Podcasts by Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast
How do I lead a team in international development to better performance, while maintaining my wellbeing and making an impact in the community? Using her 12 years' experience in international development as well as professional coaching background, host Torrey Peace answers these questions and more in The Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast. Here you'll find a mix of mini trainings and step-by-step guides, as well as best practices from other aid workers and a healthy dose of coaching from Torrey herself. If you're ready to become the leader you admire, then tune in weekly and start broadening your impact!
Further podcasts by Torrey Peace
Podcast on the topic Gemeinnützig
All episodes
How You May Be Delaying Your Goal Achievement from 2023-12-11T08:00
How have you done achieving your annual goals?
Sometimes it feels like there's some magic formula that we are missing which will allow us to achieve our goals.
Thankfully, that's n...
Listen
What Happens When We Already Know from 2023-12-04T09:06
You're listening to this because you want to grow as a leader.
One way to do that is to be aware of your mindset.
Having the right mindset, or perspective, can motivate us to grow ...
Listen
How to Make a New Way of Leading Successful from 2023-11-27T08:17
Whether you know it or not, you have a certain way of leading your team.
They are used to you doing things a certain way.
So if you suddenly change that without saying anything...<...
Listen
Taking Your Power Back from 2023-11-20T07:27
Are you the hero or the victim of your story?
Sometimes we may be a victim - and not even realize it.
And when we are a victim - we become helpless and hopeless.
This means ...
Listen
Leading Versus Quality Questions from 2023-11-13T00:33
When we communicate with others, and especially when coaching, the quality of our questions can have tremendous impact on the outcome.
We can have good intentions, but a question which is...
Listen
Why Doesn't My Team Have Ideas? from 2023-11-06T06:15
There are many benefits of a proactive team.
A more proactive team means greater diversity of thought, higher team motivation and more time for you to work on the important things on your...
Listen
Are You Sports Coaching or Leadership Coaching? from 2023-10-30T09:37
We often hear the word "coach" and think it means the same, whether someone is a leadership coach or sports coach.
But all coaching IS NOT created equal.
Sports coaching and leader...
Listen
Why They're Not Doing What You Ask from 2023-10-23T03:35
Has this happened to you as a humanitarian and/or international development leader?
You have a meeting with your team, or community, or implementing partner, and you think you've agreed o...
Listen
Why You Need to Have More Fun at Work - and Some Ideas on How from 2023-10-16T07:51
Do you have fun at work? If so, how often?
I think most of us can use more fun in our work and personal lives, but rarely do we stop to think about how to INTENTIONALLY create it.
Top 3 Coaching Mistakes Leaders Make and How to Fix Them from 2023-10-09T06:59
This week registration opens for "The Coach Approach Leadership Style" coaching course and to give you an idea of what we cover, I am sharing the top three mistakes I see new humanitarian and de...
Listen
A Simple Way to Motivate and Build Trust with Others from 2023-10-02T04:03
Understanding how to acknowledge our team can be the difference between gaining their trust and breaking it.
It's more than just saying "nice job!" or "you're amazing!"
In this epi...
Listen
How to Save Yourself from Unnecessary Stress from 2023-09-25T04:35
Do you spend late nights thinking about all the things you have to do?
Are you distracted worrying about future funding?
Do you worry about bigger issues not within your control su...
Listen
Going Beyond Your Job Description from 2023-09-18T09:00
What would you love to accomplish beyond what's in your job description?
Not the "have to do" but the "WANT to do".
Something that if you accomplished it, you would be so proud - a...
Listen
To Remote Work Or Not? Deciding Whether to Return to Five Days in the Office from 2023-09-11T03:28
Has your organization returned to five days in the office?
If so, how was the reasoning behind it communicated to you?
Or maybe you made the decision for your team.
I have b...
Listen
Why Do We Keep Referencing Toxic Leaders as Successful? from 2023-09-04T03:43
There are certain behaviors that over time have become acceptable and part of being a successful leader.
These include working long hours, sacrificing relationships and even sacrificing o...
Listen
Toxic Boss Burnout - How to Survive a Toxic Boss from 2023-08-28T04:21
It amazes me how common it is to have a toxic boss in the humanitarian sector. Unfortunately these toxic supervisors drive talented people out of the organization and do more harm than good. I...
Listen
When Training for Your Team Won't Work from 2023-08-21T04:16
When we plan our Development Plans for the year, and we want to be stronger in a certain area, we usually assume we need a training.
And that may be partially true.
But training al...
Listen
How Often Are You Really Leading? from 2023-08-14T10:27
Sometimes we get lost in the busyness of our day, and we forget what leadership really is.
True leadership is not about using our power to make others follow our commands.
True lea...
Listen
What Is the Right Question? from 2023-08-07T07:00
When you are coaching or learning to coach your team to better performance, you want to do it well.
