Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast (Torrey Peace)

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According to the 2016 UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization survey, 40% of adults in low income countries are illiterate. This does not take into consideration the number of innumerate adults, which can be higher in some situations.

It is important to remember that as you are reading this you have an unintended bias toward communicating and interacting with literate people.  However many of the populations we work with have limited degrees of literacy and numeracy. We live in the same world, but approach this world quite differently. And sometimes the way we approach this world can be the difference between widespread behavior change versus excluding a significant amount of the population. 

Today’s guest Brett Matthews is the Executive Director of My Oral Village and has years of experience working with these populations.  This episode will present you with some ideas about how to build bridges between these two worlds, so we are more inclusive and respectful of the way they receive and understand information. Only by understanding this “code” of illiterate and innumerate people can we truly communicate with them, and thereby make a broader impact.

Among other useful tips in this episode you will learn:

• Two thirds of all illiterate people are women
• How you can provide valuable support and be more inclusive of illiterate populations through simple methods
• Many times people who are literate are not numerate
• Most literate people can read one digit numbers, but are unable to read after two or three digits
• How aid organizations often ignore or unknowingly ignore innumerate and illiterate people
• Why drawings are more effective than photos for trainings
• How storytelling can help convey your message
• How to be more inclusive of oral populations in focus group discussions
• Skill sets to look for when hiring staff that will frequently communicate with oral populations

Resources:

- How illiterate populations used traditional ways of memorizing vasts amount of information: The Memory Code - The Secrets of Stonehenge, Easter Island and Other Ancient Monuments 

- More About Orality and the Work of MOVE

- Financial Calculator to Teach Numeracy

How to Connect with Brett:

- LinkedIn

- Twitter - @myoralvillage

- My Oral Village

How do you want to be remembered by your team and others one to five years from now?

What will be your Leadership Legacy?  

Something that you will look back upon and think "wow I am so proud I achieved that."

Over the next three episodes, I am going to discuss how to achieve a Leadership Legacy - how to be intentional about the impact we want to make and how you can achieve that impact as a leader.

Understanding the impact you want to make once you move on is an important step to actually achieving it - and we begin with awareness.

In part one, we explore becoming more aware of the number one way you will either achieve your legacy or not - that is by understanding how you are spending your time.

We'll discuss a simple acitvity you can do to know what you're currently prioritizing (through your actions) and whether your actions are in line with what you wish to achieve.  Once you know this, we can look next week in Part Two at how you WANT to spend your time.  And then in Part Three we will discuss what you want your legacy to become - and how you want to be remembered.

There is an upcoming Workshop I will be leading on "Creating Your Leadership Legacy" in which you can craft your own personal Leadership Legacy Statement - so stay tuned for more!!

Most of us are hoping there will be significant changes in the humanitarian and international development sectors in the next few years.

You're probably already familiar with some of the wish list: localization, decentralization, greater equity and inclusiveness.

This sounds great, but how likely is it to happen?

And what role can we as leaders play to help make it happen?

In this episode I take the findings in a recently published report on the changing role of INGO's now and into the future, and applied an individual leadership lense to answer this question:

In line with the change we wish to see, what can we as individuals do to become the Humanitarian and Development Leader 2.0?

Resources mentioned:

"INGOs and the Long Humanitarian Century: Leadership Survey Report"

Register Now for this FREE One Hour Master Class:

If you would like to become the future of humanitarian and development leadership, register for this free one hour Master Class on how to use Powerful Questions to create an empowered team:

"Simple Ways to Empower Your Team - How to Use Powerful Questions to Create a More Proactive, Confident Team". 

It is almost impossible to find a job that doesn't involve something you find yourself avoiding.  As Country Manager I avoided accounting as much as was possible, but it was a necessary part of being successful in that role.  In order to achieve more impact and reach our goals, we sometimes have to focus on the areas that we want to avoid the most.  It's not always easy, but in this episode I provide you a five step process that will make it easier, and more sustainable!  If there is something you know would make a big difference in your work but you either are avoiding it or telling yourself you don't have the time, this episode is for you!

You can download the Five Steps to a Bigger Impact here.

As humanitarians we all have our stories about reaching, and perhaps surpassing, our breaking point.  You know, the time when you lost it and started yelling at your team, or you slammed a door harder than you had meant to, or you find yourself sick with some parasite whose name you cannot pronounce.

My guest today, Lia Hulit, shares some ways to make wellbeing more sustainable, or how to be proactive about maintaining wellbeing so we don't get to the point we are ready to eat that gallon of questionable ice cream.  

Lia Hulit is a life and career coach who helps stuck and frustrated individuals build meaningful careers and align with their purpose. Her blend of encouragement combined with focused strategy and practical tools ensures positive outcomes for people motivated to transform their work lives, get unstuck, and start making a bigger impact in the world.

You can connect with her on:

• Website: www.LiaHulit.com

• Instagram: @puravidaperspective 

• Facebook @liahulitcoaching

When we first start a conversation with our team member, they may say they want to solve a certain problem.

But if we allow them the ability to think things through, sometimes the original problem is not the REAL problem.

In other words, what they say they want is not what they REALLY want.

This is a powerful realization, and can mean the difference between having a conversation which results in no action because the root problem has not been addressed, versus one that allows forward movement.

This is a common occurence in coaching, and an important thing to catch.

If when you are coaching you detect what your coachee or team member said in the beginning is not what they really want, you can ask to change the focus of the session, and make it a lot more productive.

In this episode I provide some examples of what this looks like, how to detect it and what to do when you do.

Resources mentioned:

The Coach Approach Leadership Style 

The Power and Impact of Coaching in the Humanitarian and Development Sector - Humanitarian Networks and Partnership Weeks

Over the last few weeks I have had some time to reflect over the struggles I had as a humanitarian leader in Timor and what was effective in overcoming these struggles. In this episode I share three of the remaining practices that I would do again as a leader to make a more united and motivated team. Also I am giving away a freebie to those signed up for Supplemental Sundays by November 24th which provides an easy way for you to show donors and other stakeholders you are serious about your work.

In this episode you will learn:

• How to obtain alignment when introducing a new idea or initiative

• The ideal way to roll out a change within your team

• Why telling others what to do is not sustainable

• A common reason why many teams become divided and three ways to overcome it

• Why it is possible to share staff across projects

• The importance of “walking our talk”

• Two examples of things you can do to show stakeholders you are serious about your programming

For resources to today's episode go to www.aidforaidworkers.com/podcast/39

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 a stronger leader, you can achieve it.

One obstacle that I see humanitarian and development leaders create for themselves is the idea that later will be better.

After I finish this proposal, or donor visit, or final report, or whatever... THEN I will have the time.

But that is just not true.

There will always be things to do.

Things that make you "busy".

So knowing this, how can you prioritize what you know will make the most impact?

Learn more in this episode.

Resources mentioned:

Not Enough Time and Later Is Better

Today's episode is a little different - it covers three stories, two of my former direct reports and one colleague, who all experienced changes in their work and lives due to coaching.  I hope their stories will inspire you to understand how much coaching can help move you forward in a way that a normal conversation cannot, even in the context of international development.

