NGO Soul + Strategy

Summary:

What are the attributes of the modern humanitarian and development leader? Why modern? In what ways? How does one become one?

Torrey’s Bio:

As a certified coach with twelve years’ experience in international development Torrey Peace facilitates rising and established leaders in the humanitarian and development world to become the leaders they admire, or “people centered leaders.”  She has taught and coached over 400  supervisors globally from the UN, INGO and civil society to become more inclusive and caring leaders that make a greater impact while also stepping out of overwork and overwhelm. Her mission is to provide leaders the skills they need to be part of the change we want to see in the humanitarian and development world while also maintaining their wellbeing. For more information about Torrey’s work and podcast, please visit www.aidforaidworkers.com. 

We Discuss:

• What defines the modern humanitarian and development leader?
• Why self-awareness and intentional leadership are crucial in humanitarian work
• The importance of recognizing and overcoming traditional ways of leading that hinder progress.
• Leadership coaching as a style, including the shift from managerial to coaching approaches.
• Reverse mentoring: how younger team members can teach older colleagues.

Resources:

Torrey's podcast: The Modern Humanitarian and Development Leader

Torrey's website: Aid for Aid Workers

Torrey's Linkedin page

Torrey's course on Humentum's learning platform

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Summary:

This is part one of a two-part conversation between two podcast hosts: Torrey Peace and myself. Torrey’s podcast is The Modern Humanitarian and Development Leader. 

Torrey and I tackle two broad topics: in this first part of our conversation, Torrey interviews me:

How do people in development agencies experience organizational change? What is the psychology of organizational change that a development leader needs to be aware of? How can experiencing organizational change affect staff motivation? How, as leaders, do we tackle any reactance as well as resistance to change?

Torrey’s Bio:

As a certified coach with twelve years’ experience in international development Torrey Peace facilitates rising and established leaders in the humanitarian and development world to become the leaders they admire, or “people centered leaders.”  She has taught and coached over 400  supervisors globally from the UN, INGO and civil society to become more inclusive and caring leaders that make a greater impact while also stepping out of overwork and overwhelm. Her mission is to provide leaders the skills they need to be part of the change we want to see in the humanitarian and development world while also maintaining their wellbeing. For more information about Torrey’s work and podcast, please visit www.aidforaidworkers.com. 

We Discuss:

• What defines the modern humanitarian and development leader?
• Why self-awareness and intentional leadership are crucial in humanitarian work.
• The importance of recognizing and overcoming traditional ways of leading that hinder progress.
• Leadership coaching as a style, including the shift from managerial to coaching approaches.
• Reverse mentoring: how younger team members can teach older colleagues.
• Empowering teams by building trust and facilitating self-learning.

Resources:

Website

Podcast

Aid for Aid Workers

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Summary

What does the concept of Ubuntu teach us about leadership, community, and the well-being of people in organizations?

How can African leadership models inform and enhance global approaches to management and organizational development?

How do we navigate the challenges of avoiding romanticizing Ubuntu while honoring its depth and practical value?

In this NGO Soul + Strategy podcast episode, Martin Kalugu-Banda, a thought leader on organizational development and leadership coach (among many other things!), about redefining leadership through African paradigms and systems thinking.

Martin's Bio

• Martin Kalungu-Banda is an expert in Leadership and Organizational Development, with senior-level experience in business, government, and civil society.
• He is co-faculty of the Leadership Academy at the Presencing Institute and the MIT Global Alliance for Banking on Values.
• Martin served as Special Consultant to the President of Zambia (2005-2008), helping to re-establish the position of Chief of Staff.
• As an adviser to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, he has supported leaders across Africa, including governance reforms in Rwanda, healthcare transformation in Namibia, and Tanzania’s National Skills Development Strategy.
• He has co-designed and facilitated flagship leadership programs for Rand Merchant Bank and HSBC, as well as teaching at Cambridge, Oxford, and London Business School.
• Martin is the author of Leading Like Madiba: Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela and other influential books on leadership and transformation.