I see this with my students when they first start learning how to coach.
They kn...
Listen
How to Create Time for Focused Work in the Aid World from 2022-04-18T05:00:12
In last week's episode, Chen Kadungure and I talked about how to create focus and eliminate distractions so you can do more focused or deep work.
Once again deep work is focused, ...
Listen
How to Create Focus and Minimize Distractions in Aid Work from 2022-04-11T05:00:58
“If you don't produce, you won't thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.” Cal Newport, author of “Deep Work”
Noisy generators. Crowi...
Listen
The Power of Silence Part Two from 2022-04-04T05:00:40
Today is a bit different from our typical episode.
After publishing "The Power of Si...
Listen
Making Leadership Transitions Easier and Better as Humanitarians from 2022-03-28T07:00
If there's one thing we can count on in humanitarian work, it's CHANGE! We are constantly making transitions - and as leaders, even more so.
Whether it's managing a new team, a new project or ju...
Listen
Hiring for Behavior Over Just Experience from 2022-03-21T07:00:05
We all know the nightmares.
You go through a hiring process -- and think you've found the perfect candidate.
They have tons of great experience. And they have a great network. Listen
The Best Way to a More Motivated and Innovative Team from 2022-03-14T07:00
Have you heard of the TV show Undercover Boss?
It's where a senior manager for a large company disguises themselves and then works alongside their staff on the ground.
What usually...
Listen
Using Art to Bring Hope and Inspiration from 2022-03-07T08:00
"Man can be destroyed but not defeated." - Hemingway
Mehmet Gunes has not had it easy.
After the conflict broke out in Syria, he lost everything.
And so he had to look for a...
Listen
How to Build a Sense of Team Remotely as a Humanitarian Leader from 2022-02-28T07:00:24
Whether it's due to a pandemic, working in a field office or across continents, remote work is a reality as a humanitarian leader.
But with working remotely comes a sense of distance - no...
Listen
The Power of Silence from 2022-02-21T06:00:34
We sometimes forget that part of communication is silence. It can be very powerful to be silent after someone speaks.
You can learn a lot.
And as a humanitarian leader, that can be...
Listen
Aid Worker Fashion and Leadership from 2022-02-14T06:00
There are plenty of reasons to not put a lot of effort into our appearance.
Working behind a computer or a mask may...
Listen
Best Practices in Adapting to Extreme Humanitarian Environments from 2022-02-07T06:00
Hurricane damage. Flooding. Civil conflict.
Whatever the disaster, as humanitarian leaders it is essential we know how to quickly adapt and do the best we can.
And that means be...
Listen
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome from 2022-01-31T06:00
Do you ever feel like you're not qualified for the position you're in?
If so you're not alone.
Especially for women, it is common to feel what is called "imposter syndrome" or that...
Listen
Double Your Leadership Impact by Going WILD from 2022-01-24T06:00
If you listen to this podcast you already know how important leadership is in the humanitarian and international development space.
Great leaders can motivate others toward achieving a sh...
Listen
Achieve Your Goals More Quickly and Easily from 2022-01-17T04:00
Last week we discussed what to do before you set goals for the year.
Today I am sharing an unconventional way of achieving your goals more easily and quickly.
I ha...
Listen
An Overlooked Best Practice in Goal Setting from 2022-01-10T10:00
A new year has begun - and that means new possibilities!
The best way to achieve a future you're excited about is to define what you want.
Goal setting is how we define the...
Listen
Stand Out from the Crowd: Three Unconventional Ways to Do Public Presentations in Aid Work from 2022-01-03T15:00
We’ve all been tortured by the same old “let me show you ALL my results” presentations in aid work. They all kind of blend together after a while. So how can you ...
Listen
Using Batching to Save Time in Aid Work from 2021-12-27T14:00
Over the last few months I took the advice of some time management books and tried batching. Batching means implementing similar tasks in one block of time. I am surprised by how much this simp...
Listen
Taking Responsibility from 2021-12-20T14:00
A philosophy I am aspiring to live by right now is to take more responsibility in my work and life. That means recognizing that the results in my life and work are consequences of the choices I...
Listen
How a Mastermind Gave Me Valuable Leadership Support - and How You Can Easily Form One from 2021-12-13T14:00
Maybe you've heard of a Mastermind Group. Maybe you've even thought about joining one. Well I can tell you from my experience, I have found them so valuable I have formed two myself and all th...
Listen
How to Become a Productivity Ninja - Aid Worker Style from 2021-12-06T12:00
Whether it's managing email, determining which working group meeting to attend or balancing time to respond to our team's needs, as aid workers we need all ...
Listen
How to Advance as a Strong Female Leader in a Male Dominated Context - and Other Lessons from 2021-11-29T10:00
In this interview Edna Morris, with forty years' experience in the male dominated restaurant industry, shares some great advice to apply to our field in many of the patriarchal contexts for men ...