Thank you to Yane Pinto, Matthew Will and Renee Lambert for sharing your stories.

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 of Programs makes time management to balance the needs of three countries essential, and today she shares some tips from her favorite resource, Graham Allcott's book The Productivity Ninja.  

In this episode you will learn ways to do the following:

• Planning your day based on your energy level
• How to know your energy levels throughout the day
• How to best manage email 
• How to make meetings shorter and more efficient
• Why protecting your time is important and how to do it
• The best way to end your day

It's that time of the year again --- goal setting time!  Maybe you're excited about that, and maybe you're not.  But really, apart from being exciting in terms of thinking of the possibilities of achieving a goal, how likely is it you will actually achieve it?

In this three part series on goal setting, I will share some unconventional ways to think about goal setting that will make it way more likely you will achieve them.  In this episode we start by talking about the systems you set up to reach your goals, and how that is just as or more important than the goals themselves.

Resources mentioned:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Our native language greatly influences how we see the world, since we think and express ourselves through words.  This means we are limited to our own vocabulary, which is shaped by our cultural values.  

As language shapes our reality, and in international development and humanitarian work we collaborate with teams from a broad range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, it becomes essential to understand how language influences our human experience.  In this episode I share three common phrases that limit ourselves and our teams and offer alternative phrases that will produce the results you want.

Last week we looked at how to become aware of how we are using our time through conducting a Time Audit 2.0 (looking at both activities and energy level). 

Now that you know how you currently use your time, we can start to decide if that is how we want to use our time.  The series of questions in this episode will help you decide how much control you have over your time, where your current actions are leading you and then how you want to intentionally use your time.

Understanding the answers to these questions will allow you to make decisions that allow you to be in control over your time and where it is leading you, instead of being a victim of it.  

Salary negotiations - not easy, and yet so important.  There are so many things I wish I had known as an aid worker when transitioning in my career and negotiating salary--- but unfortunately I learned the hard way and made a lot of mistakes along the way.

My guest today, Monica Rockstroh, is here to help you avoid those mistakes.  She is a professional Career Pep Talker and in this episode shares advice around how to navigate common salary negotiation scenarios in aid work so you get what you want and deserve.   

Among other topics we cover:

• Why women struggle in this area more than men
• How to prepare to ask for a raise in salary and how to manage the process afterwards
• What to do if you hear a colleague with the same job title and experience as you is making a lot more money
• What to do when an employer asks what your previous salary was in order to estimate the current one
• When to negotiate salary and best practices around how to do it
• Limiting beliefs around salary negotiations and how they may be holding you back

And much more!!

Resources mentioned and how to reach Monica:

It amazes me how common it is to have a toxic boss in the humanitarian sector.  Unfortunately these toxic supervisors drive talented people out of the organization and do more harm than good.  If you are one of those suffering with a toxic boss, this episode is for you.  I share how to survive in this situation based on what's worked for me in the past and for others I've coached.  

Let's face it--- in international development we are faced with a lot of stress in our day to day work.  This stress is only compounded when we go home and the generator is broken, there is a curfew for security reasons, or we develop malaria after last week's field visit.  To add to this stress further, as humanitarians we put even more pressure on ourselves to do our best because we know by doing so we can help more people.

My guest today Elizabeth Whelan has tried a variety of methods to reduce stress during her time as an aid worker.  In this episode she shares four simple ways that have proven effective.  These techniques are so effective that they inspired her to orient her career around mental health and mindfulness.

The resources to this episode will be sent in the next Supplemental Sundays email listserve which you can sign up for by going to the website www.aidforaidworkers.com.

In this interview Edna Morris, with forty years' experience in the male dominated restaurant industry, shares some great advice to apply to our field in many of the patriarchal contexts for men and women.  For example when Edna was told by several men that the role she had taken at a new job should be for a man, she shares how she handled this situation in a way which earned her respect. She also shares advice around how her leadership skills evolved as she advanced in her career and examples of how she handled some difficult situations and managed to find a win-win for all involved. At the end of the podcast I will provide a summary of a few points of advice she gives and some ideas on how you could apply a few of these things to your situation. I know this episode is a bit longer than normal, but I made sure it is packed full of great advice that you may apply in your future. 

Have you ever considered the way you lead others could be adding to your workload?

Just as the way humanitarian and development work has evolved over the last 50 to 60 years, so has the need to lead differently.  

In this episode you'll learn:

• How leadership has evolved in the humanitarian and development sector and current requirements of the Modern Humanitarian and Development Leader 2.0 (today's leaders)
• When to use different leadership styles effectively to get the most from your team
• How to know if your leadership style is adding to your workload, or lessening it

Stop creating more work for yourself and learn how to become the Modern Humanitarian Leader by listening now!

Many of you are aware of what's happening right now in the US with protests over the recent death of George Floyd, another unarmed African American male killed by a policeman.  This has been a reality for African American males for years, but only more recently has come to the attention of the general public.  And this begs the question, how did many of us not pay attention for so long, and what else are we missing?

In our own teams we can learn a lot about power dynamics and privilege by paying more attention.  The farther up we progress, the more blind we may become to it.  In this episode I provide some particular areas which you may want to pay more attention, so you can build teams based on equality.

To receive Supplemental Sundays bi-weekly email please sign up here!

I am excited for a big change in my life, but it signifies a big transition in terms of leaving Timor and an amazing team and a country program I have put my heart into building over the last four and a half years.  I have taken some time to reflect what I have done well as a leader during my time here, and what I could have done better.  Today I want to focus on what obstacles if I had overcome them would have made my team stronger and our work in the community even better.  

These obstacles are not easy for me to admit - and yet I think you may relate to at least one of them.  I want to make this as useful as possible for you, so I am going to suggest ways in which you can overcome similar obstacles if you face them.  

This is a lot of information - so much so I have split it into two episodes - but I think you will find it very helpful and if you want to get the full transcript for this show so you can review at your leisure, I will send it in the next Supplemental Sundays email on Sunday July 8th.  If you want to receive it all you have to do, if you are not already subscribed to the email list, is sign up on for the next Supplemental Sundays email.

For resources mentioned in this episode, please find here.

Once you have your team vision, how will you get your team's alignment to follow that vision?  In this episode you will take the vision you formed in part one, finalize it and introduce it to your team in a way that will get their buy-in.  

What would you love to accomplish beyond what's in your job description?

Not the "have to do" but the "WANT to do".

Something that if you accomplished it, you would be so proud - and would make lasting impact on your team and beyond.

Many of the leaders I work with have not thought about this.

At least not intentionally.

In this episode, I give you some ideas of what it looks like to go beyond your job description, and achieve something great. 

Your own leadership legacy.

And it doesn't take extra work.

It's more about making the way you work more focused, and intentional.

So when you leave your current role, you can do so with pride at what you've accomplished - your own legacy.

