The essential investments charities can no longer ignore…
When I last started a “real job”, my first three weeks in-role involved no work at all.
Instead, I was given a schedule of meetings with “people I could learn from” and a handbook. In it was everything I needed to know about the organisation and all the tasks I needed to complete for my induction.
That was just the start. From that moment on, I was relentlessly developed.
I, and all my executive colleagues, had assigned coaches. We shared psychological profiles, had regular assessments, team developments, and 360 feedback. We had development and succession plans coming out of our ears.
The reason being, the business I worked for was owned by one of the most ruthless venture capital funds of the day, and if there was one thing they understood, it was the value of investing in their people.
Twenty years later I’m in the privileged position of coaching and developing senior teams for organisations far more inspiring and worthy than any of those I worked for in my corporate past.
But far too often, the only reason I’m asked in is because they’re already in crisis. And often it’s because many of the core essentials have never been put into place.
Proper inductions, regular assessments, formal feedback processes, development plans, access to high-quality coaching, and above all, serious succession planning.
These are not nice to have. They’re essential investments.
Often in the civil sector we cite “financial constraints” to excuse the absence of many of these.
While at the same time, we’re all vocally lobbying governments to invest in prevention, in early intervention, in supporting people before they reach crises, because the evidence is clear: it’s better for the people and far cheaper in the long run.
Doctors, seriously, heal thyselves!
But behind that financial feasibility façade lurk two other, deeper reasons that I suspect we don’t invest.
The first is because it feels like it’s self-serving. In a sector that prides itself on selflessness is it right to invest donor funds in our own people; in ourselves?
The rational answer is evidentially “yes”. But the emotional answer often gets in the way.
The second reason, and I see this probably more often in Boards than in teams themselves, is the assumption that “people should be good enough”. That somehow, we should just expect them to be the finished product when they arrive.
And I say “particularly with Boards” because there’s often a lack of appreciation among trustees, of how extraordinarily difficult some of the senior jobs are in most charities these days.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I can’t remember a time when so many CEO vacancies were being filled with interims while the board scrabbles around to find a replacement.
I think there’s a message there for us all about what we’re asking from our leaders.
Very often, we’re asking them to boldly lead in a turbulent world, with rising toxicity and tightening funding streams; to think systemically and work collaboratively while still driving brand visibility; to transform society while keeping the wheels on and not rocking the boat.
And of course, to embrace AI, while technology and hybrid working are already making it harder than ever to build genuine teams with deep relationships, true psychological safety and a real sense of belonging.
These are seriously tough jobs. And this is why investing in our people, in our leaders and in their teams and potential successors, is more important than ever.
The thing is, these are not difficult things to do. Nor do they need to be expensive. We don’t need a gold standard version, but we do need a version.
We do need to seriously think about how we’re building the processes and systems around our people that will help them thrive both individually and collectively, not just now but in the years to come.
And we need to see it as essential investment. Mission Critical. Because it is.
Every year I personally put aside 3-5% of my business revenue to spend on my own development. This year it’s a “systemic team coaching” course that builds on one I did last year.
I do it because it’s an essential investment not just in my own future, but in the futures of the clients with whom I work. They’re the ones who benefit from my investments.
Just as the people and causes you most care about will be the ones who benefit from yours.
So, how much of your revenue will you be putting aside for the essential investments in you and your team next year?