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 Associates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Associates. 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.
29 Jun 2011
Our very own Peter featured in The Guardian
Peter Babudu, one of this year's Associates, talks to The Guardian about his attraction to social enterprise, the On Purpose programme, his background and future aspirations. Click here to see his friendly face and to read the article!
14 Apr 2011
On Pupose team goes bowling
Last Friday night the 2011 On Purpose cohort and its extended 'family' managed to get together for a whole evening of fun and informal mingling. Despite every one's busy agenda we managed to gather nearly 20 of us together and had the pleasure to have among us a couple of mentors, board members, 2010 fellows, friends and partners.After our weekly Friday afternoon training session (this time covering customer segmentation and retention) at the Bain offices, we had a nice walk through Hyde Park to get to Queensway, our final destination for the rest of the day. We started with relaxed drinks at a pub's terrace, followed by a convivial round table Chinese dinner and topped the evening with two intense bowling sessions (where we took over half the alleys in the place!).
Many thanks to Jordyan and Tom E. for organising and to all of those who could make it! We hope to have many other occasions to keep sharing quality time with our team and friends!
12 Jul 2010
Half time at On Purpose...
Last week our current Associates left their 1st Placement organisations and kicked off their new projects - (well those that aren't sunning it up as they take a breather in between placements!)
Halfway through our first year and it's clear that the Associates are beginning to look towards the future and what they may be doing - but what of our Placement organisations? How is their On Purpose experience?
We took some time recently to review with the placement organisations their experiences of the first cohort of On Purpose Associates and we're delighted that they're proving a resounding success. For all of the current Associates who are moving into their second placements we received the following feedback. They have all exceeded the expectations of the host organisations, they've added value beyond the scope of their objectives and they've had a positive impact on the teams that they're in. Most of them have brought skills into the organisations that they don't otherwise have access to and have challenged organisational thinking in a positive way.
All of this is exactly as we expect to hear - the concept is working well and proving valuable to both the placement organisations and our Associates - we're running a review with how the Associates value their On Purpose experience and will be sharing that with you soon.
But I've saved the best until last - aside from the organisational impact that our Associates have had we are delighted that they are already saving their organisations on average in excess of 3 times their cost each.
Halfway through our first year and it's clear that the Associates are beginning to look towards the future and what they may be doing - but what of our Placement organisations? How is their On Purpose experience?
We took some time recently to review with the placement organisations their experiences of the first cohort of On Purpose Associates and we're delighted that they're proving a resounding success. For all of the current Associates who are moving into their second placements we received the following feedback. They have all exceeded the expectations of the host organisations, they've added value beyond the scope of their objectives and they've had a positive impact on the teams that they're in. Most of them have brought skills into the organisations that they don't otherwise have access to and have challenged organisational thinking in a positive way.
All of this is exactly as we expect to hear - the concept is working well and proving valuable to both the placement organisations and our Associates - we're running a review with how the Associates value their On Purpose experience and will be sharing that with you soon.
But I've saved the best until last - aside from the organisational impact that our Associates have had we are delighted that they are already saving their organisations on average in excess of 3 times their cost each.
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