We all know the saying “you are what you eat”. Well what if you performed how you ate as well? I know since learning more about diet and nutrition, I definitely notice a correlation between how I am feeling and what I had for lunch. Knowing how food impacts your performance can allow you to take it to the next level, and that is just what we aim to do in this episode. My husband Shannon, although not a nutritionist, has spent hours researching and experimenting on the impact of food on health and performance, and would like to share what he has learned with you, so you can try on your own and see what allows you to be operating at your best. And even better, we share some tips on how to maintain your health in some of the most difficult posts globally in international development and humanitarian work.

What is covered in this episode includes:

• The impact of an all carrot diet

• Three things you should make sure to include in your diet

• The difference between good and bad fats

• Why carbs are not all bad

• Best practices when choosing what food to eat

• Tips on how to get the best quality food in developing countries

• How developing countries often have better food quality than the U.S. or western countries

• Simple ways to get in the habit of eating better

• How water can greatly impact your performance

For a list of resources mentioned go to www.aidforaidworkers.com/podcast/59

Also, if you would like even more information on this topic sign up for the weekly email which will go out the Thursday after this episode is published, which you can do at www.aidforaidworkers.com/weekly-email

If you want to receive similar exclusive stories each week, please enter your email on the Supplemental Sundays page here.

Sometimes you just need to get through the week.  You know what I am talking about - that week where nothing seems to be working, like when you found out that proposal you spent long hours writing was rejected, or perhaps you were late to an important government meeting - an hour late.  All of these things can leave you wondering why you chose this career to begin with, and wouldn't it be easier to go to a country where everything on the menu was actually in the restaurant and you had high speed Internet?

Recently I started a series called Supplemental Sundays, which is a five minute audio clip designed to inspire, create reflection and entertain you every two weeks.  This week's show includes a sample of three different stories from aid workers -  from Michael's story on accidentally participating in illegal border trade to Saul's experiences back in the aid worker survival days, I think you will find them a good reminder of why we do what we do, despite the ups and downs. 

If you are interested in receiving exclusive emails with five minutes of bite size inspiration every two weeks, please go to the Supplemental Sundays page and subscribe.

Have you ever heard about someone receiving professional coaching and thought, I wonder if I could use a coach? In today’s episode, professional coach and academic Liz Griffin explains all about coaching in the humanitarian context, how it can be used and what may result from it, including improving your wellbeing, helping provide strategic guidance in your work or moving closer to realizing your full potential.

If you want to reach Liz, you can do so here: https://liz-griffin.com/. 

For links to the resources mentioned in this episode, please go to www.aidforaidworkers.com/podcast/80. 

We all know those behaviors that annoy us during meetings.  Like when someone comes in late, or interrupts others, or when everyone is on their phone instead of listening.  Whether the behavior is from one person or several, and whether you have a long standing team or a new one,  by the end of this episode you will have a clear set of steps you can apply with your team to eliminate those unwanted behaviors once and for all!  

How open is the communication with your team?  Do they say everything that's on their mind, or are there certain things which turn into gossip and you hear second or third hand?  

From my experience, it is very rare to have a team that tells you everything.  There's always something left unsaid, that can potentially build and escalate into an issue that if unresolved can lead to staff turnover, low morale and more.

But how do we find a way to give our teams a voice that they feel comfortable with?  This is a question we asked ourselves when I worked in Timor-Leste several years ago, and the feedback mechanism we came up with became known as the SMT Plus.

The SMT Plus is a simple and yet VERY effective way to give your team a voice, and to show them you care and want to know about their concerns and challenges.  It allows staff a way for staff to speak up in a way they feel comfortable, and for you as leaders to build trust and engagement.  

In this interview with the current CRS Timor-Leste Country Manager Yane Pinto, as well as SMT member Alberto Freitas, and two staff members Helena de Jesus and Agus Ximenes, we discuss how the SMT Plus works, how it can be created and the numerous benefits that have resulted from it.

Here is a summary of some of the steps to consider as covered in this episode:

• Four SMT Plus members - two are selected by the staff (through confidential voting) and two by the SMT 
• Members must represent the staff - two female and two male, and balance of admin and programming, as well as a balance between more senior staff and drivers, cleaners
• SMT Plus members once selected approach each staff and ask what concerns they want them to bring to the SMT Meeting
• SMT Plus members rotate, and attend a quarterly SMT meeting and observe as well as provide insight to the SMT meeting around the topics brought forth
• The issues brought forward by the SMT Plus members must represent the concerns of the broader team/staff
• The SMT needs to show they have taken action and communicate how the issues raised by the SMT Plus members have been addressed after the meeting
• Not only does it increase trust and engagement, but also those selected as SMT Plus members feel honored and take the responsibility seriously
• Non-SMT members participating in the meeting can see how a SMT meeting runs and how decisions are made at the senior level
• Keep in mind to have a translator present as needed for staff that struggle with language used by SMT
• For more information, please contact Yane Pinto - Yane.Pinto@crs.org

Effective delegation can mean the difference between feeling confident and supported versus anxious and overwhelmed.  If done well, effective delegation can motivate your direct reports and free up your time to focus on other things.  In other words, it is worth knowing how to delegate well.  In this episode I provide different levels of delegation and also a five step process for you to be an effective delegator, as well as some special tips for our aid worker context.

As development leaders we may think it is a given we are promoting dignity within our teams - I mean, we work for humanitarian organizations, of course we promote dignity, right?  In today's episode Tony Castleman will make you think with a dignity lense about not only your own behavior but also some of the other ways (interactions, systems, processes, and norms) which can unknowingly impact the way your team interacts and ultimately if people feel valued. 

Tony and his team had their own revelation around how to enhance dignity in the workplace after doing a workshop he designed to make people more mindful around how they treat one another and what kind of culture they are creating.  I have included the downloadable PDF here which you can use to recreate this workshop with your own team, and ensure your team is also aligned to promote dignity both within your own organization and externally.

One of the big problems with our industry which I have talked about before in episode 44 is complacency.  That is, due to the nature of our environment, because we have so many challenges with logistics and lack of infrastructure and resources and the challenges with finding qualified staff, we become complacent and don’t hold ourselves to the standard we might ordinarily. 

I can understand the reason behind this, I myself experienced it especially in environments like South Sudan, but it is a dangerous slippery slope.  And many times in part because of this complacency, we don’t hold our teams accountable for high performance. And before you know it, the culture within the country program becomes one of not holding individuals accountable for results, and the impact we want to see in our work does not materialize as a result.

In this episode I share four tips to achieve high team performance, even if the expectations for holding people accountable within your country program are not clear. What’s there to lose by trying? Become the example of what is possible within your organization.

if you find this episode helpful, please share it with someone you think can benefit from it!

Making sure a new team member's first day goes well and they have a great impression of your organization is very important.  But how often do we rush through this process or overlook just how much impact a good or bad experience can have?

In this episode I share four unconventional ways you can make your new team member's first month(s) working with you amazing - so they immediately feel part of your team and aligned with your mission.  Whether you are in HR, finance or programming, you can use this advice to make onboarding a positive experience.

