Tara Duckworth’s Post

Country Mission or Headquarters Staff? If you are seeking funding from a government, where do you start? This of course depends. If you have a specific project in mind in a specific geography, and you have done your research and know there’s interest (or better yet, budget) in country, start at the mission. But if you are just beginning to develop a relationship, and have a host of ideas to share, start at the headquarters level. From there you can pin down the technical or geographic team that best suits your budget and program goals, and develop a proposal strategy next. Depending on the size of your teams, you can be building relationships on both sides and scoping out entry points where you see them. Track mission strategies in countries where you work and have teams. But keep conversations going at the HQ levels too, where co-creation and larger program ideas may bubble up. How do you staff these relationship building efforts?

Why Being Excluded Isn’t the End—It’s Your Golden Opportunity to Shine Let’s face it—being excluded at work is tough. It stings when you're left out of key meetings, bypassed for a big project, or not invited to that important lunch. You might think, “Why does it always happen to me?” But here’s a secret: being excluded doesn’t have to be the end of the world—it could actually be the start of something amazing. Here’s why: exclusion is your golden opportunity to shine. 1. It’s Your Chance to Stand Out, Not Blend In When you’re part of the “in” crowd, it’s easy to get lost in the noise. But when you’re excluded, you have the chance to stand out and make an impact on your own terms. Without the distractions of office politics, you can focus on what matters: showcasing your skills and ideas in ways that are truly unique to you. 2. You Don’t Need Permission to Shine Exclusion can make you feel like you're on the sidelines, but this is exactly when you get to take center stage. This is your moment to be bold and build a presence that doesn’t rely on anyone else’s approval. Step up, speak up, and make your contributions in a way that demands attention—no permission needed. 3. Reinvent Your Relationships Feeling left out? Great! Use this time to build relationships that truly align with your goals. Reach out to colleagues you admire, offer help, and build alliances with those who appreciate what you bring to the table. Sometimes, exclusion is just the nudge you need to foster deeper, more meaningful connections. 4. Redefine What Success Looks Like Being excluded gives you a fresh perspective on success. Instead of waiting for others to notice you, take control and set your own goals. Make your work speak for itself. By focusing on what truly matters to you, you’ll attract the recognition you deserve, on your own terms. 5. The Power of Independence Exclusion can feel isolating, but it’s actually empowering. With fewer distractions and fewer expectations, you can focus on growing professionally and personally. Use this freedom to experiment, take risks, and develop new strategies that set you apart from the crowd. Conclusion: So, the next time you feel left out at work, take a deep breath and remember: this is your moment to shine. Exclusion is not a setback—it’s your chance to break free, embrace independence, and make a bigger impact than ever before. Don’t wait for an invitation—create your own spotlight. The world is waiting for you to rise. Grab the free eBook for deeper insights: https://lnkd.in/eF6WiHfm

Having the best strategy in town is nothing without execution. #ScalingUp tools provide disciplines as you look to scale your business. Get in touch with Rob Morris or Adrian Pickstock to learn more about how you can scale your business and more about the four pillars of scaling. Scaling Up Coaches, Verne Harnish #BusinessGrowth #BusinessSuccess #StrategyExecution.

Listen in on our Master's Roundtable as we discuss relevant business topics!

Large organisations are going through an average of 10 major changes per year. Is your business and its people positioned to lead this level of change effectively? Learn more about the human side of change in this on-demand webinar.

10 days and counting still time to gift Building resilient relationships starts with how you show up. When you bring authenticity, integrity, and openness into your interactions, you naturally attract like-minded people. Imagine stepping into 2025 with a network of connections built on trust, shared values, and mutual respect. PS: If you’d like to discover how you could build resilient relationships and transform your business and well-being in 2025, then click on the link below for details on our special January 2025 experience and let’s start https://lnkd.in/eD4gjuBy #buildingresilientrelationships #bestyearever #transformyourbusiness #transformyourself #improvedwellbeing #thehumanbusiness Terry Malloy Andy Jarrett

📢 Don’t forget to sign up to Business Declares back-to-back Knowledge Xchange events this Thursday 23rd Jan, from 12.30-14.00 GMT. To kick off the new year, we have: ✳️ Lizzie Rivera and Stephanie Lambert who will take us through their researches on how businesses can collectively advocate and collaborate to create greater impact in addressing the worsening polycrisis, in a discussion led by Sam Baker. ✳️ Charlotte Sewell ⚡🔶🌿 and Tess Wehmeyer of Uncomfortable Conversations, in a session cohosted by Ben Tolhurst, asking the difficult questions, why being uncomfortable matters, and how this may be exactly what we need to sense, relate, heal and move forward together beyond the realms of Business As Usual. Register for both events via link in the comments 🔗 #BusinessDeclares #BusinessCollaboration #UncomfortableConversations

Why do organizations have such a difficult time setting long-term visions? You wish the process were easier, and if they were a regular part of all organizations. They can be so powerfully expiring! The panel is working on this topic. Now happening live at the Long-Term Strategy Conference. There's space for you here! - https://lnkd.in/e2zmS56i

 Critical Conversations https://lnkd.in/diuk5wfd How to manage them effectively  

Thank you to the brave souls who donned their hat and gloves and joined us for this morning’s Walk for Wisdom, hosted as part of the Better Business Summit 🥶 This walk in the urban nature of Manchester was based around the following question, one that I’m hugely passionate about: 🌺 How do we build a business where positive impact and financial sustainability are mutually reinforcing? We walked, we talked, we shared our different experiences. And we explored the following sub-questions: 👉🏻 What your favourite examples of businesses that have a business model where positive impact and financial sustainability are mutually reinforcing? 👉🏻 Is your business’s products or services addressing the problems of people and planet? Or are you profiting from creating problems? 👉🏻 What skills, experience, assets, networks do you have - how might you use them in a way that addresses a societal problem? How might you make that profitable? As always, there were some beautiful insights shared and more questions sparked. I'll share more on here next week. And it’s definitely a conversation that we’ll continue in our next walk - watch this space for our B Corp month plans… Massive thanks to Nick Brincat of the small green studio | B Corp Certified for his AMAZING job at filming / photographing pulling together this amazing professional video 🌟 #bbs25 #FutureProof #SustainableBusiness