Building a kinder future
As Labour outlines its plan for change, our Head of Operations shares her expertise on managing change and her five second rule of kindness
Labour’s campaign manifesto focussed on change. Driven by a mission-oriented approach, the new government has articulated its five focus areas; economic growth, energy, taking back our streets, facilitating opportunities and building back the NHS.
Supporting charities to manage change, particularly during the last few turbulent and uncertain years, is something Cranfield Trust has a great deal of experience in. With the management of any change there are five fundamental building blocks essential to successful action:
So, within each of Labour’s five ‘change’ missions, there will be at least five fundamental building blocks to consider and plan against. As charity leaders we too have our missions and must guarantee the strength of our foundational building blocks to avoid failing in our endeavours. It is worth viewing our webinar, ‘Five Building Blocks for Any Organisational Change’ which has been edited to focus solely on this organisational change model.
In line with the theme of five, I present my ‘five second rule of kindness’, integral to any change process, and life in general. Regardless of your role, be it in government, a charity, customer service, as a member of the public, a carer or a child – it really doesn’t matter who you are or what the role you play, what matters is that you’re kind. Simple acts like saying please and thank you, smiling, or greeting someone take less than five seconds. Equally, pausing for five seconds before uttering an insult or causing distress can make a significant difference to relationship outcomes. Recognising positive actions or offering compliments, all within five seconds, can have a profound impact.
Debra Charles, Founder and CEO of Novacroft, firmly believes that leading with kindness is the foundation for team wellbeing, happiness, and business success. She defines kindness as thoughtful action and advocates for its integration into all we do. By consistently extending a hand of kindness, we can cultivate a happier world. This begins with self-kindness, managing our own limitations and expectations. Similar messages are echoed by Alice Law and Mo Gawdat in their book, Unstressable and Mo dives deeper into happiness with his mission to make one billion people happy.
This month, as MPs, both new and seasoned, navigate the House of Commons to start to deliver on their manifestos. I hope they will do so with kindness, respect, and generosity of spirit. Likewise, as diverse charity leaders, constituents, parents, carers, partners and friends, we too should lead and act with kindness. It takes five seconds or less to win with kindness—or lose without it.
Alice Dabrowska is our Head of Operations. Alice plans and oversees the delivery of our range of pro bono and free services to charities working closely with our Regional Managers and volunteers across England, Scotland and Wales.