Consensus Building Institute’s Post

You gain because you develop new skills

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The Harpenden Trust is delighted to reveal the new Trust values. These values reflect our beliefs, define our culture and standards and set out what we stand for. In defining US, we asked ourselves – What does the Harpenden Trust mean to us? What guides the decisions we make? What one thing do we want to be remembered for? Why do volunteers stay with us? Our values guide our thinking and our actions, and help us to truly define what is important, beautiful and worthwhile in the work of the Harpenden Trust. Going forward, these values will be embedded even more firmly in everything we do as well as in our organisational processes. We are proud to share them with you over the next few weeks, beginning today with Value 1: * With Care and Kindness * Whether we are supporting a client or working with a fellow volunteer, we are all deserving of each other’s respect and thoughtfulness.   Recently one of our client’s returned home from a lengthy stay in hospital and a residential home. Her befriender helped her to cook a meal, another volunteer cleared overgrown brambles enabling the back door to be opened. Yet another volunteer came to replace a light fitting, found another not working, and replaced that one too. Care and kindness defines our work at the Harpenden Trust.

Excellent advice based on years of experience at senior levels within the federal government.

In my twenty years in government (including two years as Chief of Staff to a Deputy Minister), I have attended countless meetings between public servants and stakeholders. Too many of those meetings were not successful for one or both parties – resulting in a waste of precious resources. In my role as consultant, I often get asked about the best way to set up meetings with government. I have three basic rules. 1 - Know Who You Want to Meet It is important to choose the appropriate level of official for your meeting. Many people assume that targeting the highest level of authority in a government organization will yield the best results. This is not always the case and can be counterproductive.  Choose your official wisely. 2 - Be Specific About Why You are Requesting a Meeting Are you seeking funding ? Are you looking to introduce your organization or project? When you request a meeting with an official, be explicit about the reason for the request. Make it easy for them to understand why you want to meet and how they should prepare to be useful for you. 3 - Have an Engaging Conversation Let’s be real, you will probably only get a 30–45 minute meeting window. It’s important to make the most of it by driving a conversation to the 2 or 3 main points that will advance your priorities. Be direct, be concise, be honest. An engaging discussion will get their attention and get them talking. I wrote an article describing these rules in more detail, in the hopes to help if you have a government meeting on the horizon.  Read on! https://lnkd.in/dyxwUvf3

Adios non-competes! It's about time. I don't believe in holding clients hostage (my contracts all have easy outs), and I certainly wouldn't want employees to feel they're stuck either. Employment is a two-way partnership. If that partnership has run its course, I'm not sure who really stands to gain (especially when they're often never enforced or selectively enforced at a given company). If you've really built something special, one person isn't porting that to a direct competitor on their own. Besides, your NDAs and confidentiality agreements should offer the primary protections (and are more straightforward to enforce often times) anyway.

Think public policy is just for politicians and bureaucrats? Think again. In the module 7 of Policy 101 videos, Action Canada Fellows share how students, non-profit organizations, businesses and the media all play a role in informing and shaping public policy. Watch it here:

The Year 3 report from the Foundation Practice Rating is officially out! Explore key findings and dive into the results and insights of the year 3 report by heading over to the Foundation Practice Rating website to download the report and explore the key findings here: https://lnkd.in/dj-6sVyt

5 Key Asks of the new National Performance Framework (NPF) for Scotland for me! 1. Community Empowerment and Volunteer Support: NPF should recognise the importance of community action and volunteering but caution against over-reliance on volunteers to fill gaps left by public service cuts. The NPF should ensure that volunteering complements, rather than replaces, essential services. Policies should support volunteers' well-being and sustainability, acknowledging their contributions without shifting the burden of service delivery away from professional, paid roles. 2. Integration of Well-being Metrics: I strongly support the integration of well-being metrics within the NPF. I would advocate for the adoption of the Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year (WELLBY) as a key measure to quantify the impact of policies on individuals' mental health and overall well-being beyond just GDP. 3. Preventative Spending: The Scottish Government should implement a 1% target for all public spending on preventative measures. Setting a specific target would shift the focus from reactive to proactive policymaking, ensuring resources are allocated to initiatives that create sustainable positive impacts on health, education, and social outcomes. Stuart Mackinnon Sarah Latto Charis Chittick Kirsten Hogg Sarah Boyack

The deadline for applications is today! Spartanburg Methodist College is seeking 2024 Client Organizations for participation in consulting projects led by our professional development students! "Client Organizations" can be any business, company, organization, or nonprofit who is interested in gaining fresh ideas, perspectives, and solutions at NO COST! Potential Consulting Services Include: 💡 New Program or Service Creation 💡 Marketing Plan 💡 Research and Development 💡 Challenges or Growth Opportunities