D A Henderson Head of the WHO programme that eradicated smallpox “I was reading about this guy who showed incredible leadership,” began Hugh, and I knew exactly who he meant. Although Hugh lives near Montreal and I live in London, both of us had locked on to a leadership story about Donald Ainslie Henderson, an … Continued
How can charity leaders develop the capabilities they’ll need in the 2020s? Charity leaders deal with complexity. Charity leaders in the 2020s will find themselves working at the edge of what they know. Many, perhaps, already are. There are no silver leadership bullets, not even donated ones. Which is why charity leaders must be good … Continued
90 and where she would rather not be My 90-year-old aunt Elspeth lives in a nursing home where she would rather not be. Ellie, as she likes to be called, would prefer to be at home in her own flat with a view of her beloved Pentland Hills. Ellie looks like a Celtic Queen. She is … Continued
U Theory in plain English U theory is a process that is profound, powerful and practical. But it seems to me that U Theory believers use so much jargon that they are in danger of turning it into a cult. One day I decided to try to explain U Theory in plain English. The is the result. U … Continued
In praise of a fine yoga teacher who taught her last class at the YMCA today Frances Jordan is a very fine yoga teacher indeed. Frances encourages people in her classes to be fully present, and happy with the way they are. That’s a challenge for most Londoners… None of her classes is ever the … Continued
I’m never happier than when I am learning from a good teacher. At school, I always got better grades if I had confidence in the teacher. Now that I am properly middle aged, I still learn better if I trust my teacher. I listen better, I try harder, and I have more fun. Verbal, vocal … Continued
People who work with groups wear different hats. I’ve learned a lot from the gym instructors at the London Central YMCA who don’t actually wear hats, yet. “Don’t give up now, push yourself, see if you can work just a little bit faster” The YMCA instructors motivate and manage groups of people – mainly office … Continued
Keeping good company At this time of the year e-mail updates are about as welcome as mince pies. Puffed up and full of additives. Mince pies, just to explain, are an essential part of Christmas in the UK, just as ‘end of the year’ e-mails tend to make their first appearance about now. Nevertheless I … Continued
It’s one thing to be a trainer. It’s quite another to explain how you do it to other people. Here is what I have learned from trying to pass on training skills and knowledge to other people. Key message: Be systematic 1 Be systematic in your approach to training needs analysis, design, delivery, evaluation, and follow-up. … Continued
Does it matter what trainers teach? Over the years I have run training programmes for a wide range of organisations and institutions. Based on my experiences, I’m not sure if it matters what trainers teach as long as the learners can see the relevance of the content, and the style of the training is ‘relational’. … Continued