Blogs Archives - Page 3 of 5 - The Management Centre

How do I find out what makes my staff tick?

In this blog, Principal Consultant Charlotte Scott shares practical advice on how to motivate your teams. I want my team to feel motivated in their roles – what can I do? It’s generally agreed that motivation is a Good Thing – and a topic all managers think about at some point. Motivated staff perform their […]

Have you seen our latest book?

Clare Segal and I offer an alternative effective model for asking and influencing potential donors and peers, using the latest techniques developed in the neural and psychological sciences. In this groundbreaking book we show you how to: make a compelling ask to mid– and high–value donors win board members over to a new campaign strategy […]

Innovation Roles for Innovation Managers

So you want to help….Innovation Roles for Innovation Managers I’ve been doing lot of work lately for charities on innovation – which Philip Kotler calls “the only sustainable advantage.” The work covers big charities like UNICEF International and smaller ones like the RNIB, a UK disability charity. We’ve been doing a number of different things […]

‘They call me Naughty Lola’… credibility and charity

At Winnipeg airport on my way home… and having a think. I’ve just been working with an outstanding group of senior non-profit leaders here in Winnipeg on the issue of Personal Presence and Credibility – organised by AFP Manitoba. (BTW 5 stars to them for speaker care.) We talked in my session about cool ‘tricksy’ […]

Wild West and Change

Next week I’m running, with colleagues, the =mc consultancy skills programme. It’s full of cool stuff on innovation, strategy, financial analysis etc. All the cool stuff is …cool. But the most important sessions in the programme, I think are on change. And the more I help in change settings with NGOs the more I feel […]

Leadership Lessons from the Titanic for Charities

It’s today- April 14th. The date the Titanic sank. In case you’ve been living on another planet for the last 100 years you should know that today, on her maiden voyage, the pride of the White Star Line hit an iceberg 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Within two hours and 40 minutes the […]

2. Change Series: The 8-Step Approach to Change

In my last blog I wrote about the key drivers for change. This blog focuses on a well-established model for change. The most commonly used, and easy to adapt, model is that developed by US management consultant and Harvard Professor John Kotter. Originally developed for business, we have found it useful for charities and other […]

3. Change Series: Applying the 8-Step Approach

The 8-step model seems very straightforward when you explain it as in my second blog. But it’s less easy to implement. Let’s go through each step in a little more detail. Step 1: Create Urgency “Orchestrating pain messages throughout the institution is the first step in developing organizational commitment to (major) change.” Rosabeth Moss Kantor […]

1. Change Series: Why Change?

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” Niccolo Machiavelli – The Prince. Machiavelli’s words, written in the 15th century, have a resonance for us today. They tell us that […]

Check out our book on Breakthrough Thinking

Breakthrough Thinking for Non-profit Organizations is based on a simple but challenging idea: “Good performance” is no longer good enough for non-profits. In a world of increasing demands that must be met, non-profits must set and achieve breakthrough goals Bernard Ross and Clare Segal show non-profit managers and board members how to transform their thinking […]

The next big thing?

Maybe it’s just ‘end of the year’ fever. But there seems to be a lot of interweb chatter about the Next Big Thing. Usually the answer seems to be very general like ‘social media’ or sometimes as simple as ‘twitter’. (Try #nonprofit2010 and see the flood.) I’m not sure. As a consultant who writes book […]

Is your strategy ‘hot’ or not? And does it matter?

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt” Sun Tzu c. 490 BC, Chinese military strategist, and author of The Art of War I’ve been putting together a day on strategy as part of a series of seminars we’re running encouraging thought leadership in the not for profit […]

Change management: the 5Cs of change response

Over the years =mc has carried out a significant body of research and change work with a wide range of not-for-profit organisations. And we’ve found there are five core reactions to change, that we call the 5Cs. To be an effective change manager you need to understand these five reactions in your colleagues and adopt […]

The Rubik’s Cube of leadership

I’ve just finished another coaching session with a depressed CEO. I do lot of coaching for depressed CEOs and other leaders. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good business for my company (https://www.managementcentre.co.uk)- and for Kleenex. But I feel like an ambulance chaser, surviving on the misery of others. Misery’s a strong word. But many leaders, […]

