Clearer Thinking – May 2024

The Leadership Catalyst

I am thrilled with how the second cohort of The Leadership Catalyst has been received. The feedback has been humbling, and I’ve felt emotional watching and hearing the wins that the participants are celebrating, and how powerful and bold they are feeling as a result of the support and solidarity they are finding amongst their peers.

I invited, and we were recently joined by, the wonderful Tunde Banjoko OBE at a recent session to share his journey in starting up and growing Making the Leap – a charity that is projecting an income of around £2m this year! Hearing his uncensored thoughts on authentic leadership, relationship building, the challenges he has faced and his approach to developing the robustness of the charity – all through his lens as a Black CEO and Founder, left many of our participants (and me) in awe!

“TLC has exceeded my expectations. I knew it would be a space for discussions that affected us as under-represented leaders, I didn’t really envisage the conversations being as deep or as thoughtful as they are. I didn’t really think I’d come away from it thinking so differently about certain aspects of my role, how I deliver it, where I see it going, and how I see change. I’m questioning a lot of things personally.”

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We are now supporting Senior Leaders

The first two cohorts have been for CEOs, and we will be dedicating the third cohort that starts in June to Senior Managers. Yep, I caved!

Because the messages coming from the sector are loud and clear that we need to invest in the future leaders in our industry. It’s critical that we equip our no 2s with the skills, the time, and the experience to grow into those top positions. It’s not just about a succession plan and ticking a box, it’s about retaining the talent and replenishing our sector, strengthening peer support and providing a strong pipeline of senior leaders for the future.

It’s also the reason why I have been asked by Richmond Parish Lands Charity to support their Future Leaders Programme, by delivering an adapted version of our The Leadership Catalyst online group coaching programme for senior leaders in the Royal Borough of Richmond. Colleagues there are currently recruiting for the online.

“The Leadership Catalyst is so needed in the sector … We are at a place where we are going to move into those really high impact roles, and there is really no diversity there.”

If you’re curious, and Interested in joining our third cohort starting in June I am now talking to those who want to join me on the next cohort in June. If you’d like to find out more please email and register your interest at TLC@clearthinkingconsultancy.co.uk and we’ll take it from there.

Stuck in the Middle

It is right, I think, that we approach our TLC sessions on a cohort basis with either senior leaders or CEOs, as their experiences are so different. When I reflect on my time as a Deputy CEO of a place-based charity, I recall as a senior leader often being stuck in the middle acting as a buffer between a visionary CEO and a workforce working to deliver the charity’s mission.

You may be part of the decision making but that decision making is not yours, and you are definitely part of the solution, but perhaps sometimes to your own detriment – available to everyone and absorbing the extra work so as not to overburden others. Your own progression may be unclear because the only way forward is up… and that position is already taken.

Your default position is to help others, but who helps you? Who puts you front and centre if you do not? Who listens to you?

The Leadership Catalyst offers a unique opportunity to invest in you and your future as a charity senior leader.

“I feel much more centred, I don’t feel alone. To hear [other’s] perspectives and challenges, they are no different. They are not exactly the same, but they are still the same issues. That has been really important.”

It’s a 12 month group coaching programme where I hold space for leaders within a carefully selected group of peers. This is so that the support, solidarity and solutions you are engaging with are with like minded people who share aspects of your lived and learned experience.

The content of our discussions is informed by an in-depth 1:1 discovery meeting, and we use a stimulus at the start of each session for focus.

• You get to draw on a range of experiences and expertise in that space to help you move forward in your thinking about key areas that you and others have identified.
• You contribute your knowledge and expertise where you can.
• You draw strength and encouragement from others in the group, are held accountable by what you’ve said you’ll do – but also by knowing many others are moving forward too, and
• You feel less alone because they’re navigating a similar path.

The potential of impact increases significantly precisely because of the quality and number of people in the room. It’s a perfect fit for our charity Senior Leaders.

“I enjoy it so much to have that space to talk and find it really valuable. It’s diarised in and prioritised, and it’s felt like prioritising myself.”

I invite you to check out The Leadership Catalyst and read all the wonderful testimonials, and if you see it as a fit for you, let’s chat.

Please email and register your interest at TLC@clearthinkingconsultancy.co.uk and we’ll take it from there.