From the local (north of England) to the global (north of India)

Over the last few weeks, we have been working with some inspiring organisations locally and globally: two in Manchester, UK, and two based in Udaipur, India. All four have found inspiring ways to connect and collaborate so that they can achieve greater impact in the world – understanding the value of networks and systems.

Manchester, UK

GREAT! (Greater Manchester Refugees and Asylum seekers Together): GREAT! is the Expert by Experience (EbE) group of the Step Change consortium – a partnership of 11 asylum and refugee support organisations. Step Change ensures people seeking safety in Greater Manchester feel welcome, connected, and involved in decisions affecting their lives. We recently worked with GREAT! to deliver public speaking training. See the group in action below during a communication exercise.

GMHAN (Greater Manchester Homeless Action Network): Established in 2017, GMHAN brings together those across Greater Manchester working to end homelessness, including people with lived experience of homelessness, people from frontline organisations, public sector officers, and anyone working to find more effective solutions to the homelessness crisis. This week we are working to support this network to gain greater clarity on how they move forwards.

Udaipur, India

Secure was founded in 1987 as a family-run business in Udaipur, India. Secure has grown over the last 30 years into a world leader in technology-driven energy solutions and now employs over 6,500 people worldwide and operates in 9 countries. “We not only make decisions based on financial factors, but also the social and environmental consequences of our operations. Our company is deeply committed to environmentally friendly practices and, we work hard to use our skills and assets to benefit the community around us.”

We have been co-designing a Transforming Leadership Programme to be delivered over the coming year. Pictured below are some of the team we have working closely with to develop this programme.

Dharohar are a not-for-profit organisation that builds resilient communities of lifelong learners by creating spaces, learning experiences and resources for different people to connect and bring out the joy in learning. They lead multiple community initiatives, including bringing local schools and educational thought leaders together, reforesting degraded land,  digitising a million Sanskrit texts and creating the building pictured below – Third Space. We have partnered with them since 2019, and their Director, Shivani Singhal, is on our Board of Trustees. This time Ian and Lorna worked with the leadership team on their vision, mission and strategic goals going forward (see below).

Inspired by the vision of fostering a generation of life-long learners, Third Space is a one-of-a-kind innovative community hub. It draws on sustainable architectural design, practices, and materials while showcasing local products, tools, and techniques. More than just a space, it fosters a deep synergy between the built and natural environment. It features a café, climbing wall, adventure area, library, maker space, shop, exhibition halls, and more – providing a place for people to connect, play with ideas, and engage in hands-on learning. Pictured below is the baori, a reinterpretation of the stepwells that Rajasthan is famous for.

In addition to the work we were doing, we also took the opportunity to visit several parks and green spaces (pictured below) that have been designed and delivered through Dharohar and Secure. Jungle Johadbeed are 122 acres of urban forest – they increase the city’s resilience by acting as lungs for the city, as well as creating a green space where citizens can connect with nature, and value the greenery around them. 

For Udaipur to remain green and connected, people need local, public green spaces around them. ‘The four parks we’ve developed are in residential areas, allowing people to get the benefits of green spaces within walking distance from their homes’. Pictured below are two of these vibrant green spaces.

Don’t forget to save the date and sign up for our April webinar where we will be launching our new strategy and rebranding. 

• When? Wednesday 23rd April, 12:00-13:00 (UK time)

• Where? Online (Zoom)

• Register? Here

Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson quote:‘Each of us is a living system within a greater living system, connected to each other in more ways than we can fathom’.  

Best wishes,
Lorna, Kemal, Ian and Rosie

Towards healthier, happier and more connected communities

Today (February 20th) is World Day for Social Justice – a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to build a more just, inclusive and equitable world, celebrating the transformative power of collective action. At the heart of building a more just world lies a commitment to nurturing more inclusive and connected communities. 

Over the last decade Caplor Horizons has been privileged to work with more than 150 different organisations in around 50 countries – the vast majority of whom are working to support healthier, happier and more resilient communities in a wide variety of ways. From increasing food security to championing the rights of people with disabilities, and inspiring leadership confidence and skills for women seeking asylum, to protecting our planet by challenging wildlife and environmental crime. Stronger communities for people and planet is at the heart of them all. Read a selection of our testimonials here.

