Leadership
It can be an exciting adventure, but it can feel lonely. Remember, you are one of many facing the same challenges. Explore our resources to discover invaluable insights and support.
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Latest Leadership
This article, written by Dr Susanna Kislenko, explores the phenomenon of Founder’s Syndrome and what it can mean for an organisation.
Molly Melching (founder of Tostan) and her successor, Elena Bonometti discuss the succession process and how they both have a role to play in Tostan. We discuss this exciting journey and how they arranged matters to deliver Tostan’s incredible programmes.
Areeba Hamid, Joint Executive Director at Greenpeace UK, joined us to talk about how she and Will McCallum decided to apply for the leadership role together, and how it works in terms of practicalities and relationship management.
“Actually disagreements are better if you have a good relationship, risk taking is better if it’s based in trust and that’s why we really really labour the point when new staff joins us - we really value putting… work in relationships between colleagues and between the wider movement and with other organisations, other stakeholders. Trust is the currency. We are as strong as the trust we have in each other”
Areeba Hamid: Co-CEO of Greenpeace UK.
Featured Leadership
Dr. François Bonnici, Adriana Craciun, and Tim Hanstad exploring the personal impacts of succession and reframing the narrative from the ‘end of the road’ to a collective journey supported by practical and emotional guidance.
Dr. Susanna Kislenko (Director, The Founder Leadership Research Lab at the University of Oxford and Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University) shares her groundbreaking research on Founder’s Syndrome to help us understand it and avoid it.
We hear insights from Dan Viederman (an award-winning social entrepreneur) who shares his experiences of the succession process and his learnings from being on boards across the non-profit and commercial sectors.
Leadership Archive
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Articles
This article, written by Dr Susanna Kislenko, explores the phenomenon of Founder’s Syndrome and what it can mean for an organisation.
This article explores the insights Gary Cohen and Neelam Chhiber shared on the pressing issue of hero culture in the social impact sector.
Dr. François Bonnici, Adriana Craciun, and Tim Hanstad exploring the personal impacts of succession and reframing the narrative from the ‘end of the road’ to a collective journey supported by practical and emotional guidance.
When we think about diversity, the conversation typically revolves around race, gender, and sometimes socio-economic background. However, there's an often-overlooked dimension of diversity— age and experience. This article discusses eldership as a crucial aspect of diversity, exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with ageing and the value of intergenerational collaboration. It's time to reevaluate how we view eldership. This article is based on a conversation between the Elders Council for Social Entrepreneurs and Kathryn Hall-Trujillo and Hae-Young Lee.
We’ve all felt it: that overwhelming sense of having too much to do, the endless list of tasks and goals still unachieved. This can feel particularly pronounced in the social innovation sector, where there is a constant drive to create meaningful change for the benefit of others but amid this pressure, it's essential to take a moment to recognise the journey, celebrate the successes, and learn from the failures.
An article exploring the valuable insights Dan Viederman shared on working with a board of trustees. Dan is as an award-winning social entrepreneur with extensive experience on both non-profit and for-profit boards.
Webinars
Packed with insights from our speaker, Rachel Harrington (Executive Director, Coutts Family Office and Coutts Institute) as she and our co-founder Andrea Coleman, explored key areas of succession, leadership, funding, boards and more. Bringing a wealth of knowledge from the private sector, and understanding the differences and similarities between family-businesses and social enterprises, Rachel discussed defining organisational values and culture, while providing practical tips.
We all know the feeling of ‘there's just so much more to do’ but celebrating your journey and the future that awaits is important. Our guest speakers Taffy Adler (former CEO of the Housing Development Agency), Gretchen Ki Steidle (Founder of Global Grassroots) and Andrea Coleman (Co-founder of the Elders Council for Social Entrepreneurs) discuss transition and building a culture of celebrating success while learning from what didn’t work. All bringing to mind the Elton John song ‘I’m Still Standing!’
Molly Melching (founder of Tostan) and her successor, Elena Bonometti discuss the succession process and how they both have a role to play in Tostan. We discuss this exciting journey and how they arranged matters to deliver Tostan’s incredible programmes.
