FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
29 June 2010 | London, United Kingdom
Contact: Lyndal Stuart
Julia
Middleton, founder and UK CEO of Common Purpose has been
interviewed in a film produced by Knowledge Peers on the topic of
not-for-profit leadership, governance and boards - including the
key pieces of advice on recession.
Julia Middleton has shared her insights on specific topics
including changes and adaptation, the size and function of boards,
managing boards, chairing and board review procedures.
Key insights on maintaining and managing an effective charity
board from Julia Middleton, who has a career of charity and private
sector leadership, include: ensuring the board is engaged in
leading on wider strategy so that they don't focus on the executive
decisions, and for CEOs to avoid the trap of "beginning to love
your board too much" and not seeking fresh thinking.
"The danger is you get too comfortable and I think charities are
particularly bad at it," Julia Middleton said. "You tend to find
boards that have been around for too long and you need a bit of
fresh blood."
The Common Purpose CEO also pointed to key pieces of advice from
the charity's board that she describes as 'gold dust' for leading
her organisation through recession. They are:
- Cut early, cut deep
- Don't wait
- Question judgement if you find you are hoping for best case
scenarios
- Spend as much time on the people who stay as the people who
go
Concentrate on communications and celebrate success.
"The most wonderful piece of advice always was: 'the ones that
survive recession are the ones that are prepared to accelerate out
of recession at the right moment with new ideas and
excitement," said Julia Middleton.
Other points covered in the film include board chairs, and having
the appropriate chair for the organisation's maturity and
direction, and board review procedures.
The film is available at the Knowledge Peers website. Knowledge
Peers is an online portal for business leaders, providing
resources, guides and forums that allow people working in all
sectors the opportunity to learn from each other. Registration may
be required to view the films.
To download transcript excerpts from the film, or for further
information contact Lyndal Stuart, Media and Communications
Manager, Common Purpose.