In 2025, Caplor Horizons is delighted to be partnering with two different charities that are working to build stronger, more inclusive and resilient communities…

Our collaboration with the Federation for the Experiment in International Living (FEIL) goes back a number of years. Last year Lorna and Kemal facilitated a session at their General Assembly meeting on shared leadership (see picture below). Read more about our ‘Essentials of Shared Leadership’ here. This year we are embarking on a strategy renewal process with AFS EIL Intercultural Learning in Ireland. EIL is deeply committed to intercultural exchange – working globally so that individuals, organisations and communities can create a more sustainable, peaceful and just world. Ian and Laura (Adams), our Chair, will be travelling to Cork to begin work with the staff and trustees in March. 

A newer partnership that began this year is with Neighbourhood Watch Network. Many people will perhaps know them as the largest volunteer led crime prevention charity in England and Wales. However, this is just one part of their vision for a society where neighbours come together to create safer, stronger and active communities. At the heart of their approach is a deep commitment to supporting individuals and communities to be more connected so that they are more resilient and inclusive. Lorna and Kemal facilitated a session with the staff and trustees of Neighbourhood Watch in January to map out a strategy renewal process (see below). To find out more, read our ‘Essentials of Strategy’ here.

Strategy launch and rebrand. We are very excited to be launching our new strategy and an exciting rebrand for Caplor Horizons in April – watch this space! Rosie has been the creative energy behind the rebrand which will help us to reach new audiences and refresh our identity and includes a new logo, colour palette, graphics and icons. Please join us for a webinar on Wednesday 23rd April 12:00 UK time to find out more. Click here to register. It will be a 1-hour online event. This will be the first in a series of webinars linked to our new strategy.

Change maker of the month

Margaret Wheatley Quote: “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about”

Best wishes,
Kemal, Lorna, Ian and Rosie

Our tribute to Charles Handy

As you may have heard, Charles Handy passed away recently. We have sent our sincere condolences to his family. Charles and his partner Liz, who is also sadly no longer with us, were both regularly involved since we were established. They were both inspirational in many respects. 

The origins stretch back to 2007. Ian wrote to Charles, sharing a paper he’d written for a conference in Dublin about the non-profit sector internationally. Ian had imagined that Charles, a social philosopher constantly ranked as one of the world’s most influential thinkers, would be too busy to read and respond. However, much to his surprise and delight, Charles replied in an encouraging way. 

The engagement with Caplor Horizons began during the earliest times. Lorna and Ian were busy making connections. Very little was in place. Far from not wanting to be associated with something so new, Charles and Liz facilitated a conversation, with around 25 people, to help distil what our fledgling organisation was all about. Charles used a technique he’d invented called a ‘still life’. The key picture arising is below. If you are intrigued, and want to learn more, please read the booklet he wrote.  

This propelled a relationship with Caplor Horizons that became deeper over time. Charles was our ‘Thought Leadership Advisor’. He always very generously contributed his time on a voluntary basis. This was highly significant to us in various ways given that our work is with not-for-profits and businesses committed to sustainable change. Whilst, like others, he had written a lot about businesses, he was the first ‘leadership guru’ (a term he disliked) to write about the non-profit sector. His ideas, and ability to communicate them, were extraordinary. For instance, click on the links to gain insights from discussions we had about collaboration and partnerships, the soul of organisations, and leadership. He was one of the co-authors of our book. 

Over the years, the contributions were multiple. We are very grateful and humbled. From the innovative ways to describe and improve leadership, strategy and organisational culture, consistent with our strap line to ‘learn, think and act differently’, to directly contributing to organisations we worked with. For example, we co-facilitated sessions with people at Jaipur Rugs in Rajasthan and with a group of HIV/Aids activists in Delhi, the latter of which he said years later was his most favourite memory from working with us at Caplor Horizons. Charles is pictured below in the ‘hot seat’ where participants could ask him anything they wanted.

A common thread that ran through Charles’ work was his belief in helping people to find their 'golden seed' – the unique potential within each individual. This is similar to our strengths-based approach and links to his quote that we frequently share “do the best at what you are best at for the benefit of others”.

Charles was always encouraging and confidence giving to the many people he met along the way. As another illustration, we organised for Charles to contribute, as keynote speaker, to national level conferences about the non-profit sector in the UK and Ireland. These involved 100s of people. 

During trips with Charles, including around the UK and Dublin, plus India, we saw first-hand how people were greatly moved by his way of engaging and what he said. And how, very significantly, he listened so deeply. 