Listen
Is Your Leadership Style Preventing Community Engagement? from 2021-11-22T10:00
We all engage with communities on some level in our work. But the difference between meaningful engagement and mediocre is the difference between the commu...
Listen
Leadership Lessons Learned During an Unexpected Crisis - the Outbreak of Civil War in South Sudan from 2021-11-15T14:00
Everyone has one...
Listen
A Donor Perspective on INGO Leadership - The Good, the Bad and What to Never Do from 2021-11-08T12:00
This interview is a bit different - and that is because it is not from an aid worker perspective on humanitarian leadership, but from the donor perspective! In this interview an individual wor...
Listen
Office Gossip - Turning Toxicity into Opportunity from 2021-11-01T12:00
Office gossip can be very damaging to a team and organization, not to mention the reputation of yourself and others! Gossip can lead to low staff morale, feelings of mistrust, and even problems...
Listen
How to Maintain a Healthy Diet in the Field from 2021-10-25T14:00
Just when you think you've established a healthy eating routine as an aid worker... you have to travel to the field.
Whether it's the community or a field office, eating healthy...
Listen
How to Maintain Your Health, Survive a Long Distance Relationship and Our Most Significant Habits from 2021-10-18T15:00
ENCORE EPISODE (FROM 2018):
This episode is includes advice my husband Shannon and I have based on 32 years' combined experience in the aid worker and humanitarian field. In this episode ...
How to Maintain Your Health, Survive a Long Distance Relationship and Our Most Significant Habits from 2021-10-18T15:00
ENCORE EPISODE (FROM 2018):
This episode is includes advice my husband Shannon and I have based on 32 years' combined experience in the aid worker and humanitarian field. In this episode ...
How to Focus On Your Strengths as a Leader in Aid Work from 2021-10-11T14:00
We all have our strengths as leaders.
You know, the areas in which you feel come naturally to you. Maybe you even enjoy working on them.
It could be managing budgets, or helping lo...
Listen
How Leaders Can Help End Burnout in the Humanitarian Sector with Dr Gemma Houldey from 2021-10-04T19:19:53
As humanitarians unfortunately we are likely to have experienced burnout at one time or another. And it was just this experience that inspired today's guest Dr. Gemma Houldey to do a thesis on ...
Listen
How to Not Be a Difficult Supervisor from 2021-09-27T14:00
We've all had them in humanitarian work.
Given that we spend the majority of our time working or with colleagues, they can make life difficult. And we hope we will never be like them. Listen
Using Coaching to Increase Staff Wellbeing from 2021-09-20T14:00
What's a very effective and often overlooked way to increase staff wellbeing?
Allowing them space to talk about things that are important to them, and asking questions to help them move...
Listen
How a "Coach Approach" Greatly Increased the Impact of Her Work with Inonge Wina-Chinyama from 2021-09-13T14:30
It always amazes me to see how my students incorporate coaching in their work. Today's guest Inonge Wina-Chinyama is a Senior Advisor for MSI Zambia in the areas of youth and disabilities. The...
Listen
Maintaining Organizational Culture Despite Working Remotely in the Humanitarian Sector from 2021-09-06T13:47:46
The past few years have brought many changes - one of which is remote work. I know several supervisors who have not met their teams in person, and still don't know when that will happen!
Overcoming Perfectionism as a Humanitarian Worker from 2021-08-30T12:06:52
We all sometimes have perfectionist tendencies. Most humanitarians want to do great work! However, when this desire to do great work makes us more stressed, prevents us from turning things in ...
Listen
A Proven Team Feedback Mechanism that Eliminates Gossip and Increases Engagement from 2021-08-23T16:40:22
How open is the communication with your team? Do they say everything that's on their mind, or are there certain things which turn into gossip and you hear second or third hand?
From my...
Listen
The Leader's Role in Promoting Wellbeing in Humanitarian Work from 2021-08-16T18:22:53
Wellbeing is a big topic of the humanitarian world these days, and rightfully so. I mean, why is it an organization which specializes in helping people find it so difficult to help its own staf...
Listen
Helpful Versus Unhelpful Learning in Humanitarian Work from 2021-08-09T12:26:18
If you're listening to this podcast, chances are you enjoy learning. And that alone is not a bad thing. But when learning becomes a distraction or way to procrastinate, or even overwhelming, i...
Listen
How to Feel Better About Your Work in the Humanitarian Sector from 2021-08-02T17:54:09
We all have those days in humanitarian work. The ones where you're not motivated to do anything. When you feel like nothing is going your way. When you want to quit.
These up's and dow...
Listen
Four Common Misuses of Email and How to Fix Them from 2021-07-26T14:00
I remember when I sent my first email. I waited in excitement as the dial tone sounded, and the email I just typed blinked from my outbox... such a magical moment!
Since then, email has ...
