We all know that effective communication is crucial at work. When conversations are easy and free flowing, we work easily with others, solve problems and have fun. But some conversations are less straight-forward. These conversations can make us uncomfortable and put us on edge. They make us worry about what the other person really thinks […]
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Welcome to the Safe Space – where managers can share their issues and gain advice from top learning & development consultants. Here at =mc, we encourage every participant we meet on our programmes to get in touch if they have specific issues they want to follow up on. From this we hear some common problems, […]
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We’re delighted to share with you episode 6 from Marie Curie’s internal podcast series aptly named The L&D Podcast. In this episode, Madeleine White, Learning & Development Co-ordinator at Marie Curie interviews =mc Director Laura Slater on what it’s been like to be furloughed, and how it feels returning to work. The podcast series began […]
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In every high performing organisation you’ll find brilliant leaders, and brilliant managers. Both these roles are needed for very different reasons. Why do we need brilliant leaders? Great leaders provide us with a vision we can get behind and believe in. This whole-hearted belief is necessary for us to overcome the obstacles that will inevitably […]
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Have you been keeping an eye on culture in your team or organisation lately? Admittedly for managers and leaders, there has been a lot to think about in the past eighteen months. Shifting to home working, locking down, unlocking, risk assessments, reallocating budgets, planning ahead, supporting wellbeing, making changes, introducing new ways of working. All […]
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Welcome to the Safe Space – where managers can share their issues and gain advice from top learning & development consultants. Here at =mc, we encourage every participant we meet on our programmes to get in touch if they have specific issues they want to follow up on. From this we hear some common problems, […]
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In this article, Charlie Scott breaks down the mystery of strategy, and how to ensure your strategy is a living reality. A common mystery Chief Executives rely on their management teams to make strategy happen, from Deputy Directors, to Heads of Departments, to functional Managers, to Team Leaders. Managers need to support their teams to […]
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Last week, Matthew Sherrington wrote that managers and leaders are gaslighting their staff in the charity and not-for-profit sector by creating toxic work cultures (see Matthew’s blog here). The drive to do more, more, more – and yet never doing enough can be overwhelming as demand for services and support is endless. This is then […]
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How to ensure people learn, develop and feel invested in – no matter how small your training budget is. This time last year the CIPD released their latest learning report[1], and whilst not entirely surprising, it highlighted that charities and non-profit organisations have very tight training budgets. The Covid-19 pandemic has meant shifting resource and […]
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The challenge: The world is a mess, or rather the world feels a lot messier than it did in 2019 – largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has been tough to deal with and yet deal with it still we must. It has been challenging in different ways. For some of us, working […]
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Avoiding the parenting penalty – take a flexible approach to ensure working parents and carers can be at their best. Charity and non-profit managers know that supporting working parents and carers makes sense. The majority of people working in the voluntary sector are women[1] and being a working parent or carer is on the rise […]
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Covid-19 has presented leaders with a huge amount of challenge and organisational change. Getting your teams and services functioning during lockdown alongside handling the related upheaval has not been easy or straightforward. However, as we move through June and restrictions start to ease across the UK and Europe, it would be tempting to think the […]
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Accelerate learning to help your team through the challenges Lockdown may be easing here in the UK, but things are going to be tough for a while for charities and non-profits. Some organisations have restructured their teams and services to meet emerging and emergency needs. Some people are returning from a period of furlough, into […]
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Fundraising at the moment is hard but has never been more essential. Your fundraising team might be feeling anxious, discouraged or isolated. You can help them stay engaged and motivated by taking these five steps: 1. Be available: Establish regular check-in calls to ensure your team members don’t feel isolated. Use video calls and virtual […]
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It’s a strange new reality that we’ve all been plunged into since Covid-19 reached our shores. With 14 weeks of lockdown under their belts in the UK people are starting to discover how resilient they feel. And let’s be clear about that: resilience is not something absolute, that you either are, or are not. Resilience […]
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One-to-ones are one of the most important ways managers can support their team members. They are an opportunity to step away from the to-do-list and think more strategically about what you’re trying to achieve, the impact the work is having and the priorities moving forward. One-to-ones provide a dedicated space for managers to help their […]
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Managing a remote team of people – who are not sitting anywhere near you and may not even be in the same time zone – can be a huge challenge. How do you make sure out of sight isn’t out of mind, especially when you might have been used to seeing at least some of […]
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We all have busy days at work. We all have bad days at work. And sometimes the pressure can be a bit too much. We asked participants at our last Managing Multiple Priorities course what they did to handle pressure and stay productive. Here are their top ten tips: 1. Be prepared Recognising that we […]
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In this video we introduce two of the common mistakes made by new managers, and how to avoid them. For further information on management skills and tools, take a look at the Emerging Managers Programme.
