From Imposter to Inspirer: Introducing I.G.’s Leadership Lab
Let’s rewind a few years. I’ve just joined the I.G. Advisors team, and the opportunity is fantastic. I’m conducting research into the latest social impact trends and cutting edge innovations, I’m providing insights and strategic advice to senior leadership teams and CEOs, and I’m speaking and facilitating panels at prestigious sector events. Yet, I’m also painfully aware of my positioning as a young, female professional in every space I enter. I’m expected to show up as a leader, but don’t feel like a leader.
I’ve become a line manager, with pressure not only to get my own stuff done, but also to support other people’s growth, professional development and well being. Suddenly I need new tools and soft skills to juggle my new range of responsibilities.
I’ve been promoted, and love the greater involvement in strategic-thinking and decision-making, but space for dreaming about my longer-term career ambitions is the first thing I’m tempted to drop from my to-do lists when things get busy.
I’ve become a Trustee for a fantastic charity, Speech Bubbles, and know that this is an exciting opportunity but also a big responsibility. I need to balance my professional life and my personal life (which the I.G. team will tell you is a lot – from chess, to Irish dancing, to knitting) and also maintain time for rest in my schedule.
Turns out, none of these challenges were unique to me! Fast forward to today, and as a coach for I.G. clients and Fellows on our #FixTheFlow Fellowship programme, as well as a mentor at FemMentored, I regularly provide career guidance to social impact professionals, and hear the same difficulties and desires time and time again.
The leaders I speak to are hungry for three things:
The Motivational Stuff - We want to overcome our imposter syndrome, reconnect with what energises us and find space to dream big and blue sky about our careers.
The Practical Stuff - We want tools, top tips, and skills training across wellbeing, line management, decision-making, financial and time management, and more.
The Fun Stuff - We want to connect with peers, show up as our authentic selves, and invent our own inspiring ‘brand’ and public facing image that feels exciting and magnetic.
While I’m fortunate enough to work at an organisation that is fully committed to investing in my leadership, things are a bit more complicated for most people in the social and environmental impact sector. We know what we want, but it’s not so easy to get:
Our organisations have limited spare capacity to provide training and upskilling.
It’s difficult to ringfence time for the motivational stuff and the fun stuff, when lots of other stuff feels like it’s on fire.
Most leadership programmes treat leaders as robots rather than humans - the desire to connect with peers grappling similar challenges, the mental strain and toll of our work, and the need for joy and feeling energised in our careers often gets ignored!
That’s why we’ve launched Impact & Grow: A Leadership Lab. At I.G. Advisors, we regularly provide career coaching and leadership training to professionals from a range of backgrounds – CEOs of growing charities, managers at grantmaking foundations, CSR Directors at businesses, and entrepreneurs of social enterprises – but it’s clear that more support is needed.
It’s not just individuals that need this support, but also organisations: we’re struggling to retain talent; we want superstars but don’t have time to train them; we long for leaders who know how to get stuff done; and we need affordable access to experts to hack challenges within our organisations.
Why A ‘Lab’? Because this isn’t your typical training programme. Yes, we will provide training (rest assured) but we’ll also be experimenting (e.g. with personal brands and leadership styles) as well as hacking your burning organisational challenges together.
Impact & Grow: A Leadership Lab
Over the course of six weeks, we’ll support you to experiment, test and level up your practical skills, as well as your personal motivation and brand. At the end of the experience, you’ll walk away with:
The Motivational Stuff: An articulation of your unique professional strengths and superpowers, and a Theory of Change for your career that you (actually) find motivating.
The Practical Stuff: Expert training in line management, financial literacy, strategic decision-making, and time management, as well as personalised coaching on a specific organisational or business challenge.
The Fun Stuff: A LinkedIn bio & headshot you can be proud of and that’s a match to your highest potential.
Spaces on this programme are limited, so apply now if it feels like a perfect fit (deadline COB Friday 3rd May)! Need a bit more information? Book in a call.