Listen
Three Steps to Greater Self-Confidence from 2021-07-19T14:29:46
One of the requests I frequently receive in leadership coaching is to help humanitarian leaders build their self-confidence. The hope is that by having greater self-confidence, they will be abl...
Listen
How a Non-Supervisor Uses Coaching in Her Work with Humanitarians from 2021-07-12T13:38:04
"I can't use coaching because I am not a supervisor."
This is something I hear frequently from aid workers. But my guest today, Jenny House, will tell you it's not true. Although she was...
Listen
Helpful Versus Helpless Questions - Which Are You Asking As a Humanitarian Leader? from 2021-07-05T17:15:57
What type of questions do you ask yourself and others - high quality, helpful questions or low quality, helpless questions? Often we don't stop to think about how the questions we choose can im...
Listen
Being More Inclusive of People with Disabilities as a Humanitarian Leader from 2021-06-28T16:49:01
"Society is putting the burden on people with disabilities to educate the world on being more accessible - and that is ableism." - Haben Girma, Disability Rights Advocate
Going from Limiting to Limitless Thinking as a Humanitarian Leader from 2021-06-21T16:04:48
If you want to find out where your limited thinking is limiting you, then just look at the places in your work or life that are not where you want them to be.
Our thinking is very power...
Listen
How to Avoid Cultural Misunderstandings as an Aid Worker from 2021-06-14T13:45:11
When ordering food at a restaurant, depending on where you are ordering something like "chips" or "biscuits" or even "cookies" or "crisps" can bring something different than what you expected. Listen
Navigating Difficult Change: A Case Study from a Humanitarian Leader from 2021-06-07T15:27:55
Let's face it, humanitarian and development work are reliably unpredictable. Insecurity, limited resources, and many other factors can make doing a simple task such as visiting a community chal...
Listen
The Danger of Judging Others from 2021-05-31T12:21:27
As a human, you've probably had a negative thought or two about your team members or direct reports. It is only natural, and yet, judging others negatively is NOT helpful as a leader.
Wh...
Listen
Are You Doing it Right? Two Lessons from my Coaching Course for Aid Workers from 2021-05-24T12:50:28
I am excited to share with you two lessons from the first level of my digital coaching course, The Aid ...
Listen
You Don't Need to Know It All to be a Caring Leader in International Development from 2021-05-17T13:25:45
As supervisors in international development it is easy to forget that we don't need to know all the answers. When our teams come to us with problems, our instinct or habit may be to tell them h...
Listen
How to Localize Leadership Positions in the Humanitarian Context from 2021-05-10T13:13:33
Recently I attended the Humanitarian Leadership Conference administered by the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership. There was a lot of talk of ...
Listen
Challenges Your Field Staff May Be Having with Your Leadership with Hiba Al-Mhammad, Humanitarian Leader from 2021-05-03T13:19:54
If you're listening to this podcast, then you probably care about if your field staff feel valued. But as leaders, there are always blindspots, or areas we do not see or even know to look for t...
Listen
Not My Fault from 2021-04-26T14:48:35
Have you ever sat down with your team to discuss what went wrong with a donor visit or presentation, only to find everyone blaming each other and getting defensive?
In this episode I pr...
Listen
Making Better Decisions as an Aid Worker Leader from 2021-04-19T12:31:16
Are you making the best decisions for yourself and your team?
We all want to become more caring and understanding leaders. The thing is, we are also only human, and our emotions can some...
Listen
Is It Happening to You or Because of You? from 2021-04-12T13:20:55
How much control do you have over your life?
Probably more than you think.
Many of us tend to give control over to others or our circumstances rather than take responsibility for o...
Listen
What's Your Story? from 2021-04-05T10:36:32
It's easy to forget that most of what we call "reality" is actually a story. A story we make up about ourselves and others. So what's the story you're telling yourself - and how is it impactin...
Listen
Action Planning for Amazing Results from 2021-03-29T12:59:36
We've all been there. You have an amazing meeting with your team, and can't wait to see the progress you've made by your next meeting! The next meeting comes and.... nothing. No progress. An...
Listen
Three Common Coaching Mistakes - and How to Overcome Them from 2021-03-22T12:14:58
We may have the best of intentions while coaching our team. But coaching can be counter productive if not done correctly - and with my students there are three mistakes in particular that are w...
Listen
Are You a Checklist Coach? from 2021-03-15T13:00:30
The word "coaching" certainly has a lot of definitions these days. One of the most common misuses of the word "coaching" is for a type I am calling "checklist coaching." This form of coaching ...
Listen
How to be Successful Starting Now from 2021-03-08T14:00
We all want to be successful. But what is success really, and how will you know when you have it?
Today I share some ways to think about success that maybe you haven't considered and how...
