Over the last 8 weeks the On Purpose Associates have been contributing to a series of articles for The Guardian's Social Enterprise Network. Each week, one Associate talks to a 'builder or runner' from a social enterprise or commercially-driven charity, many from our current placement organisations.
So far we've interviewed:
Charlotte Glynn, Head of People at Just Giving
Jonathan Bamber, International Sales & Development Director at Tough Stuff
Damian Peat, Operational Director and Financial Controller at Terra Plana and VIVOBAREFOOT
Ariane van de Ven, Head of Future and Trend Insights at O2
Sylvia Lowe, Head of UK Innovation at Comic Relief
Miriam Turner, Innovations Director EMEAI at InterfaceFLOR
Patrick Reyburn, Strategic Development Manager at HCT Group
Lucy Payton, Associate Director at Teaching Leaders
To check out the series of interviews click here.
Keep an eye on this space for the 3 remaining interviews!
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
29 Jul 2011
Finding Inspiration at Embercombe
This past weekend Tom and the Associates ventured to Embercombe, a social enterprise and valley in Devon that inspires individuals to take action to help build a socially just and environmentally sustainable world.
The weekend served as a pause for reflection as we begin our second placement of the year. In a few short days we experienced firsthand what sustainable living can look and feel like, and through conversations and individual self-exploration we discovered more about who we want to be as individuals and how we want to contribute toward shaping our future world.
At least a few of us were skeptical of what we assumed would be a weekend filled with trust falls and similar ‘team building’ exercises. Instead we found rejuvenation and renewed motivation through activities like woodworking, gardening, campfire story-telling (and rapping!), people planting (a bit hard to explain…), even playing on swings and monkey bars. Oh and do remember to ask when you next see one of us how to play ‘Zip, Zap, Boing.’
Every moment at Embercombe somehow led us to learn more about ourselves and about each other. Who knew- Peter can really rap, Dom's into Flamenco, Dalibor's an excellent woodworker. Through an exhausting yet immensely insightful feedback circle on our last morning, we shared with each other what we we respect about each other, what we perceive our strengths to be, and how we might improve upon those strengths.
Perhaps the most important lesson was that being an effective leader is not about telling others what to do, project management, or delegation. And as Liam Black noted earlier this week, it’s not about being the saviour, the tyrant, or the ‘I can do it all’ superhero. Instead, being an effective leader is about being yourself and using your personal style and strengths to move and inspire others. Strong leaders are genuine. They live the transformational change they hope to spark. They make their motivations transparent. They empathise with those they’re leading. They inspire as much by doing as by giving others space to do and grow.
The list could go on and on, but we challenge you to discover for yourself the rest. Come Sunday afternoon we were all reluctant to leave our yurts and to say goodbye to the breathtaking valley views and the amazing home-grown and home-cooked meals. We'll definitely be going back, and we'd urge you to go whenever you get a chance too. We promise that you'll be welcomed with open arms and a warm pot of lovingly cooked lentils.
The weekend served as a pause for reflection as we begin our second placement of the year. In a few short days we experienced firsthand what sustainable living can look and feel like, and through conversations and individual self-exploration we discovered more about who we want to be as individuals and how we want to contribute toward shaping our future world.
At least a few of us were skeptical of what we assumed would be a weekend filled with trust falls and similar ‘team building’ exercises. Instead we found rejuvenation and renewed motivation through activities like woodworking, gardening, campfire story-telling (and rapping!), people planting (a bit hard to explain…), even playing on swings and monkey bars. Oh and do remember to ask when you next see one of us how to play ‘Zip, Zap, Boing.’
Every moment at Embercombe somehow led us to learn more about ourselves and about each other. Who knew- Peter can really rap, Dom's into Flamenco, Dalibor's an excellent woodworker. Through an exhausting yet immensely insightful feedback circle on our last morning, we shared with each other what we we respect about each other, what we perceive our strengths to be, and how we might improve upon those strengths.
Perhaps the most important lesson was that being an effective leader is not about telling others what to do, project management, or delegation. And as Liam Black noted earlier this week, it’s not about being the saviour, the tyrant, or the ‘I can do it all’ superhero. Instead, being an effective leader is about being yourself and using your personal style and strengths to move and inspire others. Strong leaders are genuine. They live the transformational change they hope to spark. They make their motivations transparent. They empathise with those they’re leading. They inspire as much by doing as by giving others space to do and grow.
The list could go on and on, but we challenge you to discover for yourself the rest. Come Sunday afternoon we were all reluctant to leave our yurts and to say goodbye to the breathtaking valley views and the amazing home-grown and home-cooked meals. We'll definitely be going back, and we'd urge you to go whenever you get a chance too. We promise that you'll be welcomed with open arms and a warm pot of lovingly cooked lentils.
16 May 2011
Tom's thoughts on 'The social enterprise rollercoaster'
Our very own Tom Rippin, founder of On Purpose, explains his journey of launching this leadership programme and the lessons he learned along the way. Read the article on The Guardian's Social Enterprise Network to learn more about his experience and insights.
22 Mar 2011
Clore Social Leadership Programme
Our Friends at the Clore Leadership Programme are looking for their next cohort of Fellows. To be eligible, applicants must be working in or closely with the wider social sector and will have demonstrated leadership potential in some of the work they have already undertaken.