For resources please visit www.aidforaidworkers.com/podcast/68

In this episode I provide five habits you can easily practice to become a better leader in humanitrian and international development.  You'll learn how to incorporate these habits into your work week, and how they can help you become healthier, more motivated in addition to getting better results from those you lead.

We all know how it goes as leaders in aid work.  We have the best of intentions on having focused conversations around our direct reports' professional development or helping them with problem solving.  But then - you get distracted and find yourself talking about the day to day work rather than what you originally intended.  In this mini training I provide some ways you can make your important conversation stay focused and so achieve the results you are looking for.

For a free document that will help take your direct report's performance to the next level, find it here: www.coaching.aidforaidworkers.com/lead

There is a lot of scandal in the world these days, but one shocking is how the #MeToo movement has included accounts from the aid world.  Okay, I am not living under a rock and I know that these things happen, but how can we minimize risk of sexual harassment and exploitation in the aid world?  I think a great place to start is by creating a values based organization, and the cost of not doing so can be reputation leading to loss in respect, funding and of course potential legal disputes.   

My guest Kwesi Formson has been shaping the culture of his organization since hired, and has used some innovative ways to not only help the existing team but in hiring too.  I think you will find this episode useful, including the following:

• Examples of mistakes that have cost organizational reputation 
• How your global mission may vary according to local context
• How to begin creating a values based culture with an existing team
• Ideas on how to understand your staff's values
• Tips to attract and hire staff that align with your team or organization's values
• Ways to motivate existing team to take team or organization's values seriously

We all want to be successful.  But what is success really, and how will you know when you have it?

Today I share some ways to think about success that maybe you haven't considered and how you can start being successful right now.

"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 how music and poetry can help unite us across cultures and bring hope for the future.

For resources mentioned please visit here.

Is it possible to consume 20 email newsletters, 8 podcasts, 4 audiobooks and 5 blogs in one week?   Probably not.... so why do we subscribe to them all?  This used to be me---- consuming leadership resources of all kinds, but at the end of the day feeling quite overwhelmed by the amount of information available.  And some which isn't even relevant or helpful!  In today's episode I share how I shifted from information overload to mindful consumption.  Doing so made me feel more excited about what information I was consuming and more willing to implement and grow because of it.

It always amazes me to see how my students incorporate coaching in their work.  At the time of this interview guest Inonge Wina-Chinyama was a Senior Advisor for MSI Zambia in the areas of youth and disabilities.  The nature of her role as an advisor is the opposite of coaching, that is telling others what to do.  And so it was very surprising to Inonge when by stepping away from advice and into asking questions, people appreciated her even more.  Learn what happened and how this approach has helped her not only make a greater impact in her work but also free up time to focus on other areas.

Resources

The Aid Worker's Guide to Successful Coaching 101 - Start date October 4th

How are the questions you are asking yourself and others influencing your results?  Knowing how to ask the right question can be the difference between inspiration and stagnation.  If you want to learn three best practices you can apply to encourage your team to think more critically, resolve problems and surpass obstacles in international development then this episode is for you!

By the way, this episode is sponsored by my coaching course, The Aid Worker's Guide to Successful Coaching 101.  The doors are now open to join, so if you want to learn how to coach your team to become more confident and high performing, sign up for a limited time at coaching.aidforaidworkers.com/course. 

Most of us like to think we keep our commitments to ourselves.  Like when you tell yourself "today I am going to finish that budget" or "I am going to go running later."  But what happens when someone else's request gets in the way of your agenda?  Do you stand your ground and honor your self-commitment, or do you cave in and do what that other person wants?  

Keeping the commitments we make to ourselves is very important.  It means we respect ourselves, and we value our own integrity when we say we are going to do something.  It also gives a feeling of joy and pride when we are able to fulfill the things we tell ourselves we are going to do.

Unfortunately many of us value other people's commitments and time more than our own, and the result is more stress, a feeling of unease and not being true to yourself.  

If you want to start honoring yourself and the commitments you make, you'll find four steps to becoming self-committed in this episode.  

Let me know what self-commitments you're going to fulfill this week by emailing me Torrey@aidforaidworkers.com! 

Many of us underestimate how our values influence how we feel and show up as leaders.

How can you tell if you are not aligned with your values?

You may feel stressed, frustrated or demotivated.

When you understand your values and make decisions to prioritize them, you can become motivated, inspired and excited.

I have seen it many times working with leaders - how simply understanding what motivates them (personal values) can change the way they work and lead.

Find out more about how to know if you are aligned with your values and what to do about it in this week's episode.

Resources mentioned:

What Are Your Values Exercise

The Coach Approach Leadership Style Course

Like many of you, although I enjoyed my time as an aid worker working with my team, I also really enjoyed my vacation time. However also like most of you there were times when I returned from vacation more tired than before I took it. It is really important we are able to recharge and decompress when on holiday, especially with the type of work and intense environments in which we work. In this episode I share five ways based on my experience I have found made my vacation time much more enjoyable which you may not have thought of previously, as well as some ideas you can apply when you take your next holiday.

For resources for this episode go to www.aidforaidworkers.com/podcast/54.

Sound effects are from the following sources:

Italian music from: http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/

Caribbean music Copyright © 2011 Varazuvi™ www.varazuvi.com

No one wants to be a micro manager, and no one wants to be managed by one either. On the part of the manager it is normally accompanied by stress and anxiety that something will not get done. From a direct report’s perspective, being micro managed can feel like you are not trusted and not competent. There are a variety of reasons why one may micro manage in international development, and it could be that you are not even aware you are doing it. Maybe you like things done your way, or your direct report is not able to handle the task given, or perhaps you are mis-communicating how to get something done which then leads to not getting the results you want.

Regardless of the reason, this three part series will help you determine if you are a micro manager, and even if you are not, how you can prevent being one. In this Part One you can determine if you are a micro manager, and if so whether it is your mentality and/or behavior leading to the micro management. I also provide steps you can take in order to emerge from micro management and relieve yourself and your direct reports from the stress and worry that accompany it.

Tune in next week for Part Two of this series when I provide ways you can determine if you are micro managing because your direct report does not have the capability or attitude to do their work, and what you can do about it.

You hear me talk a lot about coaching.

But I haven't really explained the differences between formal coaching and informal.

Today I've invited a guest to discuss the differences, benefits for your team and some practical ways to start.

Elena Sancho has 20 years experience in the aid sector and is now a certified professional coach.  She shares her journey in finding coaching, and how she has since integrated it into her work and life to help others benefit also.

Resources mentioned:

Elena's email:  esancoaching@gmail.com

Elena's Linkedin page

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 to encourage diversity on your team?  

Listen to find out.

Resources mentioned:

Little Richard: I Am Everything documentary

What will make you successful at creating an independent, proactive team?

Based on hundreds of hours of observation, I have come up with three components.

I call them the Trust Triangle.

The first is trust in your own ability (self-confidence), the second is trust in your team and the third is trust in your organization.