Listen
Why Your Team Is Not Reaching Their Goals from 2021-03-01T14:00
If your team is not reaching your team goals, it could be for a simple reason.... they understand the goals, but not how to work together as a team. In other words, they need operating values.<...
Listen
Stepping Away from Neo-Colonialism - Five Ways to Make Local Partners Truly Independent from 2021-02-22T12:16:56
There are a lot of INGO's and UN Agencies that claim to strengthen local civil society organizations, with the goal that local partner organizations can eventually become independent. But how o...
Listen
The Benefits of a Long-Term Perspective from 2021-02-15T12:07:45
We all have stories we tell ourselves about our work and lives. For example, the story you tell yourself about why you didn't get that donor funding. Or the story about your relationship with ...
Listen
BONUS: Relieve Stress with this Simple Resilience Exercise from 2021-02-12T10:54:15
If you're like me, it helps to hear what something looks like in practice over just reading questions on a page. In this bonus episode the Licensed Mental Health Counselor Kathleen Joseph share...
Listen
Managing Mental Health While Working Remotely from 2021-02-08T18:07:43
Do you ever feel like this pandemic will never end? Do you struggle to remove yourself from your work computer? Do you struggle with boundaries when you are working and living in the same plac...
Listen
Wanting to Fail and How to Achieve the Ultimate Personal Growth from 2021-02-01T11:22:28
When is the last time you failed on purpose? I mean you decided you wanted to fail, and you went for it. And maybe you failed in a way that makes you want to hide for a week afterward. But yo...
Listen
Three Easy Ways to Transform Your Leadership from 2021-01-25T13:30:25
There's no instruction manual on how to be a good leader (believe me, I've looked), but there are some simple best practices we can follow. In this episode I share three easy ways you can trans...
Listen
The Power of Language from 2021-01-18T12:53:22
Our native language greatly influences how we see the world, since we think and express ourselves through words. This means we are limited to our own vocabulary, which...
Listen
Don't Have the Time from 2021-01-11T17:03:48
Have you ever thought about how different cultures perceive time? I am sure you've experienced it in humanitarian and international development. You know, when you show up for a meeting on ti...
Listen
How to Create New Opportunities and Growth from 2021-01-04T14:00
Our thinking creates our reality. This means one of the most important things we can do to achieve what we want in life is to become aware of what we are thinking, and how it is impacting us. ...
Listen
Why You're Not Achieving Your Goals for the Year - Part Three from 2020-12-21T14:00
Are you ready to set and actually achieve your goals this year? In part one of this series we talked about the importance of setting up the right systems to achieve goals, in part two we talked...
Listen
Why You're Not Achieving Your Goals for the Year - Part Two from 2020-12-14T14:00
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 altogethe...
Listen
Why You're Not Achieving Your Goals for the Year - Part One from 2020-12-07T18:39:43
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 o...
Listen
What Successful Mentoring Looks Like from 2020-11-30T16:39:17
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 mente...
Listen
What You as a Leader Can Do About Structural Racism in Development Work from 2020-11-23T18:33:31
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 individual...
Listen
How to Stop Negative Thinking Before It's Too Late from 2020-11-16T14:06:56
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?...
Listen
Money and the Limiting Beliefs that Can Limit Your Income from 2020-11-09T17:00:27
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 t...
Listen
Common Salary Negotiation Scenarios and How to Get What You Want and Deserve from 2020-11-02T15:38:47
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 ...
Listen
Tips for Development Workers on Working Remotely from 2020-10-26T15:41:15
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 ...
Listen
Best Practices for Leaders as First Responders to an Emergency from 2020-10-19T14:00
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 implem...
Listen
How to Manage Your Emotions from 2020-10-12T13:55:49
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 epi...
Listen
How a Local NGO is Changing Leadership in Senegal from 2020-10-05T13:24:38
How to Introduce Coaching to Your Team for the First Time from 2020-09-28T11:58:05
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 di...
Listen
The Impact of Coaching Used Three Different Ways from 2020-09-21T14:47:23
Today I'm excited to introduce the stories of three of my students and how they've incorporated coaching in their work. I'm sure you can learn something from their journey that can inspire you ...
Listen
How Coaching Can Strengthen Local Partners from 2020-09-14T10:58:50
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 a...
Listen
What Coaching Sounds Like - A Session with a Busy Head of Programs from 2020-09-07T14:03:28
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 a...
Listen
How to Challenge Your Team to Better Performance from 2020-08-31T15:54:21
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 ...
Listen
Is Your Team Really Following You? from 2020-08-24T12:43:32
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 con...
Listen
A Case Study on Nationalizing Staff Positions and Lessons Learned from 2020-08-17T16:18:22
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 "...
Listen
3 Things I've Learned from Having COVID-19 That You Won't Hear in the Media from 2020-08-10T17:28:07
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 ...
Listen
Are You Filling in the Blanks? How Curiosity Can Enhance the Quality of Your Leadership from 2020-08-03T14:00
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,...