Scroogenomics: why reindeer jumpers, singing fish and novelty clocks shouldn’t be under our Christmas trees

Had a wonderful day yesterday at London’s Royal Society of Arts (RSA). And met the engaging and urbane Joel Waldfogel, Ehrenkranz Family Professor of Business and Public Policy at the Wharton School in Pennysylvania. Joel is a serious scholar and mostly works on ‘proper’ academic issues – dammit he’s at Wharton. These issues range all […]

Sisyphus Syndrome

As a consultant I sometimes feel like a morbid ambulance chaser. I make a career from working with organizations with serious problems. Now some problems I don’t mind- we all make mistakes. But some organisations seem trapped in a Sysiphian cycle of not just making mistakes, but repeating the same mistakes again and again. they […]

So you’re good but could you be great…?

You may be Good but are you Great? Good to Great (G2G) is one of a series of influential books by US management guru Jim Collins which describes how commercial companies grow from being merely good to great. It has a great and profound line at the start which argues (merely) “good is the enemy […]

An introduction to Management Centre’s services for ethical organisations

These are challenging times if you’re responsible for running an ethical organisation such as a charity, public body, INGO or cultural organisation. Simply, there’s greater demand than ever for your services and greater competition for resources. To meet those twin challenges you may need help and advice from a management consultancy that specialises in the […]

The Fast and Furious – how heuristics can help

In an increasingly complex world we need more simplicity or more time. The challenge is time is scarce and inelastic. And according to some recent research by Boston Consulting Group managers can spend 40% of their time writing reports and 30% in meetings. The implication is they only have, at best, 30% of their time […]

The Learning Leader

The Learning Leader- what do you in a crisis? Challenging times- especially crises- are a great reality check for ‘learning leadership’- whether you model an adaptive and flexible approach under pressure. The premise is simple when things go wrong and are at least partly out of their control then great leaders can show how quickly […]

Why do people fear change?

In this blog, =mc’s Senior Learning & Development Consultant Charlotte Scott shares practical advice on dealing with organisational change on a personal level. We’re embarking on an organisational change programme and it’s likely my team will have to work very differently. A lot of them are already starting to look anxious and nothing’s happened yet. What […]

How good a manager are you really?

=mc‘s Senior Learning & Development Consultant Charlotte Scott blogs about the best way to find out how good you actually are as a manager. I have been managing for several years and I think I am doing a good job, but how do I really know for sure? Here’s a simple solution: Why don’t you […]

Our Brand New National Arts Fundraising School Website

Recently we have released a brand new National Arts Fundraising School website, which we’re sure you’ll love. It has case study quotes & videos from past attendees to give those who are interested in the programme an insight into the benefits, and includes everything you need to know about securing a place on the course. …Read […]

Blue Ocean Strategy – A new approach to strategy and an opportunity for fundraisers?

This blog follows on from a masterclass Bernard Ross and Angela Cluff led at the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) in Holland where they were working with participants to explore a range of new approaches to strategy development. As part of this they were exploring whether a radical ‘blue ocean’ approach could help fundraisers transform their ability […]

Is your project a zombie, troll or unicorn? Maybe it’s just confused and needs a rationale

In this blog, Assistant Director, Yvette Gyles looks at common problems with projects, and gives an overview of =mc’s approach to Project Rationale. =mc’s Systems Model outlines 3 elements in getting your project rationale right. They are: Driver: what triggered this project? Why was it initiated? Was this in response to a need (various departments […]

Emerging Thoughts of an Emerging Manager

The latest =mc|Thinking blog comes from L&D Consultant Laura Slater, who looks at 3 common mindsets that new managers can unwittingly slip into – often with negative outcomes – and how to both understand and avoid them. Mindsets to avoid as an emerging manager Becoming a manager for the first time can be a confusing […]

Error 404 – Digital Fundraising – Page Not Found

‘Digital fundraising does not exist!’ exclaims =mc Fundraising Consultant David Burgess in this insightful blog. Read on to find out why he’s making such claims. You might even agree… Digital fundraising doesn’t exist. There, I said it. (I’ll just give you a moment to recover from that heathen display of fundraising blasphemy.) I’m aware that […]