In this episode we discuss why trust in your organization may prevent you from leading differently.

That is, if you believe your organization does not give you permission to prioritize building your team or empowering them, you will be less likely to do it.

That is true sometimes, but many times we are making assumptions based on how those around us are behaving.

How can you be a true leader and set an example?

By finding out for yourself if your organization will support you or not.

Learn how in this week's episode.

Do you have fun at work?  If so, how often?

I think most of us can use more fun in our work and personal lives, but rarely do we stop to think about how to INTENTIONALLY create it.

Having fun at work has been linked to greater productivity, staff morale, and creativity.  And it doesn't require a big budget or extra time during the week.  

You can have fun while still working!  How can you?  Listen to this episode to find out.

If you consider yourself a perfectionist, or lacking confidence, or experiencing imposter syndrome, chances are you have an inner critic.

You know - the voice in your head which says you're not enough, or that your work is not good enough.

It is SO common - I have several of them and see them show up in many humanitarian supervisors I coach.

And yet, sometimes we forget that this inner critic is NOT US - it is just a voice we have a habit of listening to.

It can become such a part of us that we are not aware we are judging ourselves (and others) everyday.

What would it be like to overcome these voices driving perfectionism, imposter syndrome and so on?

What are those voices preventing you from accomplishing or becoming?

Find out how to uncover your inner critics and steps to overcome them in this episode.

Resources mentioned:

The Danger of Judging Others

Another year is almost over, and if you're like me, you may be asking... where did my time go?

And better yet, what have I accomplished?

Depending on how much you respect your own time, you may find yourself either doing urgent work for others, or doing important work for yourself.

What's interesting is many of us don't even realize when we are not respecting our time.

We think we are being productive, or being helpful.

But when you take a step back and think about it, this is a habit that gets so many of us in trouble.

The habit of scheduling over our own time.

It means we start to plan according to other people's agendas.

And that sounds nice, but it rarely leads us where we want to go, or to do what we want to accomplish.

In this episode I share how to know if you respect your time, and if you don't (which is super common) what to do to change that, so you can accomplish more and feel more confident about your work.

Our thinking creates our reality.  This means one of the most important things we can do to achieve what we want in life is to become aware of what we are thinking, and how it is impacting us.  You may not even be aware how your thinking is impacting your work and life, but I have seen how certain thinking which is common amongst humanitarian and development workers greatly impacts the opportunities presented to us.  In this episode you can discover:

• How to know if your mindset is holding you back
• Common limiting mindsets amongst humanitarians and how to overcome them
• How to adopt a mindset that will lead to more opportunities and growth
• How your feelings indicate how you are thinking

As aid workers we all strive for the sometimes elusive "work-life balance."  It can certainly be tricky, with competing priorities at work and emergencies which need responding.  I chose today's guest, Matthew McIlvenna because although he oversees the emergency operations for WFP in nine countries, he somehow manages to go home at a reasonable hour and devote time to extracurricular activities (one of these activities is coaching the tennis wheelchair team here in Kenya).  Matt shares some of his insights in today's interview which have kept him relatively stress free and able to disconnect once out of the office.

I have taken time over the last few weeks to reflect on my top lessons learned for 2023.

These lessons can help you achieve your goals for 2024 - faster and better.

I am sharing them in a three part episode - starting with how I have learned to not rely only on one or two ways of reaching a goal.

If you want to grow more as a leader, this lesson will help you greatly increase your chances of doing so.

Are you approaching work from a scarcity mentality or abundance mentality?

A scarcity mentality leads to fear, stress and worry.

An abundance mentality leads to calm, motivation and inspiration.

Over the past year I have learned that approaching things from an abundance mentality not only benefits me but others as well.

And it is a lot more enjoyable way to work.

Listen to this episode to learn more.

We’ve all been tortured by the same old “let me show you ALL my results” presentations in aid work. They all blend together after a while. So how can you make your public presentation (sharing of Baseline or Endline Results or Strategy) more memorable?

Well you’re in luck, because in this episode I share three proven ways to conduct a presentation that will leave your stakeholders thinking “wow that organization is amazing! I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!” Through these three ways you’ll wow your audience and make them curious for more - so that you can be seen as a leader in your sector, and not just another presentation they feel obligated to attend.

What is your most important priority as a humanitarian or development leader?

Something that if you don't prioritize, your work will suffer, as well as those around you?

It's not a donor proposal.

Or a community visit.

If you said your own health and wellbeing, you're right!

If we are not healthy and in a positive mindframe, then the quality of our work will not be our best.

And so we will not make the impact we're seeking.

This seems like commonsense, but so many of us fail to prioritize ourselves, and suffer the consequences.

Consequences like getting typhoid, or feeling demotivated, or being anxious all the time.

So why do we keep pushing ourselves even when we know we are not prioritizing the most important thing - our health and wellbeing?

In this episode I share how much better things are when we do prioritize ourselves, and how you can make the choice to start doing so even this week.

I know many of us have been discussing structural racism in development work, and how much the development world is contributing toward neocolonialism.  But what can we as leaders and individuals do to start addressing it?

I am excited about today's guest, Akasha Saunders, and the over 10 years' experience he brings in uniting people across race, sexual orientation, gender and religion.  In this episode we discuss what we as development workers can do to start dismantling structural racism, beginning by looking at ourselves.

Resources:

• As We Forgive: Stories of Reconciliation from Rwanda, by Catherine Claire Larson
• Akasha's Blog
• Akasha's contact information

So you've created your team vision, you have your team's alignment with that vision, now how do you make sure your vision doesn't disappear with all the other visions and missions that everyone forgets about?  In this episode I share proven ways you can make your vision top of mind and an everyday way of operating within your team.

Wellbeing is a big topic of the humanitarian world these days, and rightfully so.  I mean, why is it an organization which specializes in helping people find it so difficult to help its own staff?

My guest today, Melissa Pitotti, has some answers.  And they may not all be what you think.  Melissa works for the CHS Alliance.  She recently helped conduct a research study called "Leading Well" which brought together 15 CEO's of humanitarian organizations to ask this question - what is preventing aid organizations from creating cultures of wellbeing and better work-life balance?  In this episode she shares the results from the study, and some practical tips you can apply to help your team and your own organization move closer to a healthy work culture.

Resources:

• CHS Alliance
• Core Humanitarian Competency Framework
• Working Well Research paper
• Leading Well Research paper
• Embodying Change podcast
• Stop Being Inconsistent and Start Aligning Your Values to Your Actions in Aid Work - Aid for Aid Workers podcast episode
• Melissa's email: mpitotti@chsalliance.org
• Oxfam Building Trust in Diverse Teams

In this final part of the three part series, I talk about what a leadership legacy means and how it can help us create lasting impact.

You'll hear about my own leadership legacy, and why I am so grateful for having spent the time to envision it and then create it.

If you're feeling demotivated or lost as a leader in the humanitarian and development sectors these days, this episode is for you.

