What3Words Leadership Locations Report - A celebration of leaders everywhere and their personal journeys 2023 - Final Design - Flipbook - Page 40
Dhivya O’Connor,
Chief Executive,
Cherie Blair Foundation for
Women and Creator of The
Charity CEO Podcast
There is a well-known African proverb that states “If you want to go fast, go
alone. If you want to go far, go together”. In today’s context, successful leaders
must strike a carefully cultivated balance of moving at pace, whilst ensuring
that people and teams ‘travel together’. In the non-pro昀椀t sector, leaders are
in service of the mission. As a charity CEO, your role is to simultaneously be a
Torch-bearer and a Light-house: as Torch-bearer, lighting the path ahead for
people to follow; as Light-house, lighting up the horizon, to keep focus on the
bigger picture vision. As a leader, you want to inspire and motivate people to
a higher level of performance and results, than they would otherwise deliver.
To harness energies and create momentum towards the goals that you are
collectively seeking to achieve. Ultimately (and to return to our proverbs) if
as a leader you have no followers, and by that, I mean people don’t share and
believe in your vision, then you are just someone going for a walk! Curious
– I am always looking to learn, enhance and grow. Empowering – I focus on
empowering and elevating others. Ambitious – I always strive to increase
impact and in昀氀uence for my chosen organisation/cause and remain ambitious
for what can be achieved. !
///curious.empowering.ambitious
Sent from ///share.down.cares
I’ve been a local authority Chief Executive for almost 7 years and a member of
Executive Leadership teams for the 8 years prior. During my 40-year career,
I’ve worked in seven di昀昀erent councils, had a period in the private sector
on a council government intervention contract, and a period as a senior
civil servant. Leadership is a privilege, but not a role to be taken lightly. It is
complex, challenging, and diverse. The upsides are that you get to listen, shape,
in昀氀uence, steer, and develop both people and places. The downside is that it is
tough, and to lead a complex system not just an organisation is testing on both
a personal and professional level. Leadership comes with huge responsibility,
getting it wrong a昀昀ects so many, but getting it right makes a positive di昀昀erence
to so many individuals, groups and places. I wouldn’t change my job for the
world – being a local authority chief executive is a great job!
Sent from ///shoulders.mothering.letters
Kath O’Dwyer,
Chief Executive,
St Helens Borough Council
///experienced.still learning.developing
others
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What3Words Leadership Locations Report - A celebration of leaders everywhere and their personal journeys 2023
