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To celebrate International Women's Day today I wanted to share some tips I’ve collated from powerful women leaders at Pilotlight. I feel very fortunate to work alongside many amazing women every day: half of our leadership team is made up of incredible women, our Chair is a woman, and we recently welcomed three new women trustees to our Board

It is at this time of year that global leaders pack their bags and make for the snow-covered resort of Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. It is an experience I know, having had the privilege of being invited to speak for a few years.

As we are approaching the eve of 2021, charitable giving in the UK is down across the board, and the situation in the third sector seems bleak. Many charities are fighting tooth and nail for survival, while others have found ways to endure the pandemic. How did they do it?

We all have the ability to behave with values, just as we are all (or nearly all) born with the ability to sing.

A few months back I took a call from someone I hadn’t spoken to in a while.

One of the key attributes that I seek in leaders is the ability to bring the outside in to the business – to be able to listen to and engage with a wide range of internal and external audiences that have a stake in the way they operate.

I feel like there has been an increase in the last five or so years of leaders coming into this sector from outside the charity world. Some take to it like ducks to water, but others sometimes just don’t have the authenticity needed to become the purposeful leader that charities inherently need.

Typically, if your boss asks to ‘have a quick word’, the question either elicits positive thoughts of intrigue, or, if you’re unlucky, some kind of dread! Luckily for me it was almost always positive when Gillian Murray, my boss of nine years, asked this question.

I’ve spent my career focused on how to build organisations that engage employees so they give their best. I’ve experienced economic booms and busts, a technological revolution in the way we live and work, and the increased globalisation of business. The consistent theme throughout my 35 year career, is that people give their best when they truly believe in their organisation’s mission.