Fast forwarding to the present. Laura Adams (our Chair), Lorna and Ian most recently met Charles a few months ago. He was his usual soulful and wise, gentle and effective, engaging and reflective, thought provoking and challenging self.

Ella’s – Chair role and Fundraising Manager position. To conclude with something specific that we know Charles would be highly supportive of, because he was always thinking of the future and ways to make a difference. Please see a link here to two important roles that Ella’s, one of our partners, is recruiting for. On its homepage, Ella’s state that: ‘we do everything we can to ensure survivors of trafficking and exploitation have all they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free’. 

Charles Handy Quote: ‘The future is not inevitable. We can influence it, if we know what we want it to be’.

Best wishes,
Lorna, Ian, Rosie and Kemal

Leading change – in action!

Leading change in action. As we approach the end of the year, we’ve been reflecting on the rapid pace of change shaping our world and how the organisations we work with are constantly adapting to remain relevant, resilient, and impactful. We’re proud to support this journey by helping organisations lead change effectively through aligning their culture, strategy, and structure to meet current and future challenges. To find out more about what this involves, click here to read our deeper dive ripple paper on ‘Leading Change’. 

This year, we’ve worked with a diverse range of organisations, from global businesses to family-run enterprises, and not-for profit foundations. Below we have outlined just a few examples of how we are supporting organisations to lead change in their contexts.

Haygrove

Haygrove is an international horticultural business with a strong commitment to sustainability. They say:“We wish to be at the front of a gathering wave of organisations that collectively contribute to a new definition of the word ‘Business’. Business is the vehicle through which most global populations seem to have chosen to organise themselves. We believe the world would be much better if business measured itself in concrete ways across all three bottom lines – Profit, People and Planet.”

We have worked in partnership with Haygrove since 2024 in a variety of ways. Currently, we are facilitating activities focused on strengthening organisational culture, leadership and teamworking. This involved working with various teams across the business, including in China (see below). 

Birds Bakery

Earlier this year, we partnered with Birds Bakery, a highly successful fourth generation family business based in the UK. Initially we focused on activities to strengthen their organisational culture. This included re-defining their values and behaviours whilst enhancing communication and teamworking (see pictures below). The work has extended to strategy renewal, including attention to structure, plus coaching. Next year, the emphasis will shift to a Transforming Leadership Programme. To find out more about what we offer, click here.

Small Foundation

Small Foundation is a remarkable organisation. Its role is to catalyse income-generating opportunities in rural sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem through finance, technology, and knowledge. This year, our collaboration has included a combination of in-person and online activities. These have focused on activities related to organisational culture, whilst improving leadership and teamworking.

The importance of culture, values and behaviours. As you will see in the examples above, a core part of leading change is about strengthening organisational culture and living your values. See below an extract from one of our Ripple Papers about this. To find out more, click here.

“Understanding, living and leading the values of your organisation is not easy, but perhaps it is the most important element of authentic leadership. Values are an essential starting point, and they must also be revisited often to ensure that they are still living and breathing, clearly understood, and consistent with your purpose, mission and vision. To live, they must be demonstrated, role modelled, talked about, and shared.”

Although some things change, some things remain. We were delighted to recently meet up with our longstanding supporters Lord Paul Tyler, Nicky Tyler, Richard Harvey, and Kay Harvey for a festive get together. They have been involved in multiple ways since we were established in 2014. They have made a remarkable contribution to our work. We have deeply benefitted and are hugely thankful for this. 

Change Maker of the Week

Quote: “At the end it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” ― Denzel Washington 

Wishing you all the best for this festive season and thank you for your continued support. We are looking forward to 2025, and the opportunities that lie on this new horizon!

Best wishes,
Lorna, Ian, Rosie and Kemal

How do we transform leadership?

Given the remarkable challenges faced by organisations in our fast-changing world, we believe that it is vital to help equip leaders to make a transformational difference. This requires not only strengthening leadership skills, but also rethinking leadership itself. At Caplor Horizons, we believe that everyone is a leader. We also advocate for a reframing of leadership from traditional, hierarchical models to one that emphasises collaboration, resilience and a redistribution of power. To find out more, click the links to read our papers on ‘feminist leadership’ and ‘shared leadership’. 

