blog
Finding your purpose
If you're interested in lots of things, it can be a bit hard to focus. At school I envied the single-minded people who'd always known they wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer or whatever. I never knew what I wanted to be when I
In Your Corner
In Your Corner is Ruth Davison and Lucy Caldicott Between us, we have over five decades of charity leadership experience. We have come together, united in our shared commitment to the sector and our desire to create transformative change for its leaders. Our full bios and references on request.
Tell me about yourself
The question that makes everyone freeze "Tell me about yourself." You know that sinking feeling at the start of a zoom call when someone suggests everyone introduce themselves? Next time it happens, watch what happens next. Some people launch into their entire life story, rambling on about their
Leading Change Without Losing Your Team
I've seen a lot of workplace change over the years. I've led change and also been on the receiving end. My experiences on the receiving end include abrupt job role redundancy or months of uncertainty have helped me to lead change with clarity and humanity. Organisations
Burnout in midlife
This week I want to talk about something that touches so many of us, especially in midlife, but is often minimised or swept aside: burnout. I've been talking to a lot of people this year who are having a really tough time so I wanted to share some
The paths taken and not taken
Thirty-five years ago this week, I walked through the doors of the old Amex House offices in Edward Street, Brighton, for the first time. Armed with my degree in Spanish and French, I didn't have much idea of what I wanted to do with my language skills. I
Back to school
I've just been into the garden to pick some apples. It's been raining heavily on and off for the past 24 hours, the moss-filled grass is spongey and wet, the leaves on the trees are starting to turn, and the petals on my cosmos are starting
Avoid Costly Hiring Mistakes
Recruitment mistakes can cost up to 30% of a new hire’s salary — and damage team morale. Most job interviews reward confidence over competence and aren't really designed to support people to give their best. I've put together a Free Interview Process Template + 25 Question Bank
Shut it out or learn from it?
A topic I've been mulling for a long time is what charities, and specifically fundraisers, can learn from populism. You might hate what (right-wing) populists say, so can be forgiven for trying to shut them out. But what I've been thinking about is that there are,
What charities can learn from right-wing populism
Let's be honest, talking about right-wing populism in charity circles feels deeply uncomfortable. It should. We fundamentally oppose the division, the scapegoating, the deliberate exclusion of vulnerable people. But we can't ignore something else: it's been devastatingly effective at building movements and mobilising people.