Subject: Leadership Charity Talk

Camila's talk was really inspiring, especially the idea of being TRUTHFUL. All the time, and particularly to yourself. If you don't buy into what you are doing 100% then you allow yourself to be mediocre. And mediocre isn't good enough to give the best service to our beneficiaries.

Comment written by Paul Tant at London Rebuilding Society:

It was an interesting evening, not that there was much new there - all there is to the art of leadership is developing the vision and then being totally, unerringly committed to that vision.  Mediocrity is ceding the power of your vision to whatever obstacles appear in your path.

Food for thought -or rather inspiration to act  for when I go into work tomorrow!

It was a great evening.  I really wanted to know more about the management structure that Camilla uses at Kids Company.  Camilla tantilised us with talk of staffing groups being divided into 'yards'.  I really wanted to know how these worked in terms of management.  I was speculating that within the context of the vision and ethos and the process of encouraging and nuturing staff that these are autonomous groups.  I am intrigued as one of the challenges we face in my organisation is management capacity to drive the organisation.  This sounds like a more empowered model that would help overcome issues of limited resource and as such it would be great to hear more. 

I was really inspired by Camila giving us an insight into the way she leads with gentleness, love and strength, especially when she said that she sees the good in people and puts the children first. How many organisations start off like this but get eroded by the cynicism and daily grind or grow so big that the values are diluted? I'd love to know more about how Kids Company have avoided this and whether it all comes from their charismatic leader.

What was clear from last night was the way in which Camila lives the values of the organisation, or possibly its the other way around, I think the real challenge will be when she moves on and how the organisation develops from that point.

I found her an excellent speaker and will now look to explore some of the theories Ruth discussed in her presentation.

More information about the definition of leadership Ruth talked about is on the site here: a leader's essential actions.

Could the webmaster put attach Ruth's slides please

A link to the Ruth's slides and podcast of an interview with Camila are now on the site - successful leadership Charity Talk.

After 39 years laboring in the field of charitable fundraising (and with exceptionally good results in most cases), I have become disallusioned with the current state of executive and Board leadership. Here's my mantra: "I have cast the lamp of Diogenes far and wide, searching in vain for an honest charity, and all I find are lairs, cheats, cowards and fools." Say it isn't so, someone. - Chuck M.