#shiftthepower A powerful call to action across sectors. How good is the cultural sector at recognising when it needs to give up its power and step back? #ShiftThePower is both a call for new behaviours, mindsets and ways of working and a reminder both that few interactions are ever power neutral and that often, those…
The Human Touch: making art | leaving traces Fascinating and timely exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge looking at human touch, the sense whose use has been so restricted in the pandemic, across cultures and time. Closes on 1 August. Anthro-Vision A new book from anthropologist turned journalist, Gillian Tett …, trying to navigate…
7 questions to get value from board meetings A short but really valuable post on how executive teams can get more value out of board meetings. Do read if this quote resonates with you. How valuable do you find your board meetings? If you use them only to present results, share your learnings, or provide…
I am a theatre – Swiss Cottage Gallery until 31 July A wonderful exhibition telling the 40 year story of Clean Break, a women’s theatre company founded by two women who met in prison in 1979. I am a theatre. Sometimes I turn myself inside out. I am a very flexible theatre… a world within…
Does another roaring twenties await? Find your courage to make the most of the post-pandemic world I don’t necessarily agree with all of the content we share in these wide ranging collections. What I like to share are things that have made me think, or argue back, or change my perspective. This is definitely one…
It takes two flints to make a fire. (Louisa May Alcott) Originally devised as a paper based questionnaire approach the Delphi Technique can also be used for face to face group sessions. It is a technique that encourages a variety of opinions but that through a series of discussion cycles it moves towards a group…
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…