We Discuss

• Martin shares how leadership as it is taught at the Presencing Institute involves “presencing”—combining being present in the moment with sensing future opportunities and needs.
• Ubuntu, often defined as “I am because you are,” needs to expanded as a concept to include interdependence across generations, global connections, and non-human beings like animals and nature.
• How Ubuntu aligns with systems thinking by emphasizing the interconnectedness of individuals, communities, and the environment.
• The challenges of avoiding romanticizing Ubuntu while appreciating its practical applications in leadership and organizational well-being.
• Coaching leaders to embrace open-mindedness, emotional intelligence, and an openness of heart and will in decision-making.
• How African leadership models provide valuable insights into collective well-being and interconnectedness that global North frameworks often overlook.
• Martin’s reflections on the limits of knowledge as we age and the importance of humility in leadership.

Resources

Martin’s profile at the Presencing Institute 

Ubuntu Lab Institute (similar institutes exist for other regions within the Presencing Institute)

Martin’s books:
Leading Like Madiba: Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela

Summary

How does an African management consulting company that expressly sets itself up to offer African solutions to African problems communicate its identity? 

What are some key differences in organizational development needs and cultural norms between development agencies in the Global South and Global North?

How can concepts like Ubuntu and Ujama inform leadership models in ways that resonate across African contexts?

In this NGO Soul + Strategy podcast episode, I interview Faye Ekong, Managing Director and co-founder of RavelWorks Africa, about designing management consulting solutions rooted in African paradigms and practices.

Faye's Bio

• Managing Director and co-founder of RavelWorks Africa for over 6 years
• Held multiple leadership roles at the NGO Action Against Hunger
• Former trainer and consultant at MDF Management Consulting

We Discuss:

• Faye shares how RavelWorks was founded to counter the prevalence of Western management solutions in African contexts, focusing instead on locally-developed approaches.
• While RavelWorks initially aimed to serve primarily African organizations, their clients now span Europe, the US, and other regions.
• Core clients include humanitarian donor agencies, NGOs, private sector companies, and some government agencies.
• Services offered by RavelWorks include HR, organizational design, system and process improvements, and learning and development, with a future-of-work lens.
• The African paradigm of communalism, exemplified by concepts like Ubuntu (“I am because you are”), prioritizes relationships and the well-being of staff and stakeholders. This contrasts with the Anglo-Saxon focus on task and goal orientation.
• The management and leadership literature has expanded beyond the US and Europe to include countries like India and Japan but still largely overlooks Africa’s unique contributions.
• There has been a significant uptick in the use of niche consulting firms like RavelWorks in the Global North, but European NGOs still tend to exhibit a control-oriented approach compared to their US counterparts.
• Faye emphasizes that Global North consultants can still play a meaningful role if they adopt humility, curiosity, and a willingness to understand African ways of working.

Quotes:
“If you lead an organization, choose courage over comfort” (Brenee Brown)

Resources

Website

Faye's LinkedIn profile

YouTube video of this podcast

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Summary

How can nonprofit organizations leverage human emotions to enhance the impact of their campaigns?

What can NGOs learn from cognitive science to create more effective, empathetic communication strategies during a time of poly-crisis?

How can organizations shift from traditional advocacy approaches to more agile, psychology-driven methods for mobilizing communities?

In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Diya Deb, Executive Director at MindWorks Lab, about harnessing the power of cognitive science to transform nonprofit campaigning in today's challenging landscape.

