WHAT KIND OF CHARITY LEADER ARE YOU?

What does your leadership bring to your team?

Without me, they wouldn’t do anything! I’m here to make sure the work gets done. You don’t have to like me, but you do have to do what I say.

I’m here to make sure things are done right. I have the organisational experience and the attention to detail needed to put processes in place that benefit everybody.

No one works well when they don’t see the point. I’m here to set the goals and inspire people to meet them.

A strong team is made up of strong players. I’m here to empower my colleagues, to help them be the best they can be, and give them the skills and confidence to work independently.

It’s not about what I do – it’s about what we do together. I just lead by meeting the needs of the team, and by representing the voice of the team to others.

Your recent project has been a huge success, what do you put it down to?

My personal direction. Sure, the team all came together, but I was there behind them every step of the way, making sure things were done on time and to a high standard.

The quality of the plan I put in place. Everyone could see what their role was, everyone knew what they were doing and like a well-oiled machine we came together to make success happen.

It was a team effort. I saw what could be done and communicated my vision for success. The team made it happen by getting out there and taking care of the details.

I really couldn’t ask for a better to team and I’ve got to say the credit lies with them. Of course I had oversight but my main contribution was hiring such fantastically skilled and motivated people.

It would be wrong for any one person to try and claim success for themselves. All the decisions were made as a team so the team gets the credit.

Numbers are down and the trustee board wants to see an improvement right away, how do you turn the situation around?

Clearly I’ve let my attention wander. What the team needs is closer supervision to make sure they are putting 100% effort in. I tell everyone that, since they cannot be trusted to put in the hard work, I will be personally monitoring each of them until the situation is resolved.

The only way this could have happened is if people aren’t sticking to the plan. I organise a review of people’s roles and responsibilities to identify where the error has been made. In the meantime I make sure to go over my strategy with the team again, to ensure they know what they’re doing.

I remind my team of the importance of what we’re all trying to achieve. It won’t be easy, and the prize is some distance away, but I ask them to remember it’s the small things that build to the big goal.

To understand the problem or concerns, I organise a meeting with everyone on the team. People are invited to contribute their thoughts about why things are not going as they should. After listening to the feedback, I decide on a new course of action.

I discuss the problem with colleagues to try to find a solution. I’m not sure it’s what I would do personally, but I trust their collective skills and expertise.

A team member has made a serious mistake, potentially costing your organisation money and good feeling, how do you handle it?

I fire them. Not only can I not accept this kind of failure, but I have to send the right message to the rest of the team.

I consult with HR and give the sternest formal warning possible, in line with their procedures.

I let the individual know that I’m very disappointed, not least because what they’ve done undermines what everyone is working towards.

I arrange a meeting with the individual to discuss the circumstances of the incident and try to determine what caused it - and if there are lessons to be learnt for the future.

I discuss the situation with the other members of the team and pass on their conclusions to the person responsible for the mistake.

Your colleague comes to you with an idea they feel could save time and money, how do you react?

What a waste of time that was. I’ve already put the plan in place, and as everyone knows – it’s my way or the highway. I’ll speak to them and remind them that it’s my job to come up with the ideas, and their job to deliver them.

The idea is good, but it’s not feasible to change everything at the drop of a hat. There are processes in place for good reason. I will have to think about this within the context of the wider plan.

It sounds good, and I congratulate the colleague for their thoughts. However, I’m not sure the technical details will work, so I delegate responsibility for figuring it out to another trusted colleague, freeing me up to focus on our strategy.

This idea is brilliant and is exactly the sort of thing I’ve been trying to encourage. I’ll ask my team to give it a closer look and share their thoughts before making the final decision.

The idea seems great, but it’s not for me to impose it on the team. I organise a meeting where it can be explained to everyone and a collective decision made about whether or not to adopt it.

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