Listen
How Cultural Biases Influence Our Roles as Leaders from 2020-07-27T18:24:18
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 ex...
Listen
Five Habits to Become a Better Leader from 2020-07-20T16:24:03
In this episode I provide five habits you can easily practice to become a better leader in international development. You'll learn how to incorporate these habits into your work week, and how t...
Listen
Five Easy Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Holding Yourself Accountable from 2020-07-13T14:00
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 budg...
Listen
How to Communicate to Connect with Others from 2020-07-06T15:41:16
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...
Listen
Managing Remote Teams in Humanitarian Emergencies from 2020-06-29T17:11:28
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 Directo...
Listen
The True Way to Social Inclusion - Encore Episode from 2020-06-22T15:44:22
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 th...
Listen
Having Courageous Conversations with Your Team from 2020-06-15T15:54:28
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 ...
Listen
Making Wellbeing Sustainable as Aid Workers from 2020-06-08T14:41:12
As humanitarians we all have our stories about reaching, and perhaps surpassing, our breaking point. You know, the time when you lost it and started yelling at your team, or you slammed a door ...
Listen
Paying Attention from 2020-06-01T14:58:24
Many of you are aware of what's happening right now in the US with protests over the recent death of George Floyd, another unarmed African American male killed by a policeman. This has been a r...
Listen
Being Uncomfortable from 2020-05-25T14:43:08
Discomfort can be a sign that we're stepping outside our normal routine, and trying something new. As I used to tell my staff, discomfort is a sign that you are growing. But why do we get so u...
Listen
How Coaching Changed the Way We Work from 2020-05-11T17:29:20
I am excited to introduce two of my former students, Brenda Kamboga and Bronwen Moore. In this episode they share what they learned in my coaching course, The Aid Worker's Guide to Successful C...
Listen
Coaching vs Mentoring - Which is Right for You? from 2020-05-04T15:17:17
The words "coaching" and "mentoring" are used a lot these days, and sometimes even together. And there's a reason for that! Coaching and/or mentoring can be super effective in getting you to w...
Listen
Achieve More During COVID-19 Crisis by Doing This from 2020-04-27T16:28:38
As aid workers we tolerate quite a lot. But if you're like me, reaching a breaking point can be damaging to our friends, family and coworkers (whomever happens to be around at the time). In th...
Listen
How to Find the Perfect Online Training for Your Needs from 2020-04-20T17:23:29
Social isolation and extra time at home is a great time to take advantage of the incredible opportunities the Internet has to offer. Whether it's learning accounting, how to write a solid propo...
Listen
A Super Efficient Way to Focus on Your Team's Professional Development from 2020-04-13T15:17:38
In aid work, time is precious. And although we know that spending time on our team's professional development will pay off in the long run, it often seems like competing priorities get in the w...
Listen
Six Tips for Coping with Uncertainty from 2020-04-06T13:00
As aid workers, we are accustomed to a large degree of uncertainty in our work. Will that procurement ever show up? Will our local partner implement the training fully? Will drought destroy t...
Listen
BONUS: What's Happening with Aid for Aid Workers? from 2020-03-31T13:21:06
This episode is a bit different from the norm, and is for those of you interested in how Aid for Aid Workers will be evolving over the next year or two.
In this episode you'll learn: Listen
Leaving a Leadership Legacy - A Story of Inspiration from 2020-03-30T13:44:27
We can all use a little inspiration these days, especially during what my husband calls the "infodemic" - that is, the bombardment of craziness on the news and social media. I could not think o...
Listen
How You Should Communicate During a Crisis from 2020-03-23T13:59:44
Whether you're a Regional Director, Country Director, Procurement Manager or Project Manager, if you supervise someone you have a responsibility to communicate with them properly during ...
Listen
Attract Great Staff to Your Team by Doing This from 2020-03-16T16:51:51
As you may know, hiring your dream candidate goes way beyond just an interview. If you're looking for a candidate that will fit your team not only technically but also in terms of values, this ...
Listen
Three Common Misbehaviors During Meetings and How to Address Them from 2020-03-09T14:37:13
We all know those behaviors that annoy us during meetings. Like when someone comes in late, or interrupts others, or when everyone is on their phone instead of listening. Whether the behavior ...
Listen
Maintaining Work-Life Balance as a Regional Emergency Advisor from 2020-03-02T13:44:07
As aid workers we all strive for the sometimes elusive "work-life balance." It can certainly be tricky, with competing priorities at work and emergencies which need responding. I chose today's...
Listen
Importance of Self-Commitments and How You Could be Sabotaging Your Own Success from 2020-02-24T12:36:24
Most of us like to think we keep our commitments to ourselves. Like when you tell yourself "today I am going to finish that budget" or "I am going to go running later." But what ha...
