Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast

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 to use them can help you understand how to create a stronger, more motivated team.

Learn how to know which you are using the most and how it may be impacting those around you in this episode.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Coach Approach Leadership Style digital course - registration now open!

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 lack of confidence or motivation.

Understanding when to use coaching versus teaching can save you a lot of frustration and help your team become stronger faster.  This is what we discuss in today's episode.

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 effective performance planning discussion should leave you and your team motivated and excited.

In this episode I share simple things you can do to have more productive and motivating performance planning discussions.

Conversations that you look forward to having - and your team too.

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 Little Richard to do so well, and what can you do as a leader to encourage diversity on your team?  

Listen to find out.

Resources mentioned:

Little Richard: I Am Everything documentary

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 Level, Everywhere."

We discuss how all of us can be better leaders, what to expect from this year's WILD Forum and how to get involved.

Resources mentioned:

WILD 2024: Women's Global Leadership Forum

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 decisions so you are on the path to achieving your 2024 goals.

Are you approaching work from a scarcity mentality or abundance mentality?

A scarcity mentality leads to fear, stress and worry.

An abundance mentality leads to calm, motivation and inspiration.

Over the past year I have learned that approaching things from an abundance mentality not only benefits me but others as well.

And it is a lot more enjoyable way to work.

Listen to this episode to learn more.

I have taken time over the last few weeks to reflect on my top lessons learned for 2023.

These lessons can help you achieve your goals for 2024 - faster and better.

I am sharing them in a three part episode - starting with how I have learned to not rely only on one or two ways of reaching a goal.

If you want to grow more as a leader, this lesson will help you greatly increase your chances of doing so.

Asking your team "how can I help?" is a great way to show your support.

But knowing when to ask this question can make it more helpful to your team member - and ultimately to you as a leader too.

In this episode I explore the best way to ask "how can I help you?" as a supervisor in order to empower your team and not keep them from growing.

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. 

In this episode I share this simple thing you can start doing immediately, and how it may reveal things you did not even know which can create a happier, more motivated team that creates more impact.

If you find yourself saying things like "my team knows not to follow my bad example (working long hours, for example)" then this episode is for you.

So many humanitarian and development leaders I work with think they are the "exception to the rule".  That is that their team does not follow their unhealthy work style.  

But how true is that really?

From my experience, it's not.

In this episode I show you how you are influencing your team's behavior more than you think, and what may motivate you to change it.

You have a lot on your to do list.  Between all the meetings, email and your everyday obligations, things get busy fast!

And yet, one of our most important priorities as supervisors can be one of the ones we delay doing the most - that is developing our team.

How can you find time to develop your team while also keeping your other priorities?

Listen to this episode to find out!

Resources mentioned:

- How to do a Time Audit (from previous episode How Will You be Remembered as a Leader Part One)

How have you done achieving your annual goals?

Sometimes it feels like there's some magic formula that we are missing which will allow us to achieve our goals.

Thankfully, that's not true.

Achieving our goals comes down to one thing.

And that is: how we have prioritized our time.

The way we use our time compounded leads us to the results we have today.

The good news is that means you can make a change.

If you choose to use your time on the things that will result in a stronger team or you as a stronger leader, you can achieve it.

One obstacle that I see humanitarian and development leaders create for themselves is the idea that later will be better.

After I finish this proposal, or donor visit, or final report, or whatever... THEN I will have the time.

But that is just not true.

There will always be things to do.

Things that make you "busy".

So knowing this, how can you prioritize what you know will make the most impact?

Learn more in this episode.

Resources mentioned:

Not Enough Time and Later Is Better

You're listening to this because you want to grow as a leader.

One way to do that is to be aware of your mindset.

Having the right mindset, or perspective, can motivate us to grow and improve.

But having the "wrong" mindset can lead to the opposite of growth.

One limited mindset I see in humanitarian and development supervisors is when they tell themselves "they already know" something.

"They already know" about this person.

Or "they already know" about this skill.

Or "they already know" about this experience.

And guess what?

Saying "you already know" shuts you down to looking for anything new.

The opposite of growth.

How might you be limiting yourself with what "you already know"?

Listen to this episode to find out.

Whether you know it or not, you have a certain way of leading your team.

They are used to you doing things a certain way.

So if you suddenly change that without saying anything...

It could be very disruptive, and unproductive.

In this episode I share what I've learned about how to introduce a new way of leading to make it successful, in part by making the transition more comfortable and inclusive.

Resources Mentioned:

The Coach Approach Leadership Style

Are you the hero or the victim of your story?

Sometimes we may be a victim - and not even realize it.

And when we are a victim - we become helpless and hopeless.

This means we don't act, we don't grow and we don't help ourselves or others.

Because we see our situation as "reality" - rather than seeing it as a story that can change.

In this episode I share how to recognize when you are in victim mode and what you can do to get out of it.

Resources mentioned:

The Coach Approach Leadership Style course - enrollment is now until December 1st for the February cohort

When we communicate with others, and especially when coaching, the quality of our questions can have tremendous impact on the outcome.

We can have good intentions, but a question which is leading or directive can shut down a conversation and limit the creativity and resourcefulness of those you work with.

In this episode you'll learn how to know if you are asking leading questions, and what to do about it, so you can communicate more effectively and develop your team at the same time.

There are many benefits of a proactive team.

A more proactive team means greater diversity of thought, higher team motivation and more time for you to work on the important things on your to do list.

Sometimes just asking your team what they think is not enough to make them more proactive and independent.

There are reasons why some team members may be hesitant to offer their ideas or make decisions on their own.

In this episode we explain these reasons, and then address what you can do so your team will start thinking for themselves, offering solutions and providing ideas that you never even considered.

We often hear the word "coach" and think it means the same, whether someone is a leadership coach or sports coach.

But all coaching IS NOT created equal.

Sports coaching and leadership coaching are actually very different, and in order to know which we are doing, it's important to know the differences.

So we don't end up "sports coaching" our team.

This is a common misunderstanding I see people make, and one worth clarifying.

Join me in this short episode as I explain the differences between sports and leadership coaching, so you can know which you are doing, and what changes you might want to make.

Has this happened to you as a humanitarian and/or international development leader?

You have a meeting with your team, or community, or implementing partner, and you think you've agreed on what to do next.

You come back a week later, and find out... nothing has been done!

Why is that?

The more responsibility we take for our team, the community, government, implementing partner (or even your kids!) not taking action on something, the more likely we can fix it.  

Because chances are, there's something we have done that ended up with them not taking action.

If you want to learn the most common reasons things don't get done (after your team has agreed to do them) and how to overcome them, listen to this episode!