Diya's Bio:

• Executive Director of MindWorks Lab, a global cognitive science innovation lab incubated at Greenpeace
• Nearly two decades of experience in grassroots and international nonprofit leadership
• Former Campaign Director at Greenpeace India and Amnesty International India
• Led global youth mobilization efforts alongside Indian Nobel Peace Laureate, Kailash Satyarthi
• Co-founder of PowerSouth, an initiative focused on amplifying women's leadership in grassroots movements
• Advisor to multiple nonprofits on strategy, advocacy, and decolonizing research practices

We Discuss:

• Diya reflects on how MindWorks has grown since its early days within Greenpeace, evolving from theoretical frameworks to hands-on applications in the field.
• Diya highlights the urgency of adapting campaigning strategies to the current era of poly-crises, where overlapping global challenges are exhausting communities and donors alike.
• MindWorks has pivoted to focus on the role of emotions like anger and powerlessness in shaping people's responses to crises, drawing on new case studies from India and Indonesia.
• She explains how MindWorks seeks to decolonize research practices, shifting away from Global North-centric methodologies by grounding their work in diverse cultural contexts, especially in East Asia.
• The conversation explores MindWorks’ unique approach to agile campaigning, emphasizing rapid experimentation and applying cognitive science insights to their internal operations.
• Diya shares her thoughts on the implications of this research for philanthropy, urging funders to shift towards more adaptive, emotionally resonant approaches to support nonprofit campaigns.

Quotes

“Doomsday communications have clearly proven not to work”

“We focus on social empathy as an enabler for activism”

Resources:

MindWorks Lab Website

Diya Deb's LinkedIn Profile

YouTube video of this podcast (ADD LINK!)

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Summary

What are the key principles of African leadership that nonprofit leaders globally could benefit from adopting?

How does the African concept of Ubuntu translate into practical leadership strategies for nonprofit organizations?

How does African leadership balance individual and collective success, and how might nonprofit teams benefit from seeking the same balance?

In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Albert Anoubon Momo, axecutive, author, and board member, about leadership lessons we can all learn from African cultures.

Albert's Bio:

• Co-founder of a brand new company offering geospatial consulting services to emerging economies
• Former Vice President and Executive Director, Emerging Markets and Funded Projects at the Trimble company
• Former Director of Institutional Business Development at Trimble
• Management and Program Analyst at USAID
• Albert played multiple other roles as senior geo-scientist and GIS and software engineer, including at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) inside the US Government.

We discuss: 

• Albert has been a student of leadership from early adult life onwards, and he runs a large Facebook group on leadership. His experience has been primarily in the private sector , though he also plays governance roles in the nonprofit sphere, such as his role Board Chair of Cadasta (where Tosca is also on the board)
• Albert urges listeners to focus on what the African continent can bring to the rest of the world, and not to assume Africa just consumes from the rest of the world (especially when it comes to West-influenced leadership models)
• Subregions within the huge continent of Africa have had different influences on leadership approaches and practices: in Northern Africa and the Sahel, Islamic influences have prevailed while French colonizers brought more hierarchically oriented thinking to leadership; in coastal Africa, colonizers introduced Christianity which persists till today; and in Southern and Eastern Africa, Zulu-inspired Ubuntu philosophy has dominated
• Ubuntu as the most well known African philosophy emphasizes interdependence, solidarity, shared community, and communalism (also within organizational leadership and management) – different from the individualism more prevalent in Western societies
• What Western leadership practices can learn from African leadership approaches regarding employee engagement, shared value, shared futures, solidarity, and humanism
• In African cultures, traditionally councils of elders have played an important conflict resolution role; it is beneficial for global North/Western nonprofits to take account of these Councils' approach to seeking win-win resolutions rather than zero-sum litigation, their focus on the common good, common ground and shared goals.

Resources:

Albert’s LinkedIn Profile

Albert's Facebook group on Leadership

Book

YouTube video of this podcast

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Summary

Is it that people resist change? That they fear change? Or rather that people fear loss?

As a change management consultant, what is the most difficult or frustrating while supporting clients with change management efforts?

What is one word most alive right now in the world of change management support?

In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Michael Randel, Founder of Randel Consulting Associates, on mastering the ever-complex world of organizational change management.