And if you'd like to create your own unique Leadership Legacy, join me this Thursday, September 22nd in my free workshop "Discover Your Leadership Legacy."  I will help you create your own legacy statement and then we'll discuss how you can start the journey to achieving it.  You can register here.

When is the last time you failed on purpose?  I mean you decided you wanted to fail, and you went for it.  And maybe you failed in a way that makes you want to hide for a week afterward.  But you learned from it, and kept going.  Or maybe you didn't.

In this episode we discuss why you may want to schedule more failures in your future, and how we can start practicing.  It's not easy, but if you want to REALLY grow personally and professionally, this is the way to do it. 

What type of questions do you ask yourself and others - high quality, helpful questions or low quality, helpless questions?  Often we don't stop to think about how the questions we choose can impact ourselves as humanitarian leaders and our teams.  For example, a high quality, helpful question can help you or someone on your team move forward and create solutions.  A lower quality question can create a feeling of scarcity and helplessness.  

I encourage you to notice the types of questions you are asking to yourself and your team.  How can you make your questions helpful, and create a more productive and motivated environment?  You'll learn how in this episode.

If you'd like to learn more about how to use powerful questions, check out my digital coaching course here, enrollment is open until July 21st!

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 Network, that is.

The WILD Network is specifically for aid worker leaders (women and men) to strengthen their leadership development and by doing so double their impact.

And today I have the perfect guest to introduce WILD - the founder Fiona Macaulay! 

In this episode Fiona shares with us about WILD and how it started, the amazing impact it's had for  leaders in our sector and the upcoming flagship event, the Women in Global Development Leadership Forum.

Resources mentioned:

WILD Leadership Forum

Most of what we do in our work is centered on behavior change for broader impact. Examples may be behaviors that lead to increasing maize yields, preventing communicable disease, or saving money for the future. This is challenging in itself, but add to that donor’s tendencies to want scale and it becomes even more so. I have seen projects that do two-hour trainings on hand-washing or some other behavior and then move on, expecting that this training alone will change community mentality. Well, it is not that simple. Or is it?

My guest today Michael Potts has 50 years’ experience in development, in the area of agriculture in particular. Over the years Michael has tried many approaches to community behavior change, and in this interview he shares what he has found to be simplest and most effective. Even though his focus is agriculture, his advice can be applied across sectors.

 In this episode we cover:

• How to make farmers open up about challenges they are having
• How to determine what is the main barrier they are facing
• Questions to ask to determine which behavior to focus on
• The ideal number of behaviors to change
• How to design effective trainings that will lead to scale and wider adoption
• Why projects should be focused on learning and not “ticking boxes”

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.  And that means Salif has time to focus on the important, including growing his organization.

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 leader trusts their team to come up with their own solutions... and the wonderful things that can result.

Listen to find out more!

FREE Masterclass:
"Is Your Leadership Style EMPOWERING your team or SLOWING them down?"

One of the greatest things we can do as leaders is become aware of how we impact others.  In my upcoming free Masterclass, you'll find out exactly that ---what is your default leadership style, how you may unknowingly prevent them from doing their best and how to change to help your team increase their performance.  Register now by going to this link!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• How a Local NGO is Changing Leadership in Senegal, with Salif Kanoute, DECLIC President
• DECLIC on Facebook

When ordering food at a restaurant, depending on where you are ordering something like "chips" or "biscuits" or even "cookies" or "crisps" can bring something different than what you expected.

This is only one relatively harmless example of how working in different cultures can be confusing and at times, frustrating.  Ordering the wrong food is unfortunate, but there are a lot of other unfortunate ways we can misunderstand a new culture and create discomfort for ourselves and those around us.  

In this episode my guest Chenai Kadungure shares her experience working in multiple countries and how she's learned to quickly adapt to new environments... and also some of the funny things that have happened while learning along the way.  

When used properly, a team vision motivate your team to know where they're going and how what they're doing contributes to the overall organization. It can also provide guidance in terms of how to behave.  I want to share with you from my own experience how to create an effective team vision which will allow you to know where you're going over the next year.

Most of us can recall examples of when a leader or someone we know brought to attention a policy, way of doing things or something someone said that overpowered someone else or a group of people.

And we ALL have opportunities to speak up for those who have less power than we do - whether it's someone of another gender or race or a beneficiary.  

But how do we speak up in a way that is productive and more likely to have a positive impact?

In this episode Chen Kandungure and I discuss when to speak up, when to not speak up, best practices in speaking up on behalf of others, what to do when we speak up and nothing happens and more.

Resources mentioned:

• Becoming a Better Leader Through Greater Self-Awareness
• Lizzo changing song lyrics based on fans' comments

We have a lot of jargon in our industry, and recently it is becoming more and more common for donors and organizations to talk about "learning cultures" and "adaptive management".  But what does that really mean, and how does it relate to our day to day work?  My guest today, Guy Sharrock, has almost 40 years' experience in development and 17 of those in monitoring and evaluation and most recently learning.  In this episode, Guy defines the elements of a learning culture and some practical tips on how you can lead your team to be more dynamic in responding to obstacles and looking for continuous improvement, so that you can make a bigger impact in the communities in which you serve.

For resources please go to www.aidforaidworkers.com.

If you're like me, it helps to hear what something looks like in practice over just reading questions on a page.  In this bonus episode the Licensed Mental Health Counselor Kathleen Joseph shares one of her favorite exercises to do with clients to relieve stress and build resilience.  You can see the activity below, but if you want to know what it sounds like in practice (and how stressed I am right now!), Kathleen asked me the questions and guided me through it in this episode.

The Resilience Toolkit by Nkem Ndefo - https://theresiliencetoolkit.co/ - there is a fee associated with doing this with Nkem. This is an adaptation Nkem Ndefo’s Resilience Toolkit 

• • First, ask yourself “How stressed am I?” – this gets at how strong the stress response is 
    • You can rank this on a scale of 1-10 or low to high (we will come back to ranking) 
    • Then ask yourself, “How do I know?”. How do you know you are a “7 out of 10” or “highly” stressed, for example 
      • This is an important question because this gives us  
        • 1) insight into our experience, and  
        • 2) a better way of understanding our experience 
    • Now, ask yourself, “Is this adaptive for me in this moment?” (“Is this useful for me right now?) 
      • If yes – GOOD! Use it and keep going 
      • If no –  
        • Ask yourself this question: “What do I need?” 
        • “What practice(s) can I use?” 
          • Exercise, or taking a walk
        • Finally, ask yourself: “How do I know that the practice worked?” If the practice works at reducing your feelings of stress, or at helping you to notice how stressed you are, keep practicing it.

We all have our strengths as leaders.

You know, the areas in which you feel come naturally to you. Maybe you even enjoy working on them.

It could be managing budgets, or helping local partners, or writing proposals.

Whatever it is, when you spend more time in that area, you are more productive.

And when you work in areas in which you're not as strong, well... things.... slow.... down...

So why not find ways to focus more on your strengths?

In this episode I provide a great way to focus on your strengths, but also help out your team.  A win-win for everyone!