Funding Creativity with Creative Fundraising

In this blog, =mc Fundraising Consultant David Burgess shares his thoughts on the importance of creativity in fundraising. (Picture – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Opera Holland Park, 2015) Philly Graham (=mc Consultant) and I have just come back from an inspiring four days, delivering the Powys Arts Fundraising School for fundraisers from 20 arts organisations from […]

A reputation on the brink risks long term income

The brilliant sunshine, the beauty of Richmond Park and the effort of running after a week off even combined were not enough to take my mind off fundraising this morning. It has been a week of media onslaught on our ethics and practices, with more today. If you are a director of fundraising I salute […]

Are legacies worth the effort?

=mc Fundraising Consultant and co-leader of The National Arts Fundraising School David Burgess shares insights on legacy giving. I am very lucky that my job sees me working with organisations across the charitable sector on a wide range of projects. That said, it’s amazing how often days end up having unofficial themes. Monday was definitely […]

Emotional Intelligence in Fundraising – Part 2

Fundraising is about Influence – winning people over to your point of view. The starting point for influence in a not-for-profit setting should be a personal drive to achieve some wider social good. In part 1 of this this blog we concentrated on the importance of framing and organising your passion or personal motivation to help […]

The rich will save us all

A powerful movement to encourage major donor giving has been labeled philanthrocapitalism. The name comes from an influential book of the same title published in 2008 and an associated website. Two journalists working for the Economist magazine, Matthew Bishop and Michael Green, wrote the book. The philanthrocapitalism argument is simple and in many ways compelling, […]

Emotional Intelligence in Fundraising – Part 1

Fundraising is about Influence – winning people over to your point of view. The starting point for influence in a not-for-profit setting should be a personal drive to achieve some wider social good. To be an outstandingly successful influencer and fundraiser you need to have a real desire – a passion – for that change. […]

What’s happening in the world of philanthropy?

I’ve got a new book out. Global Fundraising – how the world is changing the rules of philanthropy. (Wiley 2013.) Editing the new book with my friend and colleague Penny Cagney has been a humbling and exciting experience: humbling because, as two experienced fundraising consultants⎯and supposedly internationally savvy fundraisers⎯we were constantly impressed at the extraordinary […]

It’s tough at the top: What leaders can learn from the Pope and David Moyes

It’s a tough time to be a change leader. In this blog I compare the contrasting fortunes of two high profile leaders, Pope Francis and David Moyes. Over the last year these two high profile figures have had different fortunes – what can we learn from them? (This blog was inspired by, and draws on, an […]

So how long does it take to move a mountain? – Solving ‘hard-to-solve’ problems

We work hard to recruit the right people to our management consultancy practice. And one thing we’re looking for here is the ability to tackle ‘hard-to-solve’ problems which are often part of the projects we have to tackle. We test for this ability using ‘estimating questions.’ This blog explains one of these ‘hard-to-solve’ problems expressed […]

Barriers to a successful change process

In this blog, =mc Director Bernard Ross (with contribution from =mc Management Consultant David Segal) looks at what factors are most likely to de-rail a change process. What most holds back a successful change process? There’s lots of stuff published about organisational change and how to do it. But there’s less about why change processes […]

The importance of the “C” word in fundraising

=mc Director Bernard Ross looks at the 5 Cs that non-profit organisations need to address before changing their fundraising strategy – Context, Competencies, Competition, Cash and Commitment. The importance of the “C” word in fundraising Question: From Worried Charity CEO: I’ve been discussing with my board and senior colleagues about the need to change our income […]

The Power of Social Proof

Omar Mahmoud, Chief of Market Knowledge at UNICEF International, and I are running a Big Room session at IFC on The Science of Decision Making and Behavioural Economics. We’d love to see you there. The session will share some of the very latest thinking from the field of Behavioural Economics – as applied to fundraising […]

7 ways =mc can help you become more sustainable with Catalyst

We take a look at the 7 ways =mc can help you improve your fundraising through the Arts Council’s Catalyst Programme. If you’re looking to improve your fundraising through the Arts Council’s Catalyst Programme we can help. (And we can help even if you can’t benefit from Catalyst but want to transform your sustainability.) 1. […]

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