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Sound confusing?! In this short video, =mc consultant Georgina Wright explains why saying yes to everything at work doesn’t actually pay off in the long run. Consider the options, and make a conscious decision. For further tips, tools and models to help you make the most of your time, take a look at the related […]
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It is a universal truth that during our working lives, we will not always agree with our colleagues. There are always going to be times when we need to have difficult conversations or overcome tricky differences. Here is an example: Recently I had a catch up meeting for a project I’m working on. There was […]
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Moving into your first role as a new manager is a big deal. In fact, it’s probably the biggest step you can take in your career. Once you’re on the management ladder, climbing it gets easier with time and practice. But the first step is fraught with challenges and difficulty. With so much change happening […]
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This video explains how the three elements of face to face communications (as researched by Albert Mehrabian) work together to deliver your message. Using a mismatch of body language and tone compared to your words can lead to your message being lost or misconstrued. Match all three to have the biggest impact. Laura Slater, =mc […]
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In this blog, =mc Director Charlotte Scott asks leaders to take a look under the rock… Leaders who want to do the very best for their team and organisation tend to have some awareness of their impact on their teams already. Especially in the charity, social and public sectors. We like to think that we […]
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Leadership in fundraising organisations Leadership. It’s a big word and covers so many things. And it feels like the very notion of leadership is changing, morphing and growing. Being a charity leader means much more than simply being the boss, holding a senior position in an organisation, and calling all the shots. And there are […]
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Time management. It’s a popular topic in management training. Whichever way you look there is something else demanding your attention and therefore your time – and it can feel like drowning. To compensate we set up many systems to do the time management for us: email, diaries, shared calendars, spreadsheets, trackers, applications, phone alarms, meeting […]
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It’s an interesting and challenging time in the world of Fundraising. Never before has there been such intense scrutiny on equality, fairness and safeguarding. In the wake of the #metoo movement people are speaking up and asserting their rights. Diversity is being recognised for its importance. However, making yourself heard and recognised is not always […]
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Fresh from her session on assertiveness with Ruby Bayley-Pratt at this years Institute of Fundraising Convention, =mc Director Yvette Gyles offers insight into why training is not always the solution. When we get calls asking us to come in and provide mandatory training for all staff / managers / leaders in order to ‘fix’ them, […]
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In this blog, =mc Director Yvette Gyles shares the secrets of leading without knowing everything. Recently, I have been running a lot of training programmes for Future Leaders. These are experienced managers or experts, looking to develop their leadership capability. Sometimes they have people management responsibility, and sometimes they need to lead people through influence […]
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Being assertive at work can be really hard, and this is something many people struggle with. Our insecurities, perceived weaknesses, motivations and goals can all stop us from being assertive when we need to be. In this article, Charlotte Scott explains why we need assertiveness, what it actually is, and how to be assertive. Why […]
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Over the course of my career I have been very fortunate to have support from some brilliant people. I genuinely would not be where I am today without the input, insight and inspiration from my mentors – and indeed, my mentees. A mentor can be defined as simply as ‘an experienced and trusted advisor’. But […]
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Investing in developing your team or your whole organisation is a bold commitment. Choose the right training and it can help you improve productivity, achieve more goals and make a lasting difference to working life. Get it wrong and you’ve invested money from the shrinking (or non-existent) L&D budget and simply opened a can of […]
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I’ve been working with managers and leaders in public sector organisations for some time now. It’s still a bleak picture for many: a lack of central funding and increasing demand means crucial services are under more and more pressure. In nearly every programme I’ve delivered I have been asked to help managers with leading their […]
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Working in local government has never been so tough. The economic, political and social context means more and more services are feeling the strain. The outlook is a bit on the bleak side, with damning reports from the UN on UK austerity highlighting a disconnect between policy and reality. For many leaders of councils, this […]
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I’m a resolution failure. According to USA today you have already broken your new years resolution, along with almost everyone else. Apparently, fail day is 17th January. And it seems to me (admittedly from chats and straw polls, this isn’t science) that almost every year resolutions tend to be about mind, body, and not drinking […]
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How many times have you felt the stirring ambition to learn a new skill, get better at something, change your habits or behaviours? You enthusiastically book yourself on the next course that promises to give you all the new-fangled knowledge, skills and abilities that you desire. Or perhaps you order that new self-help book from […]
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The festive season is upon us and the annual question of gifting etiquette looms ever present. Work colleagues – do you give or not give? How much should you spend? Are you going with silly or serious? Is it appropriate? Phew. What a minefield. So what can you give that won’t cost you a penny […]
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Walk down any UK high street at this time of year and you will be bombarded with seasonal offers, treats, ideas and temptations. And one thing that always stands out in the shop windows is the vast amount of glittery dresses and sequined jumpers. It is the party season! Office parties, team parties, events for […]
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For your final =mc insight of the year, we sought advice from the leader of one of the biggest enterprises known to wo/man. Among other things, this inspirational figure is responsible for running a worldwide manufacturing and distribution service as well as maintaining a large and demanding supporter base. He manages a team of thousands […]
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When organisations are experiencing change, we’re often called upon to help smooth the transition using various tools, techniques and training programmes to address the challenges. So you’d think that now things are changing here at =mc, we must be excited, full of beans and finding it all plain sailing, right? Not exactly. Just because we […]
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