Our ‘Transforming Leadership Programme’: We design bespoke programmes to make a transformational difference to leadership effectiveness. We deliver these online, in-person, or as a hybrid. We have highly proved tools, models and approaches that enable people taking part to learn more about themselves and their colleagues, such as The Caplor House. To find out more about what we offer, read our short flyer here. 

One of our partners that has recently been through our Leadership Programme is CBM Global. They are a disability inclusion charity, committed to transforming the lives of people with disabilities in some of the world’s poorest places. Over the past year, we have facilitated monthly online sessions with 30 leaders from 16 countries covering a range of topics including authentic leadership, creative problem solving, strategic thinking and inclusive leadership. Our work has also supported the wider Federation in articulating their 'Leadership Way,' enabling them to embed a shared vision of leadership across diverse cultural and geographical contexts.

Here is what some of the participants had to say about it…

Support CBM UK’s Zimbabwe appeal. Zimbabwe is facing one of the worst droughts and food shortages in decades. CBM UK are looking to respond to this growing crisis as quickly as possible – but to tackle an issue that is likely to persist, it needs to be more than just providing immediate aid. Their new three-year programme will help particularly vulnerable families build resilient livelihoods that produce food and income for struggling communities where climate change is having a very real impact. To support this project, or learn more about CBM UK, click here.

Change maker of the week

Quote: “‘Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it can change your life.” — Amy Poehler

Best wishes
Rosie, Lorna, Kemal and Ian

What are the essentials of leading change?

We are delighted to share our new "deeper dive" paper! This is called the Essentials of Leading Change which you can read here. As with any of our resources, you are very welcome to share this with other people. It has also been broken down into three shorter Ripple Papers called the Essentials of Strategy, Essentials of Structure and Essentials of Organisational Culture. 

What’s the context?  Day to day, we face challenges and opportunities to bring about change. Sometimes these are big with important implications; other times small with minor consequences. Like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly, sometimes change is transformational. Whatever the case, we deal with it as best we can, ideally strengthening our resilience as we move through life.

Who is our audience? If you are an experienced leader, then we hope that you will find some new learning. If you are relatively new to the world of leadership and change, we hope you will find it a useful resource. If you are considering working with us, or about to start, then it will give you some insights about our approach. 

How to make best use of it? Practical insights and guidance are given. These are based on lessons we’ve learnt plus perspectives from many relevant sources. Following a summary, chapter 2 explains our 12 core principles for leading change. We believe structure, strategy and organisational culture are the priorities in any change process and we describe 12 essential components of each of these topics in chapters 3, 4 and 5. These chapters can be read on their own. However, in each case we also recommend reading chapter 2 for the core principles. 

Strengthening resilience: perhaps the most significant thing we have observed about leading change is the importance of individuals, teams and organisations taking steps to strengthen resilience. This is an ongoing activity, both in advance of changes, during the transitions involved and afterwards – especially taking care to look after health and wellbeing when things are tough.  

Leading by example: we would also wish to highlight that whoever is responsible for leading change (whether an individual or several people), leads by example in a consistent way – e.g., modelling behaviours agreed by all. This will encourage colleagues across the organisation. 

Process. It will not surprise anyone that knows about our work that we also emphasise about ‘the process being as important as the result.’ We give illustrations of this in the paper. 

We hope that this deeper dive provides some useful insights about leading change, including understanding that change itself is a process, and reminding ourselves that things tend to dip before they improve.    

If you, your team or your organisation would like further support and/or facilitation to lead change more effectively, read our flyer here to learn more about what we can offer you, or get in touch with us here.

Change maker of the month 

Quote: ‘Change can’t be put on people. The best way to instil change is to do it together. Create it together.’ Lisa Bodell

Best wishes
Ian, Lorna, Kemal and Rosie

What's new at Caplor Horizons?

Who’s our new Co-Director? Hot off the press, at our September board meeting, Kemal (Shaheen) was appointed as a Co-Director. Kemal brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise to our team and we are delighted to have him in this role. Kemal has been involved with Caplor Horizons, as a client/partner in the past with INASP and Paper Boat, and was involved as an advisor for many years before becoming ‘Director of Collaboration’ in 2022. 

Our stories? We see in our day-to-day work, the importance of sharing stories. Earlier this year, in our 10 Year Impact Report, we included a section called ‘Transformative Journeys Within’; we were encouraged to write stories about ourselves. The learning and reflection involved was very helpful. You can read insights about Kemal (here), Lorna (here), Rosie (here) and Ian (here).