The majority of us participate in humanitarian response at some point in our career or even in "non-traditional" contexts - whether it be from a flood, drought, civil unrest or landslide.  The traditional model of sourcing funding through governments can be cumbersome, and the consequence costly.  My guest today Sean Lowrie is the Director of START Network and has some forward thinking ideas around where the humanitarian sector is headed and what International NGO's will need to do in order to adapt to these changes.  He also suggests ways you as a leader can prepare for and evolve with these changes.  

Some key points from the interview address:

• How the role of the local NGO versus INGO will change in relation to humanitarian response
• Three ways in which INGO's need to change to thrive in the future
• The ideal business model for the future humanitarian context
• Example of a risk financing approach that allows quick drought response
• Resources leaders can use to strengthen partnerships and collaboration
• Network to learn about innovative best practices proven globally

For a full list of resources mentioned, please visit the website

We've all worked with that person.  The one that spreads rumors about others or the organization or even about you.  I have worked with my share of difficult people, and it can really take a toll on your motivation level and make it stressful to engage with that person.  

On today's episode I am sharing five things you can do when handling a difficult coworker.  If you find it unbearable to spend time around this person, chances are you are not the only one.  So take action for the voiceless, using some of the tips provided here!

If you want a great article on how to speak with your boss about a difficult coworker, then go to www.aidforaidworkers.com/podcast/64 and look in the resources section!  

How intentional are you with the start of your day? Do you roll out of bed and hope for the best, or do you have a routine planned that will set you up for a motivated morning?

How you start your day is very important, which is why so many leaders are focused on it like Tony Robbins, Oprah and Tim Ferriss. But aid work makes creating a "routine" all the more challenging, since our lives are rarely constant. If you want to learn how to create an inspiring morning routine that will work for the aid worker lifestyle, then this episode is for you! I have included some bonus tips as well on how you can find more time in your morning, so you can focus on what matters most!!

(This episode covers quite a bit of steps, so to make it easier on you, find the "How to Create a Morning Routine Cheat Sheet" here!

Buzzing sound effect (edited) can be found here.

There is a lot of talk about coaching these days.  What I find interesting is that although many think they know what coaching is, when they start learning more about it they realize that they actually don't know as much as they had thought.

I am excited to bring you today's episode in the form of a coaching session with a busy Head of Programs named Karen Janes.  From this coaching session you can better understand what coaching sounds like, what types of questions are asked and the way in which Karen comes up with her own solution to wanting to spend more time on her team's development.

If you want to learn more about how to coach your team, check out my digital course The Aid Worker's Guide to Successful Coaching 101, which you can find here.  Doors are open now until October 4th for enrollment.

Recently I had a group of 38 students from CRS Uganda take my coaching course.

I asked a panel of four (Olive D'Mello, Florence Ayo, Dismus Arineitwe and Emmanuel Obuko) to answer some questions about what changed for them since taking the course.  You'd be surprised!

Here are a few things they mention:

• Using coaching as a way to learn with their team (reflection)
• Creating an empowering culture where people come to them with solutions not just questions
• Using coaching as a leadership style and not just during performance planning
• As a way to have government and local partners take full ownership over activities and projects

I hope this inspires you with all the ways you can use coaching with your team, colleagues and family!

If you'd like to learn how your leadership style is impacting your team and their performance, sign up now for my free one hour master class here!

Let's face it, humanitarian and development work are reliably unpredictable.  Insecurity, limited resources, and many other factors can make doing a simple task such as visiting a community challenging.  

One of the most dreaded tasks from my perspective as a leader was a funding cut.  A sudden cut in funding not only impacts the communities where we work but also the ability to keep our staff - and this of course means livelihoods are affected.

My guest today, Shamnaz Ahmed, shares the difficulty she faced in navigating such a change - when her supervisor asked her to cut the programming budget by $5 million USD.  And to make things even more challenging, Shamnaz did not manage any of the staff with whom she would be announcing and making those changes with.  Despite these challenges, Shamnaz did an amazing job of handling a difficult situation - and in this episode you can learn how to do the same.

"I can't use coaching because I am not a supervisor."

This is something I hear frequently from aid workers. But my guest today, Jenny House, will tell you it's not true.  Although she wasn't quite sure how she would use coaching once she learned it, since taking my digital course Jenny has totally changed the way she worked with her colleagues.  And making an impact in their lives and work doesn't involve being a supervisor.   

You can find out more about Jenny at her website here.

Aid work can be tiring - the last minute proposals, limited resources, as well as being far from friends and family. Sometimes we need ways to regain our motivation and feel ready to get back to work and do our best. In this episode I share eight ways you can quickly and easily increase your energy so that you can get more done and feel great doing it.

For resources click here.

It's that time of the year!  

If you're like many of the supervisors I know, you are probably delaying having them.

Performance planning conversations!

These conversations are one of the most important discussions of the year, but many of us see them as a "have to do" and not a "want to do".

Why is that?

From my experience, it's not that performance planning conversations are bad.

It's that we are not doing them effectively.

An effective performance planning discussion should leave you and your team motivated and excited.

In this episode I share simple things you can do to have more productive and motivating performance planning discussions.

Conversations that you look forward to having - and your team too.

We all know them.

Leaders who are not aware how their behavior impacts their team.

They have no idea that they frequently put the team down or start yelling for no apparent reason.

The kind of leader we all want to avoid and avoid becoming.

One of the best ways to become the leader you admire is by being aware of how your behavior is being perceived by others.

In other words, becoming more self-aware.

It is possible to grow your self-awareness.

And studies have linked it closely to increased performance.

And increased salary (greater self-awareness = higher salary).

So what are some ways you can immediately improve your self-awareness?

Find out in this episode in which Chen Kadungure and I discuss what self-awareness is, ways to know how self-aware you are and what to do to increase it.

Resources mentioned:

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (book)
• How to Use Difficult Feedback for Positive Personal Growth (podcast)
• Understanding the Johari Window Model (article)
• 360 Degree Feedback: The Powerful New Model for Employee Assessment and Performance (book)

How much control do you have over your life?

Probably more than you think.

Many of us tend to give control over to others or our circumstances rather than take responsibility for our decisions.  You may not even realize that you're doing it. But taking responsibility for where we are in life can be very empowering.  

In this episode I discuss how you can take more responsibility for your decisions and how to reflect on whether you like those decisions or not, so you can choose to change them.

Have you ever noticed a voice in your head that is really good at filling in the blanks?  I promise you have one.  I know mine has gotten really good at telling me what someone else is thinking, or what they mean when they say something.  And sometimes it is right - but a lot of times, it's not.  

Filling in gaps with our own assumptions and understanding of the world can lead us into trouble.  Especially in the international development field, where we are not only filtering what someone is saying, but we add a few extra filters based on our cultural background and linguistic as well.

So it goes without saying (or filling in blanks) that the less we make these "guesses", the better!   In this episode I share how you can become more aware of how you fill in the blanks and what to do about it.

We often hear the word "coach" and think it means the same, whether someone is a leadership coach or sports coach.

