and the mission of the organisation. The work they want to achieve becomes ‘just a job they have to do’. That’s not inevitable. We have the power to…
connection lost When we start a new role, we know what we want to achieve, what the organisation wants to achieve and how the two are connected. Over time, that sense of connection often weakens. In some cases, people gradually become disconnected to the point that the work they want to achieve becomes ‘just a…
As the world changes, it’s time for renewal Has the word renew ever sounded so sweet, or indeed so necessary? To be new again, may seem fanciful, but it’s baked into nature’s design. It’s as simple as an apple falling off a tree. Renewal is an ongoing aspect of life, available to all of us,…
