A reluctant planner

Three full days dedicated to my coaching course and a board paper deadline and some filming ate up all my newsletter time last week. I always have several half-written newsletters in draft, but somehow I'm generally publishing them live, rather than scheduling them, hence no newsletter last week.

One of my big aspirations for 2026 is to improve the joined-up-ness of my outward communications. Having mainly used social media for personal connections and then political campaigning, communicating with all the tools available for marketing my own business, has been difficult to get used to. I've also got several accounts on some platforms which I think needs a bit of rationalising.

Having what sensible marketing and communications professionals would call a "content plan" has been a bit of a foreign land so if you follow me in multiple places, you'll see different topics turning up at different times when the mood takes me. This is unnecessarily time-consuming and ineffective so I'm trying to be more organised and consistent.

I've always enjoyed writing, and this year I've been making content for YouTube and learning about design and editing so the creation element isn't the barrier, it's the planning. What I've found helpful is working out when I've got more energy for particular tasks (writing, filming, editing, planning) and then allocating time to them in advance, rather than trying to fit things in around external meetings.

So, here's to less reluctant planning in 2026. Onto more automated tasks next...

I did a talk about campaigning at local and mayoral level at the Citizen's Advice England and Wales conference recently. There is potentially a huge amount of structural change underway at local government level.

Whether all the change actually takes place or not remains to be seen given everything else the government is grappling with and the fact that these changes were intended to save money and it now looks like they won't and the champion of all of this isn't Deputy Leader or Deputy Prime Minister any more.

One element of change that is progressing is reform of the powers available to local authorities in cases of misconduct in public office by elected members and mayors. Astonishingly, currently, there is very little in the way of meaningful sanctions and safeguards, even in the case of serious misconduct. There is now a consultation underway which would potentially allow for suspension and withholding councillor allowances from those who break the rules.

I've got one more talk lined up before the end of the year and then I'm into 2026 bookings.

If you're planning an event next year - or even the year after! - and you need a keynote or a panel speaker, happy to help. Topics include influencing at local government and Mayoral level and anything related to charity sector leadership and culture.

Lucy spoke at the Eastside People Festival of Trusteeship. The Festival is the largest gathering of trustees in the UK (1,600 in 2025) and Lucy was incredible. Lucy is a thoughtful, clear and inspiring speaker. She spoke about how to stick to our values as trustees, how to navigate challenge on boards with good grace and generosity and how to try to see disagreements from all sides. Lucy is an accomplished communicator and is skilled at using her extensive experience to support and motivate her audience.

Penny Wilson, Director of the Festival of Trusteeship

(Thank you so much, Penny!)

Day of the Week

Quite interesting to read about the different Thanksgiving events held on different dates in different countries around the world with roots in the harvest, gratitude for peace and liberation, and religious observance.

What am I reading? 📚

I'm carrying on my learning about this: The Great Partition: the Making of India and Pakistan.

What am I watching? 👀

The most miserable person on earth must save the world from happiness. I'm enjoying Pluribus.

What am I listening to?👂

I was interested to listen to this podcast about Black jazz musician, Daryl Davis, and his work talking white supremacists out of their hatred.

Joy-giving things 😍

After what seemed like endless grey and wet days, it was lovely to see the blue sky again.

Wishing you all a great weekend

Lucy

If it’s your first time reading this newsletter, find out more about me here.

I write this newsletter because I believe in sharing ideas that help us work towards a truly equal world, particularly in the workplace.

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ChangeOut is created by Lucy Caldicott. You can find more about my work at ChangeOut.org. If you’re looking to have a chat about culture, leadership, purpose, equity, or a facilitated team discussion about any of those things, get in touch. You can also find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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