Should we ‘level up’ social needs? New research from NPC explores the Government’s ‘levelling up’ funds and agenda and makes the case for funding to focus on social needs as well as infrastructure. To meet people’s expectations, levelling up funds should have collaboration with the voluntary and community sectors hard wired into them and funding…
One of the reasons I enjoy being a freelancer is that I am not good with routine. If I think I am going to have to repeat the same thing too often I quickly find other distractions. I appreciate I am very fortunate to have this flexibility. I don’t think it is driven by a…
For smarter decisions empower your employees A good and timely piece from McKinseys on how to delegate decision making with two very useful frameworks around identifying different kinds of decisions and different kinds of management behaviour. This piece is part of a wider selection of short articles on decision making that are well worth a…
Trusting staff and trust from staff Great, short piece on trust and smart collaboration from Heidi Gardner. Stop being so hard on yourself …self-criticism is a poor strategy. When used excessively, it is consistently associated with less motivation, worse self-control, and greater procrastination. In fact, self-criticism shifts the brain into a state of inhibition, which…
Care-full Closures fund A new fund to help organisations explore the possibility of ending well. Not an easy topic to consider but the Stewarding Loss project is finding different ways to help organisations consider their options with dignity and compassion. I am proud to be part of the Care-full Closures Network. Expressions of interest for…
Diffusing diversity and inclusion in your organisation What I liked about this piece is the emphasis on the need for a coherent and systemic approach involving serious target setting. #WeShallNotBeRemoved The latest survey from the UK Disability Arts Alliance is a challenging read as it documents the …shockingly fragile cultural environment for disabled people. The…
LEVEL Centre: Artistic Associates If you’re thinking about your organisational design at the moment, take a look at LEVEL’s approach. We’re thrilled to be able to introduce you to our first cohort of Artistic Associates for our pilot scheme #LEVELAssociateLab. These roles will form part of our leadership team at LEVEL, and will support our…
When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college – that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, ‘You mean they forget?’ (Howard Ikemoto) Most of us have…
Using storytelling to communicate a business idea A timely short piece for people who are thinking about how to sell their new idea/plan to staff, boards or stakeholders. Five ways to get buy-in for your creative ideas As we look to welcome people to our buildings there are lots of ideas circulating about how we…
We are all faced with another period of transition. Shortly, doors will reopen and ‘live’ programmes will restart. There are still no guarantees, and if you’re anything like me, being among lots of people is both a delight and a bit bewildering at the moment. I have been wondering about the implications of this strange…
Writing women back into the history of science The inspiring story of historian Margaret Rossiter and her work in telling the hidden history of the contribution of women to science. It is important to note early that women’s historically subordinate ‘place’ in science (and thus their invisibility to even experienced historians of science) was not a…
Creativity in a restricted regime: a guide for prison staff The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance has produced a great short guide which also reminded me that lockdown means quite different things if you are in prison. Funding participatory work in the US and UK A thought provoking blog by Arlene Goldbard drawing on her…
Putting people with lived experience at the heart of what we do Thought provoking blog piece and report. I am very struck by the point: Avoid rewriting people’s words or speaking for them Chairing Through Covid The Association of Chairs have just released a timely report tracking the experiences of Chairs over the last year.…