Listen
The Secret to a Bigger Impact in Your Life and Work from 2020-02-17T16:55:50
It is almost impossible to find a job that doesn't involve something you find yourself avoiding. As Country Manager I avoided accounting as much as was possible, but it was a necessary part of ...
Listen
Eight Ways to Stay Energized Throughout Your Day as a Leader in Aid Work from 2020-02-10T18:18:03
Aid work can be tiring - the last minute proposals, limited resources, as well as being far from friends and family. Sometimes we need ways to regain our motivati...
Listen
What to Do When You Receive Negative Feedback from 2020-01-27T13:00
Whether it is directly, or through a performance evaluation or a 360 Feedback review, receiving negative feedback can be discouraging. In this episode you'll learn how to know what feedback is ...
Listen
How to Become Comfortable Giving Negative Feedback from 2020-01-20T13:00
The idea of giving feedback, especially negative feedback, can be intimidating. And knowing how to give that feedback in a way that will be well received can also cause many leaders to just not...
Listen
Five Helpful Reminders as a Leader in Aid Work from 2020-01-13T21:15:14
As we enter the New Year (and even beyond) it is helpful to remember what will make us a more successful leader in aid work. These five reminders will help you avoid some common mistakes all le...
Listen
Five Mindset Shifts to Hold Your Team Accountable from 2019-12-16T13:00
One of the most important things you can do as a leader is hold your team accountable for the performance you want. Failing to hold teams accountable can mean poor morale, lower quality work an...
Listen
Creating Boundaries with our Time from 2019-12-09T14:59:26
One of the major struggles in aid work that I have encountered both myself and amongst other aid workers is around protecting a certain number of hours during the...
Listen
How to Create and Implement a Team Vision - Part 3 of 3 from 2019-12-02T11:30
So you've created your team vision, you have your team's alignment with that vision, now how do you make sure your vision doesn't disappear with all the other visions and missions that everyone ...
Listen
How to Create and Implement a Team Vision - Part 2 of 3 from 2019-11-25T11:30
Once you have your team vision, how will you get your team's alignment to follow that vision? In this episode you will take the vision you formed in part one, finalize it and introduce it to yo...
Listen
How to Create and Implement a Team Vision - Part 1 of 3 from 2019-11-18T11:29:49
When used properly, a team vision motivate your team to know where they're going and how what they're doing contributes to the overall organization. It can also provide guidance in terms of how ...
Listen
Making Your Ideal Morning Ritual as an Aid Worker from 2019-11-11T11:37:20
How intentional are you with the start of your day? Do you roll out of bed and hope for the best, or do you have a routine planned that will set you up for a motivated morning?
How you st...
Listen
How to Manage Information You Consume for Growth Rather than Overwhelm from 2019-11-04T11:42:09
Is it possible to consume 20 email newsletters, 8 podcasts, 4 audiobooks and 5 blogs in one week? Probably not.... so why do we subscribe to them all? This used to be me---- consuming leaders...
Listen
How Fun at Work Leads to More Creative and Productive Teams from 2019-10-28T18:50:10
When we think of having fun at work, what usually comes to mind is team building, retreats or in some cases, happy hour. But why do work and fun have to be seen as separate things? And how can...
Listen
All About Coaching and How It Can Help You as an Aid Worker from 2019-10-21T18:01:59
Have you ever heard about someone receiving professional coaching and thought, I wonder if I could use a coach? In today’s episode, professional coach and academic Liz Griffin explains all about...
Listen
Best Practices for Asking Powerful Questions in Aid Work from 2019-10-14T15:46:35
How are the questions you are asking yourself and others influencing your results? Knowing how to ask the right question can be the difference between inspiration and stagnation. If you want t...
Listen
Three Ways to Know Your Team Needs Strengthening from 2019-10-07T10:28:10
If you think you could accomplish more if your team was a bit stronger, then it is important to gain clarity around what you would need to focus on in order to do so. In this episode I share th...
Listen
Task Management that's Easy and Effective from 2019-09-30T16:17:51
The last thing you need is a task management system so complex you have to have another system to manage it. In this episode I share four tips (and a few bonus ones) on how to create a task man...
Listen
Stop Being Inconsistent and Start Aligning Your Values with Your Actions in Aid Work from 2019-09-23T13:47:04
How consistent are your team's actions with your organization's values in international development? Many of us think we are "walking our talk" but then we observe two vehicles going to the sam...
Listen
How to Position Yourself for that Next Proposal without Sounding Needy from 2019-09-16T17:30:09
We all have encountered one of those annoying suck-ups during meetings whose only agenda is to get the attention of a donor so they can receive more funding. I never wanted to be one of "those"...
Listen
The Power of Perspective and Why It's Important in Aid Work from 2019-09-02T14:43:58
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." -- Marcus Aurelius
Our reality is our perspective, and so changing our perspective can m...
