Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast

It's goal setting time!  You probably go through some kind of goal setting process every year, and you probably don't make it to the end of the year before forgetting the goals you set altogether.  It's time to come up with goals that you DO achieve in a year from now, and can look back with pride. In last week's episode I shared how the systems you set up to reach your annual goals are as importa...

It's that time of the year again --- goal setting time!  Maybe you're excited about that, and maybe you're not.  But really, apart from being exciting in terms of thinking of the possibilities of achieving a goal, how likely is it you will actually achieve it? In this three part series on goal setting, I will share some unconventional ways to think about goal setting that will make it way more lik...

Mentoring is a growing trend in the humanitarian and international development space.  Finding the right mentor and establishing a healthy relationship can be beneficial to both mentor and mentee-- if it is done properly.  So what does successful mentoring look like, and how can you create it? In today's episode I have two experienced guests to tell you what made their mentoring successful.  Manso...

I know many of us have been discussing structural racism in development work, and how much the development world is contributing toward neocolonialism.  But what can we as leaders and individuals do to start addressing it? I am excited about today's guest, Akasha Saunders, and the over 10 years' experience he brings in uniting people across race, sexual orientation, gender and religion.  In this e...

As a leader, you create what you allow.  This means you are responsible for your team's performance and the impact that results.  But are you responsible for the way your team thinks? YES!!!  As a matter of fact, that is probably one of the most important and overlooked areas we as leaders are responsible for.  Because depending on the type of thinking your team has, it will create very different...

Money is an exchange in the form of paper or more commonly digital transactions.  But if money is just paper or zero's on a screen, why does it bring up so many strong feelings?  And why is it that some make money so easily while others struggle?  In this episode I cover four common limiting beliefs around money that if addressed can open you to receiving more in your life, and show you that altho...

Salary negotiations - not easy, and yet so important.  There are so many things I wish I had known as an aid worker when transitioning in my career and negotiating salary--- but unfortunately I learned the hard way and made a lot of mistakes along the way. My guest today, Monica Rockstroh, is here to help you avoid those mistakes.  She is a professional Career Pep Talker and in this episode shares...

Many of us are still working remotely either part or full time, and it can be quite challenging!  All the distractions of working at home, near family and unsupervised, can make it difficult to feel productive at times.  In this episode I share 10 proven ways to work remotely in a productive and efficient manner.  This will include tips which answer the following: - How to manage time zone differe...

What's the first thing you do when you know you're going to be deployed to respond to an emergency?  What do you do once you arrive on site?  What should you consider when working with an implementing partner?  These are just some of the questions my guest Marianna Kuttothara, who has 9 years working for the Red Cross and currently is the Lead for Cash and Relief.  In the interview Marianna shares...

As leaders, it is important we understand how to manage our emotions so we can be thoughtful about how we respond to different situations, rather than irrational and unprofessional.  In this episode I provide a four step process you can use to become more aware of your emotions and able to respond in a way that builds relationships and understanding. Resources: Pema Chodron's Don't Bite the Hook

My guest today, Salif Kanoute, has an inspiring story on how he is changing traditional leadership in Senegal through a local NGO he co-founded called DECLIC.  Salif's passion for his mission is contagious, but he also shares a lot of valuable lessons in leadership and better ways to work with communities.  I challenge you to apply at least one of the best practices Salif shares in your own work,...

A common challenge my students have around coaching is how to introduce it to their teams for the first time.  When working with a team that is not used to receiving coaching, it can be a bit difficult at first for them to understand, which can impact the outcome of those conversations.  In this episode I go over some ways you can easily introduce coaching to your team for more effective conversat...

If you work for the UN or an INGO, you may have worked with local NGO's or civil society while implementing a project.  And if you have, you probably know that this can be super rewarding, but also super challenging. I always struggled with questions like: How do we strengthen our local partner's institutional capacity without taking over the process?  Better yet, how do we make it sustainable so...

There is a lot of talk about coaching these days.  What I find interesting is that although many think they know what coaching is, when they start learning more about it they realize that they actually don't know as much as they had thought. I am excited to bring you today's episode in the form of a coaching session with a busy Head of Programs named Karen Janes.  From this coaching session you ca...

In coaching, we often challenge those we are coaching to go beyond what they think they can do, or to get out of their comfort zone in a way we know will benefit them.  If done properly, it can be very effective in encouraging someone to advance. I used challenging previously to effectively help my direct reports grow stronger and take risks they may not have otherwise.  In this episode I share th...

Of course as leaders our teams will do what we ask.  After all, we are supervising them!  But what happens to all those initiatives you spent so hard working on after you're gone?  Will they continue on, or will they fall apart without your oversight?   In today's episode I discuss how to know if your team is really following you, and what to do if they aren't.  This can mean the difference betwee...

Although there are a lot of changes recently due to COVID-19 and the way we work, a trend that has been going on for some time now is the shift of traditionally expat filled positions becoming "nationalized".   Today my guest Joachim Schwartz from the Civil Society Academy speaks of his experience on how the INGO Welthungerhlife has made this transition, and what he's learned along the way.   In t...

Today's episode is a bit different.  I thought I would share my experience after having COVID-19 back in early April.  Since then I have mostly recovered, but I wanted to share some things that are not being said in the mainstream media, and that I wish I had known previously.   I am not a doctor nor do I have a medical background.  I am not recommending a "cure" or one way to overcome COVID.  I a...

Have you ever noticed a voice in your head that is really good at filling in the blanks?  I promise you have one.  I know mine has gotten really good at telling me what someone else is thinking, or what they mean when they say something.  And sometimes it is right - but a lot of times, it's not.   Filling in gaps with our own assumptions and understanding of the world can lead us into trouble.  Es...

Have you ever been frustrated with team members who won't bring up a problem until the last minute?  What about those who won't tell you when they are not clear on what you just spent an hour explaining, which you find out when they don't turn in the revised budget you asked for?  These are just a few of the scenarios which can result from cultural misunderstandings, and can lead to blocks in comm...

We all do it sometimes.  Despite great intentions of getting those important things done on our to do list, we find more interesting things to do.  And that means we leave that proposal, or budget realignment or whatever it is for the last minute.  This in turn results in stress, anxiety and maybe even poorer quality work. In this episode you'll learn five easy ways you can stop procrastinating an...

The way we communicate can have a tremendous impact in our work and life.  Our communication style can deepen relationships and influence others to join our vision as leaders, or can isolate and create misunderstandings.  The good news is being aware of a few simple differences can allow us to communicate for the better, whether it's with our supervisor, our team, donors or even our family.   In t...

It's a new challenge many leaders are facing in the time of COVID - how do I lead a remote team?  My guest today Matt Ellingson has 26 years' experience in aid work, and currently is the Director of Humanitarian Affairs for Food for the Hungry.  Matt has been managing remote teams in complex humanitarian emergencies for about six years, and shares with us some of his lessons learned. In this episo...

This week's episode is a blast from the past-- an episode I did toward the beginning of the start of the podcast titled "The True Way to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion". We often think of gender equality and social inclusion within our programming, but have you evaluated your admin, HR and communications team in order to ensure true compliance at all levels?   Inspired by human rights violat...

Given all that's going on in the world right now, it is definitely impacting your team in one way or another.  There are changes in different areas of their lives, and maybe more coming.  It is important as leaders that we allow space for our team to be able to talk about what they are thinking and feeling in order to understand they are not alone and also feel like they have been heard.  This can...