Supporting Leaders to Focus on What Matters - LEAD Centre for Not For Profit Governance and Leadership

Tackling some of the biggest challenges facing society today, and achieving transformational outcomes on minimal resources, takes an extra level of skill and commitment. For many of the 27,000-plus charities currently operating in Aotearoa New Zealand, this is an everyday occurrence.  

In 2020, COVID-19 showed up uninvited and placed an even greater burden on the people at the helms of these organisations. While operating under pressure can be a familiar setting, COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns added enormously to the weight they carried. Between getting the best out of the team; developing and maintaining the culture; leading the strategy; fundraising and advocating; engaging with various stakeholders; and answering to a voluntary Board who care greatly about the vision and mission; it’s no wonder leaders can sometimes feel the pinch.

The LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership (LEAD) offers coaching and mentoring at an operational and governance level to the not-for-profit sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. Together with Foundation North, the J R McKenzie Trust has provided support to LEAD to help ngā kaikōkiri to develop and grow leadership skills in a virtual environment. 

COVID-19 has presented enormous challenges to the world. For not-for-profit organisations, this has manifested as drastically increased need and decreased funding; lack of availability of older volunteers; a potential lack of digital capacity when working remotely; and a huge sense of uncertainty about the future. Designed to be transformative, LEAD’s mahi is about supporting these community organisations to develop the ongoing skills, knowledge and confidence that are required to lead and create change. LEAD’s belief is that while heading up a not-for-profit can be complex, you don’t have to work it out on your own.

“At LEAD, we have found providing opportunities for leaders to engage in supportive and insightful conversations in a peer coaching environment, helps them to make sense of the complexity they work in, to prioritise and focus, and to know they are not alone,” says Sandy Thompson, LEAD Director And CEO.

Reports are coming in about positive shifts in the practice and behaviour of leaders, and an increased ability to understand themselves, their staff and the organisation so much better than before. One participant had this to say:

“I really benefited from learning that many of my experiences and challenges in the NGO environment were not unique to my organisation and it was really helpful to have strategies for how to deal with them.”

By stepping back from the everyday hustle and bustle, leaders can reflect on the organisational culture and values which support and strengthen the work they do. At a time when the situation is isolating and rapidly changing, LEAD’s mahi is enabling leaders to embark on a journey of self-discovery, and to find the answers that more often than not, lie deep within their own experiences and knowledge. Another participant welcomed the opportunity to stop and refocus:

“Operating from a place of constant change and uncertainty in a leadership role, and having daily pressure from all angles, the group coaching allowed time to pause for reflection and focus.”

Funding for capacity-building for leaders operating in the not-for-profit space is not commonplace, so this is especially important given the ongoing stressful and demanding environment ngā kaikōkiri are operating in.

“Leadership coaching groups combine the benefits of one-to-one coaching with the power of peer-to-peer learning and support. With the level of disruption experienced in 2020, the problems were definitely too big for individuals and the group approach was highly beneficial.

We also know that when dealing with change, leader development needs to be greater than or equal to the level of complexity in the environment. Leaders were going through the biggest leadership development 'programme' of their lives, and the extra layer of personal and professional support was often the difference between sink or swim,” says Aly McNicoll, LEAD Director.

Giving ngā kaikōkiri time to step away from the multitude of work worries for a while, enabling them to focus on wellbeing, and providing coaching to resolve thorny issues, is key. LEAD’s mahi will support a group of capable, enabled and empowered leaders through a time of significant challenge.