Michael's Bio

• Owner of Randel Consulting Associates, a boutique consulting firm that supports change processes across sectors
• Former Change Consultant in the World Bank's Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness department
• Worked for a Danish development agency in South-East Asia
• Started as an  Organizational Development practitioner in South Africa, at the YMCA during the anti-apartheid struggle.

We discuss 

• Michael worked as a young professional in the South African YMCA youth organization during South Africa’s apartheid struggles, which was a formative experience for him. It launched his career in change management
• He consults on change management across the private, public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. His clients all have in common: a social purpose.
• Early in his career, he discovered that we overestimate rationality in change management; instead, emotion is a significant factor. We also are simply unable to foresee all factors that will be at play in our change-planning efforts
• Michael uses a Gestalt approach in his work: in this approach, the forces that energize change are faced with forces that resist change – and Lewin’s forcefield analysis tends to apply. Put simply: people tolerate the current state of affairs till it is no longer tolerable. 
• The Gestalt approach stipulates that we may need to intervene at the individual, team, unit organization, or sector level (or a combination)
• Michael appreciates Rick Maurer’s framework on resisting change, which emphasizes 3 factors, embodied in ‘I don’t get it’; ‘I don’t like it’; and ‘I don’t like you’. Each requires its response – and the three should not be confused.

Quotes:

Eisenhower’s quote (paraphrased here) is relevant in change management: “Plans are useless, but the process of planning is useful”

Resources:

Michael’s LinkedIn Profile

Randel Consulting Associates Website

Blog post: Resistance to change is often misunderstood

YouTube video of this podcast

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Summary

What does it Busara's tagline mean: 'transformational leadership, from the inside out'?

To what extent are there truly different global south-normed leadership models?

Does personality still play an important role as well, in addition to national or regional cultural differences in leadership approaches?

In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Taaka Awori, Founder & CEO of Busara Africa, a leadership development services company, on redefining leadership in Africa.

Taaka's Bio:

• Founder and CEO of Busara Africa, a pan-African leadership development firm based in Accra, Ghana
• Author of the book Leadership Redefined: Untold Stories
• Associate Certified Coach with International Coaching Federation (ICF)
• Podcast host of Leadership Redefined: Untold Stories
• Member of the editorial board of Coaching Perspectives
• Chair of the board of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF)
• Former Country Director of AAI
• Assistant Social Development Adviser, DFID (now called FCDO)
• Degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities

We discuss: 

• Taaka started specializing in leadership development and organizational development, after discovering as a Country Director at ActionAid that what was most needed from her was good leadership – not any technical specialization
• Busara’s tagline is - transformational leadership from the inside out – signals that leadership starts with self-awareness and self-regulation
• Equally, good leadership is a combination of not just intellect or analytical capabilities, but also innate and learned wisdom, and the heart
• Other premises of Busara: let’s build on the examples of excellent leadership in Africa (not the negative examples); and feminist leadership
• 70% of Busara’s clients are NGOs; the rest are private sector and government agencies
• How are African leadership models distinct, if in any way, from global North-formed models? 
• Another distinct element is the explicit inclusion of politization and thus the need for leaders to be aware of this, and to navigate it in a mission focused manner 
• Busara is also interested to learn more about what’s to be learned from leaders of informal, non-registered organizations: informal worker associations, social movements and networks
• Interesting sub-continental dimensions of leadership within the African continent

Resources:

Taaka’s LinkedIn Profile

Taaka’s Website

Taaka’s book: Leadership Redefined: Untold Stories

Leadership in Africa Redefined Podcast

Busara Africa Website

YouTube video 

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Summary

How should INGOs discern what roles are still relevant, legitimate, and needed, at this moment in civil society history?­­ 

And which roles they therefore  should *stop* playing?

Is there more here, over and beyond stopping service delivery? (Which on its own is quite the shift)

In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Dylan Mathews, Chief Executive Officer at Peace Direct. Peace Direct has been quite vocal, and has acted as a thought leader on this role question -- which I consider fundamental, and which I don't see INGOs facing head-on sufficiently yet.

