Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast

Are you constantly overwhelmed with a never-ending stream of interruptions at work?

Whether you're a humanitarian and develoment leader in the field or managing a team remotely, the pressure to always be available might be hurting your productivity more than you realize.

In today's fast-paced work environment, the expectation of constant availability can lead to burnout and decreased effectiveness. This episode dives deep into the ...

Will you achieve your goals within a year?

Many of us "hope" we will.

But hoping alone will not get you to that promotion or to achieve that certification.

There are two things that you need to do in order to successfully achieve your goals.

And it comes down to how you use your time.

Find out more in this episode.

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Wouldn't it be nice if a time management tool could solve all our problems as humanitarian and development leaders?

Unfortuntely, it doesn't work that way.

While time management tools can be helpful, there is something else you need to address before you can use them effectively.

Something that will have a much greater impact on your time management.

It has to do with the way you THINK about your time.

After coaching hundreds of hu...

What is a common fear of leaders in humanitarian and international development when it comes to coaching their teams?

The fear of losing respect.

Losing respect because their team sees them as needing to have all the answers.

So if they start asking their teams what they think, then the team will question their authority.

I understand the reasoning behind this concern, especially in certain cultures where leadership is more directi...

When I was a leader in the international development and the humanitarian sector, I had many reasons to rush.

There is always a deadline - whether a proposal, a project need or a government request.

And yet there are consequences for being in a hurry and just trying to get things done.

In this episode I share the importance of slowing down to understand and listen, and my own experience with what happens when we do not.

For a full ...

The word "feedback" in the humanitarian and development context can create feelings of anxiety, fear and anger.

And yet, your team says they want feedback.

So what is it they REALLY want?

Most likely they want to grow, or become a better version of themselves in some way.

The problem is if we don't know how to have that conversation, we can actually create the opposite effect - that is, a team member resistant to change.

In this ep...

The best leaders adapt their leadership style based on their team's needs.

I like to think of the saying "wearing different hats" where one hat (way of leading) may be appropriate for one environment but not another.

Similarly, we shouldn't always be leading one way.

Sometimes you need to manage, sometimes you need to teach and sometimes you need to coach.

Knowing the differences, the advantages and disadvantages of each and when t...

As a leader who wants to strengthen your team, sometimes you need to teach them, and sometimes you need to coach them.

There is a time for each - either your team member needs information to take action (training) versus needing self-reflection (coaching).

I see many frustrated leaders who think they need to teach something - yet again - for someone to take action when in reality what's blocking them is something deeper, such as la...

It's that time of the year!  

If you're like many of the supervisors I know, you are probably delaying having them.

Performance planning conversations!

These conversations are one of the most important discussions of the year, but many of us see them as a "have to do" and not a "want to do".

Why is that?

From my experience, it's not that performance planning conversations are bad.

It's that we are not doing them effectively.

An eff...

As a leader you influence the level of diversity on your team.

Allowing greater diversity results in your team contributing ideas and more innovation.

And greater contribution/ideas = greater impact.

In this episode we explore the story of Little Richard, an African American performer who despite many obstacles was able to be himself, resulting in him becoming one of the most influential people on rock and roll.

So what allowed Lit...

There are many ways to lead in the international development and humanitarian sectors.

Whether it's by using a coach approach leadership style or by mentoring others, there are many ways to demonstrate leadership that benefit those around us.

In this episode guest Fiona Macaulay (Founder of the Women Innovators and Leaders Development Network or WILD Network) shares how this year's WILD Forum will fulfill the theme "Lead at Every L...

How we spend our time each day directly relates to our likelihood of achieving our goals.

If we spend our time on what I call "empty calorie tasks" we will probably not change or grow much.

But if we prioritize high quality tasks related to our goals, we will more likely achieve them.

Understanding how to prioritize our time so we achieve our goals is one of my 2023 Lessons Learned.

In this episode I share a helpful way to make dec...

Most of us prefer working for a leader who we feel cares for us over one who only cares about results.  

Many research studies confirm the same: empathetic leaders create higher performing and more motivated teams.

Chances are if you're listening to this you are already a caring leader, but there is an opportunity that many leaders overlook which is so simple and yet goes a long way when you want to demonstrate caring for your team...