What’s our latest resource? Recently we circulated a new resource on shared leadership. It includes a rationale for the approach, our reflections, wider insights and case studies. This followed an in-depth review led by one of our trustees, Shivani Singhal. 

We are always keen to engage with people on this topic. We are delighted to have been invited to speak on shared leadership at an upcoming conference of not-for-profit leaders. This is with Federation EIL, a global network of organisations that promotes intercultural learning experiences. The Federation EIL is a UN Peace Messenger organisation, and its members work together to develop new programmes and improve standards for international cultural education. The Federation is made up of member organisations in 21 countries. Stretching back to 2015, this was one of the first federations that we worked with in a substantial way. We have continued to support this federation through its members, EIL Ireland and EIL UK. 

Change maker of the week

Gaza and Lebanon Appeal. One of our partners, the Irish Emergency Alliance, is responding to the current crisis through their brave humanitarian workers across Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, to bring life-saving essentials to those who need them most. Watch their 1-minute video about the situation here, and to donate, click here. 

Quote: “When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become wiser, more inclusive, and better as an organisation.” — Pat Wador

Best wishes
Rosie, Lorna, Kemal and Ian

How coaching helps identify purpose and convert it to action

As we finish the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, the power of coaching is in the global spotlight. One inspiring story is that of New Zealand swimmer, Tupou Neiufi, a Paralympian whose journey to Paris has been significantly shaped by their coach. After facing self-doubt post-Tokyo 2020, her coach Hannah McLean helped her regain confidence. For Tupou, coaching has been about more than just refining technique; it has provided a space to build resilience, challenge limitations, and stay focused on her purpose despite the pressures of the global stage. 

In a fast-paced world, leaders face challenges that are similar to athletes. They are tasked with driving change, often with limited resources and under immense pressure. Individuals need a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with themselves and their purpose. Formal coaching offers a safe and structured environment to explore challenges, develop greater self-awareness, and enhance skills to navigate change. As one of our coachees remarked, “It was excellent to have my coach support me in what turned into a time of great change. It particularly benefitted me to have time to focus on my evolving needs and to have an external safe space to talk in.” To find out more, read our two-page flyer here.

Coaching isn’t just for qualified coaches. We believe everyone can use a ‘coaching approach’. Coaching uses the art of questioning and active listening to enable someone to find their own solutions to challenges they face. This can be part of your day-to-day approach to leadership – e.g., in meetings, in brief one-to-one conversations (watch a short example of this here). A key to effective coaching is taking great care about giving advice. This has been described as ‘taming your advice monster’ (find out more about what this means here.

The benefits of coaching can be felt at an individual, team and organisational level (illustrated below). One of our coachees said, “Going into this I was a little apprehensive or perhaps cynical, but I have had my mind completely moved. My Caplor Coach helped me see myself far more clearly in a professional context - perhaps more than at any time through my career. I have come out of the process with far more self-belief and confidence.”

We have a unique coaching framework called the Caplor Coaching Way. Structured around our Caplor House model, this helps guide a coaching process in a way that is straightforward, flexible and focused on the coachee’s needs. For example, building rapport takes place in the ‘Family Room’, where we explore the coachee’s values, beliefs, and preferences. Goal setting is refined in the ‘Library’. Visions can be explored in the ‘Observatory’. Realities and practical plans can be considered in the ‘Kitchen’. Find out more here.

Interested? Whether you are seeking one-on-one coaching or looking to embed a coaching culture within your organisation, we are here to support you on your journey. If you are interested in exploring how coaching can benefit you or your organisation, please get in touch with one of us.

Change maker of the month 

Quote: “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch, but on its own wings." - Charlie Wardle

Best wishes
Rosie, Lorna, Kemal and Ian

What’s the next wave of leadership?

What’s the next wave of leadership? This artwork by Hokusai, created in Japan nearly 200 years ago, depicts people rowing through stormy seas. In the foreground, turbulence dominates, yet on the horizon, a snow-capped mountain symbolises a vision of a calmer, more peaceful world. We believe that shared leadership – plus other forms of collaborative leadership – should be the next big wave to break across the shores of organisations and communities worldwide. This approach promises to bring significant societal and environmental benefits, while fostering inspired and resilient change makers for the future.