Listen
The Power of Coaching: Three Inspirational Stories from the Ground from 2019-08-26T12:45:20
Today's episode is a little different - it covers three stories, two of my former direct reports and one colleague, who all experienced changes in their work and lives due to coaching. I hope t...
Listen
A Mindset Shift for More Impactful Conversations from 2019-08-19T11:40:21
In international development we often hear about the importance of human centered design, and how it can make projects more sustainable by serving what a community really needs. So what about h...
Listen
How to Have Focused Conversations with Your Direct Reports that Drive Results from 2019-08-12T14:52:43
We all know how it goes as leaders in aid work. We have the best of intentions on having focused conversations around our direct reports' professional development or helping them with problem s...
Listen
The Right and Wrong Way to Coach Someone from 2019-08-05T09:22:09
Coaching is becoming more recognized in international development as a powerful leadership methodology that when used properly will help your direct reports devel...
Listen
How to Create an Amazing Experience for a New Team Member from 2019-07-29T08:23:11
Making sure a new team member's first day goes well and they have a great impression of your organization is very important. But how often do we rush through this process or overlook just how m...
Listen
How to Manage Over Ambitious and All Knowing Staff from 2019-07-22T11:35:27
There can be a variety of reasons in our work in international development that we end up with someone on our team who knows everything, or at least they think they do. It could be that cultura...
Listen
How to Have a Difficult Conversation with Your Team from 2019-07-15T14:00
A five year study by Google on highly effective teams found that by far the most important characteristic of a Listen
Four Ways to Build Trust With Your Team from 2019-07-08T13:44:41
The first job of a leader - at work or at home - is to inspire trust." - Stephen M.R. Covey
Every day we have the opportunity to either strengthen or weaken trust with others through our ...
Listen
How to Handle a Difficult Coworker from 2019-07-01T14:00
We've all worked with that person. The one that spreads rumors about others or the organization or even about you. I have worked with my share of difficult people, and it can really take a tol...
Listen
How to Delegate Effectively from 2019-06-17T14:00
Effective delegation can mean the difference between feeling confident and supported versus anxious and overwhelmed. If done well, effective delegation can motivate your direct reports and free...
Listen
How to Know If Your Staff is the Reason You Are Micro Managing from 2019-06-10T14:05:15
Are you a micro manager? Maybe you just feel like you have to follow up a lot with certain staff on your team. It's not always easy to tell when the need to constantly follow up and sometimes ...
Listen
Are You A Micro Manager? How to Tell and What to Do About It Part One from 2019-06-03T14:00
No one wants to be a micro manager, and no one wants to be managed by one either. On the part of the manager it is normally accompanied by stress and anxiety that something will not get done. Fr...
Listen
Four Ways to Improve Work Performance through Changes in Your Diet from 2019-05-27T19:49:55
We all know the saying “you are what you eat”. Well what if you performed how you ate as well? I know since learning more about diet and nutrition, I definitely n...
Listen
How to Use Difficult Feedback for Positive Personal Growth from 2019-05-20T14:18:47
It can be scary to seek feedback, knowing that if you are to get genuine feedback there are inevitably things you will find out about that you may not want to know. Add to that the difficulty o...
Listen
How to Achieve High Performance in a Low Accountability Environment from 2019-05-14T11:58:12
One of the big problems with our industry which I have talked about before in Listen
Four Ways to Keep Good Habits as Aid Workers from 2019-05-06T17:58:57
Maintaining good habits is not easy - especially because as a rule we don't see the rewards for good habits until the future. In other words, we have to wait to experience the benefits of our h...
Listen
How to Adapt to Different Cultures in Aid Work from 2019-04-29T20:11:07
Knowing how to adapt to a different culture can mean the difference between acceptance and productivity versus rejection and stagnation. My guest today Johan Romare shares from his 28 years' ex...
Listen
Five Ways to Really Enjoy Your Vacation from 2019-04-22T14:00
Like many of you, although I enjoyed my time as an aid worker working with my team, I also really enjoyed my vacation time. However also like most of you there were times ...
Listen
How Being Vulnerable Means Becoming a More Effective Leader from 2019-04-15T21:16:56
Being vulnerable as a leader can earn you more respect and trust with your team, and also make it more likely you will find out about any problems on the horizon before they become too great. My...
Listen
Three Easy Ways to Improve Your Relationship with Your Supervisor from 2019-04-08T20:48:48
Whether it's more freedom to focus on things you've been wanting to work on, or more opportunity for professional growth, it never hurts to have a better relationship with your supervisor. In t...
Listen
Learning from Life in War Torn Countries, Staying Sane Under a Curfew and Other Lessons from 2019-03-25T18:22:07
We've done it! Now 50 episodes in the making! To celebrate this milestone, the next two episodes feature my husband Shannon and myself as we talk about our combined 32 years' experience in the...
Listen