Our Journey
Reflections, ideas, and thoughts
We’re all getting recruitment wrong, but what can we do about it?
We all know what it feels like to be applying for jobs. Writing a job application can take hours, a 3 or 4 stage application process can take up a full day’s worth of hours and can last for weeks. Applying for work is exhausting - it’s demotivating, relentless and thankless right up until the point at which you eventually (hopefully) succeed…
The exciting possible futures of Gateshead Mutual Aid
We’ve been big proponents of the Mutual Aid groups and the work they’ve done across the country to support local communities through the pandemic. Last week, we helped host a meeting of Mutual Aid volunteers across Gateshead in which we invited people to share their ideas about what they’d like the groups to do next to help strengthen local communities.
Is it a flaw to feel?
Are some personalities better than others? Two summers ago, my colleagues and I were comparing the results and implications of our Lumina Spark personality tests. We were trying to understand how we could work more productively as a team in light of our differences….
A word on decentralisation
There’s been a lot of talk from a lot of people (myself included) about how the disruption caused by COVID-19 present us with a window of opportunity…
Dear Mutual Aid groups...
We’ve seen local residents helping each other with shopping, with prescriptions, with staying safe and connected during these strangest of times…
The malfunctions of funding (Gateshead inquiry)
The Gateshead Inquiry is seeking to understand how learning happens within organisations working amongst severe and multiple disadvantage. Last year, we interviewed 51 people across 33 organisations. One theme that kept surfacing was funding and the problems it causes.
The vital role for the community sector in the fight against climate change
“Charities need to become more like businesses.” - I would be the first to admit that many charitable organisations are not well run and would make much greater impact if their work was more focused. Nevertheless, I believe that we should both resist this claim and strongly argue the exact opposite…
Do we need to think differently about leadership?
85% of employees worldwide are either watching the clock, sleepwalking through their day or they are actively spreading negativity to others. I believe commonplace leadership practices are partly at fault. I believe we need a new and fundamentally different approach to leadership.
Is learning a luxury?
In Gateshead, we’re trying to understand how learning happens within organisations working in the field of severe and multiple disadvantage. We’ve interviewed 51 people across 33 different organisations. Our most worrying finding about how learning happens is that often it doesn’t.
Reject the professional, embrace the human
We need to be human beings first and professionals second, and avoid the accusation that we are involved in ‘disabling professions.’
Do we need to stop talking about leadership?
Why are there so many bad leaders? Why are so many of the people who lead organisations neglectful, distracted, disorganised, unfocused, distant, negligent, uncaring, incompetent, or even just plain mean? I’ve worked for a number of different organisations and I’ve been interested in leadership for a long time. With so much known about what makes a good leader, it can be baffling to witness how few examples of good leadership there actually are.