What is shared leadership and why does it matter? Like leadership, ‘shared leadership’ means different things to different people, however it is ultimately about sharing responsibility, decision making, power and influence. In our newly updated ripple paper here, you can read about the case for it in our troubled world, including how it can help accelerate opportunities for positive transformation. 

Guiding principles? We have recently reviewed our experience, as four people that share leadership together, and considered how this is part of a wider ecosystem. Using our story as a case study, you can read the lessons we have learnt. This includes the identification of strengths, challenges and principles (plus conditions for success and much else besides).

What else is included? We are also pleased to share other case studies, including extended ones of Ella’s and Water For People. The people involved are pictured below – Minke and Emily (Ella’s) are on the left, Mark and Samson (Water For People) are on the right. We also have insights about other organisations, plus learning from relevant research and articles. 

Thank you! We are particularly thankful to Shivani Singhal, Professor Sharon Turnbull and Dr Lynne Sedgmore for their key roles in our review process, plus all of our board members.

Change makers of the month 

To find out more, read a recent article here.

Ryunosuke Satoro quote: ‘Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean.’ 

Best wishes
Rosie, Lorna, Kemal and Ian

Are you communicating as effectively as you could?

We all communicate multiple times a day, but could we be getting better results? From a simple text or phone call to a job interview or big presentation, the way we express ourselves and get our point across can really matter. In a recent podcast series, Ros Atkins speaks to an array of fascinating guests such as a comedian, doctor, magazine editor and Olympic athlete to reveal different techniques and approaches to communication. Each episode is only 15 minutes long and can be found here. 

Purposeful communication. One of the episodes is with Barack Obama’s former speechwriter, Sarada Peri. She talks about how she would prepare speeches for Obama and her first key point is about “inquiry”. She always seeks, first and foremost, to understand the purpose of the speech or communication. This means asking questions such as: Who is your audience? What is your goal for communicating? How are you trying to make people feel? What do you want people to do as a result of the communication? 

Starting with the ‘why’? The concept of purposeful communication links with Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model (explained in a TED talk here), that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”, hence he advocates for starting all communication with explaining the why, before explaining the how and what. This helps to engage and inspire hearts and minds. We have recently been working on a leading change programme with Birds Bakery in the UK. To date this has involved an all-staff survey with over 800 employees, and in-depth focus groups with over 60 people face-to-face. Communicating the ‘why’ during change processes was a key learning for them. 

Connected communication. One of our communication models that particularly resonated with the team at Birds Bakery was our “Connected Communication” model (see below). This sets out seven sequential stages where communication can get “snagged”, preventing an action happening or an idea taking root. The best way to prevent any of these snags occurring is to develop a communication style that incorporates a “back brief”. This involves asking the person, or people, with whom you’re communicating to give you a quick synopsis of what you have just either told them, or asked them to do, at each of the different stages.

Authentic communication. Sarada Peri, also spoke in the podcast about the ‘style’ as well as ‘substance’ of communication. One widely cited study suggested that 55% of communication comes from body language, 38% is how we say it or our tone of voice, and only 7% is the actual verbal content. With so much of communication being about tone and body language, it is important that what we’re communicating is authentic. In the podcast, Sarada shares that there was a lot of pressure for Obama to sound angry or upset in public speeches to be persuasive but that is not who he is or how he wanted to lead. She instead encourages people to ask, “What is the one thing I can uniquely say?” We are more credible when we are ourselves and can share our unique perspectives and experiences.

Communicating from your lived experience. Part of our work has involved building the confidence of ‘experts by experience’ to ensure that their voices and experiences are influencing decision making in their sector. Rosie has been chairing the Ella’s Survivor Advisory Board. Ella’s is a London-based organisation working with women who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. The Survivor Advisory Board brings together survivors to shape the services Ella’s provides and its direction of growth and development. During their one year anniversary, the group reflected on their experience on the board so far. One of the women wrote, ‘I am so glad that we are able to turn our pain into power and use our experiences to help other women.’

The importance of two-way communication. Kemal and Rosie recently facilitated a session with the Irish League of Credit Unions Foundation (ILCUF), as part of our involvement with their strategy renewal process. They ran an interactive exercise called “Colourblind” to emphasise the importance of communication in teamwork and strategy implementation (see pictures below). Key learning coming out of this exercise was that communication is a two-way process requiring clarity of message, good questioning skills and, most importantly, active listening. 

Change Makers of the Week

Maya Angelou quote “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

Best wishes
Lorna, Kemal, Ian and Rosie