Not Another Leadership Podcast

“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” ~ Desmond Tutu

It can be very easy to keep doing what we have always done, especially in times of great need when the work we do can provide immediate relief to those we help. But what happens when we take a step back and look at the wider picture? Is the work we are doing really having a long term impact? And if it isn’t, who are the leaders brave enough to make the difficult decision to change? And how do you even start!

Our November 2023 event explored just that issue. We were delighted to be speaking with two leaders in their field who are re-designing how they serve the people they work with.
iCommunity was a collaborative all-island project and a joint initiative of NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) and The Wheel.

What was really interesting is that both of our speakers were, independently, aiming for the same goal, they both envisaged a society without foodbanks. They are both on a massive journey of change and they had huge learning to share.

For example:
At what point do we need to step back and examine what we are doing and the wider impact of our work?
How do we secure buy-in from the people involved, the decision makers and stakeholders?
How do we communicate the changes we are making to our service users and the general public?

How do we manage any sensitivities in moves from charity to justice?
Our Speakers
Yvonne Fleming is a senior manager in Crosscare, the social support agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. With over 30 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector, of which 20 years was in management roles, Yvonne has worked in the areas of homelessness, migrant issues, youth/community work, among other areas. Yvonne has a strong commitment to both excellent direct service and campaigning for societal change. Yvonne has worked mostly in urban and rural settings in Ireland but also with Concern in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Yvonne has qualifications in communication's, community and youth work and non-profit management.
Jonny Currie was Northern Ireland Lead for The Trussell Trust, an anti-poverty charity that supports a nationwide network of food banks to provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK. He has worked in the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland for over twenty years. Previously he was Community Development Director at East Belfast Community Development Agency. Jonny is also Joint-chair of YMCA Ireland and an independent member of Ards and North Down Policing and Community Safety Partnership.

Links & Resources
Yvonne shared the direct number for Crosscare’s new Collection and Casework service which is 01-8913022.
If you would prefer to watch this event: https://youtu.be/pMlEtlxCKP4?si=8MXwkW8vzTMydWf5
The Leadership Academy website: https://www.leadersacademy.ie/
The Leadership Academy Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/leadersacademy.ie/?viewAsMember=true
The Wheels Website: https://www.wheel.ie/
Sharon Hughes Leadership Academy Manager. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonhughes/
ICommunity: https://www.icommunityhub.org/
Suzie Cahn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzie-cahn-4183ba14/
Yvonne Fleming: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-fleming-1878002b/?originalSubdomain=ie
Crosscare: https://crosscare.ie/
Jonny Currie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonny-currie-3300204b/
Trussel Trust: https://www.trussell.org.uk/
Crosscare Blog for the Wheel: https://www.wheel.ie/blog/2023/07/ending-food-poverty-making-case-casework
Servant Leadership Robert Greenleaf: https://greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/
Richard Rohr: https://cac.org/about/cac-faculty/cac-founder-richard-rohr/

The sound isn't great on this one but the conversation is SO valuable <3
This month we were back with a juicy topic, Leadership and Organisational Culture. We have all seen the news articles and the word ‘Culture’ is used in a wide variety of ways, but what does it mean for us as Leaders? For example: 
How do we identify or recognize our organisational culture? 

What makes up culture in an organisation? 

What is our responsibility for culture as leaders? 

How can we change a culture and foster a positive working environment? 

As usual we have lined up two excellent speakers who have lots of thoughts on Culture and Organisations. One is the CEO of an organisation voted one of Ireland’s 150 Best Employers for the last three years in a row. The other is a consultant who works with organisations on organisational design and culture, and has led and consulted on several change and transformation projects. We look forward to hearing their unique perspectives and taking some inspiration from their stories. 
The event is also available to watch you can see it here:  ⁠https://youtu.be/4XZgt-S3vQk?si=rmw1xCOCFd5wkdbX
The Leadership Academy website: https://www.leadersacademy.ie/ 
The Wheels Website: https://www.wheel.ie/ 
The Leadership Academy Linked In: ⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/leadersacademy.ie/?viewAsMember=true ⁠
Sharon Hughes Leadership Academy Manager. ⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonhughes/ ⁠
Averil Power: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/averilpower/ ⁠
Irish Cancer Society: ⁠https://www.cancer.ie/ ⁠
Lisa-Nicole Dunne: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-nicole-dunne/ ⁠
Mantra Strategy: ⁠https://mantrastrategy.ie/ ⁠
Sinead Vaughan: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadvaughan/ 
Thanks as always to the Skills team for their amazing organisational skills, Sinead, Perrine & Matthew!

Succession planning is the process of passing leadership roles down to employees in the organisation. 
It is often used to refer to planning for the exit of a senior manager, but all organisations should be working on a Leadership Pipeline in their organisation. It is not just for the Leaders planning to leave, but also for upcoming Leaders to have a clear understanding of the direction of the organisation and where their own path might go.  
This month we have two great speakers to share their own experiences of Succession Planning the exit of a CEO. They discuss some really practical points including: 
Succession planning is not just about replacing a role, its a more reflective process that re-evaluates what an organisation needs and adjusts 

It is a challenging process for an organisation it needs time and energy 

Its important to remember context, its a big change but its not the end of the world 

Our Speakers 
Dermot Mc Laughlin is an experienced director and Board Chairperson in the nonprofit sector. He is also a consultant in the nonprofit sector in the areas of strategy, organisational planning and change. Dermot has been involved in strategic succession planning for organisations, both as Chair of a board and in his work as a strategic consultant. Dermot works closely with Boards, CEO’s, management teams, steering groups, staff and external stakeholders to ensure that their needs and objectives are met and that options and decisions are based on the best information and evidence available. 
Sharon O’Halloran is currently redefining her work life balance. Prior to this, she was the CEO of SAFE Ireland for 19 years. When Sharon decided it was time to leave her post in 2019 she had to make some interesting manoeuvres to make sure the succession plan was, well, successful. She is a Biodynamic Psychotherapist providing Role Consultancy and Mentoring for those wishing to re-invent themselves in their work and re-imagine a new work paradigm.  She is a Yoga Nidra guide, swims all year round and lives in the North West. 
 
Links & Resources
The Leadership Academy Website: https://www.leadersacademy.ie/ 
Link to the video of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajuIt4Ax9Ws 
The Wheels Website: https://www.wheel.ie/ 
The Leadership Academy Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/leadersacademy.ie/?viewAsMember=true 
Sharon Hughes Leadership Academy Manager. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonhughes/ 
Sharon O’ Halloran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-o-halloran-b6aa1556/ 
SAFE Ireland: https://www.safeireland.ie/ 
Dermot McLaughlin: https://dermotmclaughlin.ie/