Dylan's Bio:

• Chief Executive Officer of Peace Direct 
• Director of International Programs at Y Care International
• Program Manager at CARE
• Worked on conflict countries and issues with Landmine Action, Oxford Research Group, and the British Red Cross

We discuss: 

• While the sector is changing, once again, on several fronts (in terms of programming approaches, shifting authority/decision rights to the place of program impact representation, biz models, operating models etc.), what seems to get less attention is whether the organization should go through a fundamental role shift
• Common sense would say role and function, as well as strategy, should come before the other types of changes mentioned above
• One organization that is advocating that NGOs need to tackle the fundamental question of role shift is PeaceDirect, with Dylan Mathews as its leader. 
• So what roles are still appropriate, especially for global North-founded INGOs?
• Dylan explains the nine roles that Peace Direct thinks are still appropriate for INGOs 
• What are, importantly, the implications of a change in role and function for, for instance, board competencies and mindsets, organizational size, staff competency profiles, and culture?
• Dylan shares what gives him hope as INGOs traverse this journey, but also what makes him skeptical that the role shifts Peace Direct points to will actually take hold among INGOs,

Resources:

Peace Direct Website

Dylan’s LinkedIn Profile

Peace Direct reading resources: Link1, Link2, Link3

YouTube video of this podcast

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Summary

Conflict management and mediation are skills that come up frequently as a weak area in many of our social sector organizations.

And these days, more than ever conflict is on the rise within our organizations.

So how can we work through our conflicts more skillfully and effectively?

Nathalie has answers for us. She's a trainer conflict mediator (as well as a Corentus, Inc. team coach) who helps teams and organizations develop better conflict management capabilities. 

And she's a valued colleague in a broader team I am a part of. Which means I get to learn from her!

In this NGO Soul+Strategy podcast episode, I interview Nathalie Thompson, Owner of 5 Fold Consulting, on conflict mediation.

Erica's Bio:

• Owner of ‘5 Fold Consulting’, a consulting and coaching firm focused on conflict management skill building and mediation
• Core Practitioner and Faculty at the Corentus team coaching company
• In short: mediator, facilitator, and coach

We discuss: 

• It is often useful to work on task-related conflicts as a precursor to working on relationship-based conflicts.
• There are cross-national cultural differences in how humans deal with conflict. As a mediator, it is important to first build relationship, to inquire what makes for a good conversation for the person, and how to structure the conflict mediation process
• There are also gendered dimensions to conflict expression and management. Society tends to ascribe the term ‘aggressive’ to women (negative framing), for instance, when they engage in conflict, while men tend to be labeled as ‘assertive’ in the same context (positive or neutral framing)
• One way of minimizing interpersonal conflicts within organizations is to clarify expectations, styles, and preferences. Similarly, to clarify goals and parameters, and how to do the work. 
• Also, to agree to tackle breakdowns in relationships by agreeing upfront how difficulties will be raised, and to work through the Corentus ‘6 question framework’ for dealing with breakdowns.
• Nathalie is among others an ombuds. This is an originally Swedish term that literally means: ‘representative of the people’, and is an independent, neutral person to whom staff in an organization can go for confidential advice, feedback on policy, procedure, or when they seek accommodation. Ombuds are independent from HR and can offer mediation, and raise sensitive issues such as harassment and performance issues with those in authority.
• The apparent rise in intra-organizational strife in civil society organisations is an extension of the external polarization in society: a tendency to think in terms of ‘one true way’ instead of accepting there are many different ways

Quotes:

“In the nonprofit sphere, people tend to be expected to be ‘so nice’; this makes it harder to exert accountability, and to say what needs to be said”

Resources:

Nathalie’s LinkedIn Profile

Nathalie’s Email

5 Fold Consulting Website

YouTube video of this podcast

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