SummaryWhat are the key principles of African leadership that nonprofit leaders globally could benefit from adopting?How does the African concept of Ubuntu translate into practical leadership strategies for nonprofit organizations?How does African leadership balance individual and collective success, and how might nonprofit teams benefit from seeking the same balance?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Albert Anoubon Momo, axecutive, author, and board member, about leadersh...

SummaryIs it that people resist change? That they fear change? Or rather that people fear loss?As a change management consultant, what is the most difficult or frustrating while supporting clients with change management efforts?What is one word most alive right now in the world of change management support?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Michael Randel, Founder of Randel Consulting Associates, on mastering the ever-complex world of organizational change management.Micha...

SummaryWhat does it Busara's tagline mean: 'transformational leadership, from the inside out'?To what extent are there truly different global south-normed leadership models?Does personality still play an important role as well, in addition to national or regional cultural differences in leadership approaches?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Taaka Awori, Founder & CEO of Busara Africa, a leadership development services company, on redefining leadership in...

SummaryHow should INGOs discern what roles are still relevant, legitimate, and needed, at this moment in civil society history?­­ And which roles they therefore should *stop* playing?Is there more here, over and beyond stopping service delivery? (Which on its own is quite the shift)In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Dylan Mathews, Chief Executive Officer at Peace Direct. Peace Direct has been quite vocal, and has acted as a thought leader on this role question -...

SummaryConflict management and mediation are skills that come up frequently as a weak area in many of our social sector organizations. And these days, more than ever conflict is on the rise within our organizations. So how can we work through our conflicts more skillfully and effectively?Nathalie has answers for us. She's a trainer conflict mediator (as well as a Corentus, Inc. team coach) who helps teams and organizations develop better conflict management capabilities. And she's a valu...

SummaryWhat constitutes a culture of philanthropy within nonprofits and NGOs? It's a term easily bandied around, but how do I see when it's in place?How has the field of direct giving by small donors, and monthly giving as one donor practice in particular changed in the last 10-20 years?Are there hurdles to be overcome in persuading donors to adopt monthly giving? Finally, there is a lot of discussion about the need for a shift towards ethical storytelling, with local program participant...

SummaryWhat does the name Taimaka mean?To what extent are there challenges, as an organization, when you aim for evidence-based decision-making?What kind of culture is needed to truly live the aspiration of being evidence-based?In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Dr. Umar Abubakar and Justin Graham, co-founders and co-directors of The Taimaka Project -- an NGO working in Gombe state, Nigeria, on what happens when a start-up nonprofit wants to nurture an evidence-based cultu...

Summary Quite a few smaller size social sector organizations assume that program evaluation is too complex or demanding an undertaking for them. Is that the case, though? If we want to introduce program evaluation to staff, leadership, and boards who have not yet been inducted into the importance of program evaluation: what are the most effective questions to generate genuine interest in and motivation to engage in such program evaluation? How can we build a more evaluation-friendly culture...

Summary What are the main benefits of a network structure, where power, authority, and leadership are dispersed and shared across regions, from an effectiveness perspective?  What are the most important enabling habits, practices and behaviors that go with that, as a change leader? And what are the most valuable network-related frameworks, concepts, resources, and tools at work in moving towards this structure? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Anu Kumar, President and...

Summary Conflict within our organizations: we often don't really want to face them, but they are very much there. The result? Plenty of passive aggression to go around.  What are the implications of such forms of conflict avoidance? In other NGOs on the other hand -- especially in the last few years it seems -- internal strife has come out into the open - sometimes spilling into the media in an unwanted fashion. On another note: is interest-based problem-solving still a helpful approach to...

Summary What are some structural things that are wrong in development aid and in civil society? Which mindsets most need to be decolonized when it comes to the relationship between global South civil society organizations (CSOs) and INGOs? Global North-founded INGOs need to be reimagined. How, in turn, do global South-founded NGOs have to change to take over many roles that INGOs currently still fulfill? And how do they need to recalibrate their power relationships with INGOs? In this NGO...

Summary Leadership transitions are tricky -- and potentially risky -- moments in a nonprofit's life. What are the most common pitfalls or aspects that get overlooked when nonprofits -- and outgoing leaders themselves -- tackle such leadership transitions? What key strategies and tactics are essential to ensure a smooth leadership transition and maintain organizational stability? What are the habits, practices, and behaviors that are most aligned with a successful exit of an Executive...

Summary What should I imagine, practically, when a team coach starts to support my team? What does a well-known team coach find the most rewarding about working with nonprofit teams? Can a team coach detect any differences in team behaviors or tendencies between their for-profit and nonprofit clients?    In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Alexander Caillet, CEO and co-founder of Corentus, Inc., on all of the above questions,  including how to navigate team behaviors when...

Summary What is the state of DEI in US-founded international development organisations (both for-profit and nonprofit), and how has this state changed since 2021?   What has been the action, as compared to the professed intentions for action?    In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Shiro Gnanaselvam, President and CEO at Social Impact, on DEI (Diversity, equity, and inclusion) trends in US Development agencies.   Shiro’s Bio: CEO of Social Impact, a US-based mid-size...

Summary What is life after leadership like? What happens to you as a person when you leave a high-powered, highly visible role in civil society? What happens with your sense of identity? Does this also perhaps touch on ego as well? What offers new meaning and purpose, when we live our life-after-leadership? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Sam Worthington, former President and CEO at InterAction, who stepped down from a position with much positional as well as symbolic...

Summary What is scaling? And how is it different from growing? What’s the role of partner strategies or multiplier strategies in scaling? What are the implications of scaling in an era of decolonizing aid, localizing development, and shifting roles of nonprofits and NGOs, shifting power, authority and decision rights? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Amy Ragsdale, Director at Spring Impact, a consulting, coaching and training agency specializing in scaling...

Summary What are the vital steps a senior leader have to take as they step into a new leadership role? What to do and what to expect when you are transitioning into that new role? And, separately, to what extent are African leadership models and frameworks  different from global North ones?  Most importantly, what could global North imprinted leadership models learn from African ones?  In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Adama Coulibaly, Global Programs Director at...

Summary What should we think of when we consider organization integrity issues? How do you distinguish between positive and negative forms of power? How do we nurture power for organizational integrity?  These are the fairly complex questions that we address in the podcast today. In this NGO Soul+Strategy  episode, I interview Bhavika Patel, Senior Adviser for Equalities and Inclusion at Oxfam Great Britain, and Alex Cole-Hamilton, independent consultant and one of the founders of the Power...

Summary How can the feelings of people who work in organizations both facilitate and suppress change? What makes people attach reputation and credibility to another person? And how does this relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and these may work out in practice? What's the problem with think tanks from the perspective of a decolonization goal, and what has been the problem historically? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Ajoy Datta,  consultant, policy...

Summary How should we think about the  ‘collective journey to equitable development’ of Northern-founded NGOs, national NGOs and their funders? What obstacles stand in the way of continuing on that journey?  Why does Humentum argue that NGO operating models need to enable  ERA (Equitable, Resilient, and Accountable) development, and how does that need to come about? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Kim Kucinskas, Director for Community Strategy at Humentum, on...

Summary What are the strengths of a confederated nonprofit organizational structure and what are its inherent weaknesses and limitations? What is a ‘diversified network’ type of organizational structure? To what extent does having a confederated organizational structure, as well as the aspiration to be a diversified network, Impact the nature, legitimacy, adaptability, and quality of decision-making? In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Doris Bäsler, formerly Oxfam,...