In this webinar Ma. Ceilia Flores-Oebanda discusses the trauma of fighting for freedom in the Philippines, working through her experiences and emotions with the Wellbeing Project, her work to tackle human trafficking and how she has approached her transition into retirement.
She also provides fantastic insights into choosing a board and the importance of respect and setting boundaries in succession.
Elders of the social innovation community (experienced social entrepreneurs of any age) discuss wisdom and what it means to them. This webinar features Kathryn Hall-Trujillo (Founding Director, Birthing Project USA: The Underground Railroad for New Life), Valeria Duflot (Social Innovator – Entrepreneur, Advocate, Strategic Adviser and On-demand Leader) and Marc Freedman (President / Co-CEO, CoGenerate) and a special message from Jeroo Billimoria (Founder, One Family Foundation and Catalyst 2030 - now known as Catalyst Now).
Elders of the social innovation community (experienced social entrepreneurs of any age) discuss wisdom and what it means to them. This webinar features Mark Cheng (Founder / Managing Partner, Social Innovation Circle), Andrea Coleman (Co-founder, Riders for Health and Co-founder / CEO, Two Wheels for Life) and Wietse van der Werf (Founder / CEO, Sea Ranger Service) and a special message from Jeroo Billimoria (Founder, One Family Foundation and Catalyst 2030, now known as Catalyst Now).
The Founder of a social enterprise does many things – the visionary, the fundraiser and they bring the magic. What can we pass on from our experiences and what do you need the successor to bring? Most importantly, how do you collectively maintain the culture and mission? Inspired by the song “I Can See Clearly Now” (sung by Jimmy Cliff) we reflect on all these aspects of succession planning with Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, Ruth Ibegbuna and Rupert Roniger.
Carole King’s song “You’ve got a friend” beautifully epitomises the care and support that we as social entrepreneurs need while we look at the best way to celebrate our eldership in our succession and our leadership. Dr. François Bonnici, Adriana Craciun and Tim Hanstad discuss this fascinating topic.
Dr. Susanna Kislenko (Director, The Founder Leadership Research Lab at the University of Oxford and Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University) shares her groundbreaking research on Founder’s Syndrome to help us understand it and avoid it.
Gary Cohen and Neelam Chhiber discuss this important question. Just some of the points covered - how social entrepreneurs come to be labelled as 'heroes'; how this affects their wellbeing; that it’s organisations, networks and movements (not lone 'heroes') that create systems change and the importance of recognising and empowering others.
Monica Culen provides insights into her detailed approach to succession. Collince Dundo tells us why he believes transition and succession planning is a critical component of the sustainable impact of his young, vibrant organisation.
Areeba Hamid, Joint Executive Director at Greenpeace UK, joined us to talk about how she and Will McCallum decided to apply for the leadership role together, and how it works in terms of practicalities and relationship management.
DY Suharya describes her powerful founder journey, how her organisation works with the government in Indonesia and practical insights into her succession plan.
Cynthia Rayner and Mel Young discuss storytelling and its power to change perceptions, culture and systems. They use ‘The Beautiful Game’, a Netflix film inspired by the Homeless World Cup, as a case study.
Webinar: We hear insights from Dan Viederman, an award-winning social entrepreneur, who shares his experiences of the succession process and his learnings from being on boards across the non-profit and commercial sectors.
Podcasts
Areeba Hamid, Joint Executive Director at Greenpeace UK, joined us to talk about how she and Will McCallum decided to apply for the leadership role together, and how it works in terms of practicalities and relationship management.
Rachel Harrington and Andrea Coleman, discuss key insights on succession, leadership, funding, boards and the private sector, as well as exploring the differences and similarities between family-businesses and social enterprises.
We hear insights from Dan Viederman (an award-winning social entrepreneur) who shares his experiences of the succession process and his learnings from being on boards across the non-profit and commercial sectors.
DY Suharya describes her powerful founder journey, how her organisation works with the government in Indonesia and practical insights into her succession plan.
Dr. Susanna Kislenko (Director, The Founder Leadership Research Lab at the University of Oxford and Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University) shares her groundbreaking research on Founder’s Syndrome.
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