But all coaching IS NOT created equal.

Sports coaching and leadership coaching are actually very different, and in order to know which we are doing, it's important to know the differences.

So we don't end up "sports coaching" our team.

This is a common misunderstanding I see people make, and one worth clarifying.

Join me in this short episode as I explain the differences between sports and leadership coaching, so you can know which you are doing, and what changes you might want to make.

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 preparation.  This episode will give you insight into how you can incorporate deep work into your weekly routine, keeping in mind the aid worker context. 

In this episode you will discover:

• Five ways to incorporate deep work into your routine
• Why it is necessary to plan in advance for deep work
• Obstacles you will face when implementing deep work and how to overcome them
• What to do for undisrupted thought if you don’t have a door to close
• Ways to motivate yourself to practice deep work every week
• How to learn about the types of conditions under which you work best

Resources: 

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Today’s episode is something that is SO important and so simple and yet many of us are not taking the time to do properly.   And that is networking in a way that will ensure your future job security.

My guest today Raina learned this the hard way after a career break when she found that the way she was networking before she went on break has not allowed her to jump back into the aid world.  As you probably know, the old saying “it’s not what you know it’s who you know” definitely applies to our field.

For those of you thinking--- I don’t have to worry about that!  I am not looking for a job and I am not taking a break anytime soon!  That is exactly the kind of thinking that got Raina into trouble, and she offers some simple and effective ways you can avoid being in a similar situation by starting NOW. 

In an aid world world full of ups and downs with projects and funding, it is really essential to know how to network properly.  I think the tips Raina shares today will help you to do just that. 

For resource mentioned go to: www.aidforaidworkers.com/podcast/47

One of the most important things you can do as a leader is hold your team accountable for the performance you want.  Failing to hold teams accountable can mean poor morale, lower quality work and possibly a bad reputation. 

The problem I've seen with myself and others is that we have certain beliefs that prevent us from holding under performing team members accountable.  And those beliefs are impacting our work as well as others around us.  That's why in this episode, I provide you five mindset shifts to get you past your limiting beliefs so you can take action and start to shape the team you've always wanted. 

You may not even be aware you are doing it.

How much your everyday language - and the WAY you talk about situations, impacts the way you lead yourself and others around you.

Language that makes things seem extreme.

And in the humanitarian and development world, there is PLENTY to exaggerate.

"The donor always delivers proposals late."

"The community is never on time."

"My team doesn't communicate with me."

These sound like factual statements, but when we look closer, they are actually not true.

They are exaggerated statements that make us feel strong emotions.  And strong emotions lead us to poor decision making.

So how can we "fact check" ourselves and our teams to eliminate drama and make decisions from a calmer, more rational place?

Find out in this podcast episode.

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 leaders, what to expect from this year's WILD Forum and how to get involved.

Resources mentioned:

WILD 2024: Women's Global Leadership Forum

Have you ever sat down with your team to discuss what went wrong with a donor visit or presentation, only to find everyone blaming each other and getting defensive?  

In this episode I provide a quick tip you can use that will change these types of conversations from unproductive to solution driven.  

It's a new challenge many leaders are facing in the time of COVID - how do I lead a remote team?  My guest today Matt Ellingson has 26 years' experience in aid work, and currently is the Director of Humanitarian Affairs for Food for the Hungry.  Matt has been managing remote teams in complex humanitarian emergencies for about six years, and shares with us some of his lessons learned.

In this episode we cover:

• The most important thing you need when managing a remote team
• How often to communicate and what tools to use
• How to build trust with a team you've never met
• Why self-awareness in remote management is important
• His advice to his former self when he first started managing teams remotely

In coaching, we often challenge those we are coaching to go beyond what they think they can do, or to get out of their comfort zone in a way we know will benefit them.  If done properly, it can be very effective in encouraging someone to advance.

I used challenging previously to effectively help my direct reports grow stronger and take risks they may not have otherwise.  In this episode I share three common ways you can challenge your team members which I encourage you to try over the next week.  You may be surprised by the results!

This episode is brought to you by my digital course, The Aid Worker's Guide to Successful Coaching 101.  If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to effectively coach your team to greater performance, this course will teach you how.  My students have reported improved relationships, greater wellbeing, higher team performance and a more motivated team through what they have learned and applied in the course.  If you want to learn more or to enroll, click here.  The next course starts October 4th, and I would love to see you there.

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.

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 provide our teams with answers all the time?

In this episode I share how this way of thinking can limit your growth as a leader - and how to use a more balanced approach which will motivate your team and take pressure off of yourself to need to know it all.

NEW:  For a full written transcript of this episode, please visit the link here.

Previous Epsiodes Mentioned:

How a Coach Approach Increased the Impact of Her Work - with Inonge Wina-Chinyama

Three Main Leadership Styles: Advantage of Each and When to Use Them

Many of us spend a lot of time preparing for meetings and for events on what we're going to say. 

We practice PowerPoint presentations.

We review our agendas.

But a few months from now, what will be remembered - what you said, or how your attendees felt afterwards?

It is rare we remember everything someone said - but we will remember how we FELT during an event or presentation.

And yet, we rarely spend time thinking about how we want others to feel at our events, and how we can influence that.

Not in a strange way, but in a positive way.

A way that makes us memorable.

Want to make your events and presentations more memorable?

Listen to this episode to find out how.

This is the last week to enroll in my digital coaching course for 2022!

If you'd like to learn how to empower your team to become more motivated and proactive, check out the coaching course here!

Doors close October 6th.

We all sometimes have perfectionist tendencies.  Most humanitarians want to do great work!  However, when this desire to do great work makes us more stressed, prevents us from turning things in and keeps us paralyzed, perfectionism can ironically lead to imperfectionism.

None of us need added stress in our lives, and we all want to get things in on time, so how can we overcome the need for "perfect"? 

In this episode you'll learn:

• Common traits of perfectionism 
• Where perfectionism comes from
• The consequences of perfectionism
• Perfectionism and your identity 
• Five steps to overcome perfectionism
• How perfectionism leads to lower quality work 
• And more!

How to Detect and Prevent Staff Turnover in Aid Work

I was incredibly inspired by this interview, and I hope you will be too. Samaresh Nayak is Country Director for an International NGO, and over the last five years has managed a massive downsize within his country program (from 295 to 90 national staff and 13 to 4 international staff). He also has made significant process around "nationalizing" key senior positions within his organization. In this episode Samaresh shares his experience and advice around downsizing and the process he followed, as well as how he began to nationalize many of the formerly international positions. From my experience many leaders talk about nationalization of positions but the actuality of it happening is delayed for various reasons, most of all perceived risk. I hope this motivates you to think about your own organization and how to move forward with empowering more national staff, and some best practices around how to do it. Also the courage it took to make such a big decision to downsize a large program is really admiring.

Proven Tips to Manage Stress in International Development

"The Most Difficult Experiences Can End Up Being the Most Rewarding." - John Shumlansky, Country Director

What is an easy way to increase staff morale, decrease gossip, and allow for more communication in your office?