Applications for the 2012 Fellowships will open on 18 April 2011. For more details about how to apply visit:www.cloresocialleadership.org.
24 May 2010
Does Social Entrepreneurship matter?
Some think so ... some others don't ... we at On Purpose found this interesting post on a fellow blog and we liked it.
We liked it enough to want to share it and put out the question - what do you think? Is there a danger that the 'Millenial' generation are heading towards disappointment? Or do you agree with Nathaniel Whittamore that Social enterprise is the means to complete the circle? And where is the UK positioned on this?
More to come as we think these through over coming weeks....
(By the way - if you enjoy the blog piece then make sure you carry on and read the comments below ... )
Clore Social Leadership Programme - Fellowship applications open
On behalf of our friends at the Clore Foundation we'd like to pass on the following announcement:
The Clore Social Leadership Programme is now looking for its second cohort of Fellows, who will be recruited through an open application process. To be eligible, applicants must be working in or closely with the wider third sector and will have demonstrated leadership potential in some of the work they have already undertaken.
Each Fellow benefits from a personalised programme which provides challenging opportunities for development, and is tailored to meet their individual needs.
Applications for the 2011 Fellowships will open on 19 April 2010; the deadline for completed applications is 3 June 2010.
For more details about how to apply and to meet the current Fellows, visit the website here.
9 Apr 2010
Social Entrepreneurism
What does the future hold for social entrepreneurship? UnLtd, a foundation for social entrepreneurs, is known for its broad definition of who those social entrepreneurs are: people who lead positive change in society or the environment. Cliff Prior, CEO of UnLtd, shared his views with the Associates, culminating with the 4 biggest debates in sector:
Is a social entrepreneur defined by the act of starting a social enterprise?
According to UnLtd, this approach is too narrow! What about those people who start social businesses or at the other end of the spectrum, community organisations. How about people starting social projects within other organizations? Or projects which do not classify as enterprises? Should they necessarily be excluded from the term ‘social entrepreneur’? This is about people being entrepreneurial for social value, everything else is a detail.
What legal structure is best?
Some think that it is better to make stuff happen as quickly as possible and favour using equity-sharing companies to generate the most impact in the shortest time. A second view is that an asset-lock is essential in ensuring that no person privately gains from the existence of social ventures. A third view explores the question of beneficiary ownership of the entity (most commonly seen in the co-operative model). UnLtd’s view is to be open! People will choose the right model for their purpose. Often, equity investment is necessary to achieve scale.
Is scaling UP or OUT better?
Scaling up through franchising and replicating social ventures may prove the way of the future, but we need to also consider moving towards a “scaling out” model where a lot of passionate people do a lot of little things to sustain working models of social enterprise.
Should great innovators be more highly regarded than replicators of innovation?
Some schools of thought truly believe that a core element in the definition of a social entrepreneur is the proven ability to innovate and in so doing, change the terms of the sector and society. However those who replicate innovation manage to take those ideas and carry them out more efficiently. They represent that small group of people who make things happen as opposed to just thinking about them.
Cliff also spoke to us about the funding options available for early-stage projects. UnLtd’s funding program resembles a pyramid, providing small grants to many people, and only backing a few of the best ones with large sums and in-kind support. Other organizations follow the incubator type model of funding, picking a few people as potential high flyers and focusing intensive support on them as a cohort.
Cliff left us with a few words of inspiration for the budding social entrepreneurs in the room: Have a lean design, learn from your competitors, and don’t wait until you’re ready because you never will be.
1 Mar 2010
Welcome to the On Purpose Blog!
Hello and welcome to the On Purpose Blog! Here we hope to outline the most interesting parts of the pilot year, including updates on training as well as placements posted by the 5 Associates.
A bit of background on who we are...
On Purpose is a new leadership programme for the next generation of high-flyers who will use the power of business to make a difference in the world. Today’s talent are tomorrow’s leaders who will help solve society’s biggest problems. We believe that if we find the most inspiring people, provide them with the right experience and give them world-class training, then great things will happen.
We organise six-month, paid placements in some of the most respected purpose-driven enterprises, including (RED), Comic Relief and O2, providing real-life experience of large, small, established and start-up enterprises; corporations, not-for-profits and charities; all with a common purpose of operating for good.
We also believe that tomorrow’s leaders are entitled to world-class training. This is why On Purpose works with current and former professionals from prestigious organisations across all sectors to provide such training. We are proud that many exciting organisations will be involved in delivering our training programme.
We hope to see you here again soon,
The On Purpose Team
A bit of background on who we are...
On Purpose is a new leadership programme for the next generation of high-flyers who will use the power of business to make a difference in the world. Today’s talent are tomorrow’s leaders who will help solve society’s biggest problems. We believe that if we find the most inspiring people, provide them with the right experience and give them world-class training, then great things will happen.
We organise six-month, paid placements in some of the most respected purpose-driven enterprises, including (RED), Comic Relief and O2, providing real-life experience of large, small, established and start-up enterprises; corporations, not-for-profits and charities; all with a common purpose of operating for good.
We also believe that tomorrow’s leaders are entitled to world-class training. This is why On Purpose works with current and former professionals from prestigious organisations across all sectors to provide such training. We are proud that many exciting organisations will be involved in delivering our training programme.
We hope to see you here again soon,
The On Purpose Team
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