Alyceum

Igniting Leaders, Inspiring Revolutions

Alicia Curtis

How to use your influence for good

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Most change-makers I know are keen to have a positive impact on the world in some way. Traditionally you may have had to be a Prime Minister or wealthy CEO to influence and impact the world.

But the world has changed! You don’t need to be in a position of authority to have the power to positively influence those around you. Tools such as the internet have levelled the playing field and allowed everyday people to have a voice, gather people together for a cause and create momentum. Think about Malala Yousafzai or the #Metoo movement.

What types of power increase your influence?

Social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven discovered that there are six types of influential power and, of those, there are two that everyone has the ability to harness regardless of their standing.

1. Expert Power – Having advanced levels of knowledge about a subject gives you power because people trust you as an expert in your subject area and look to you for guidance. Develop this power by taking courses, reading, attending conferences, finding mentors who challenge your assumptions and constantly stretch your knowledge and understanding.

2. Referent Power – This is the type of power that people wield when they are well-liked and respected. You have this power if you are well-known in your community. Earn this power by always leading with integrity, doing good work, building strong relationships and take bold actions.

As change-makers, we can work on developing these powers to influence our workplaces or communities. Challenge yourself to lead not through position, fear or demands but through something which is far stronger than these – shared values!

Shared values are guiding beliefs that groups and organisations rally around to inspire change and keep people committed to their causes. These are beliefs that excite, guide people’s actions and help define identities. Most importantly, they’re the emotionally-charged fuel that enables leaders to influence their followers.

Tap into Emotions and Get Personal

According to Harvard Business researcher Dr. John P. Kotter, most people fail to be influential because they try to influence others using logic, convinced that facts will make others listen to them.

However, research shows emotional appeals can be more persuasive. This is because the same part of your brain that you use to make decisions also controls emotions, causing the two to be intertwined. If you want to influence people to take action or adopt new ideas, you can’t just tell them why they should do it; you have to make them feel it. So, basically, how you make people feel will impact your ability to influence and make change.

How do you make people feel?

Consider these avenues of power you can exert everyday

1. Speak up – consider how you communicate with those who you know, including your family, friends and colleagues. Can you raise awareness about an issue? Can you support an event through sharing it? Consider the ways you can share more – perhaps on social media, in your workplace or just with your friends.

2. Share your expertise – can you use your knowledge, networks and expertise to support a cause by sitting on a community organisation board?

3. Consumer power – every time you purchase something, you are supporting it. Choose carefully and support business and brands that contribute something to the world.

4. Philanthropy – philanthropy is just a fancy word for carefully considering how to give funds (or time) to have a positive impact in the world. You don’t have to be rich and famous to make a donation. Just start with a small goal of thoughtfully giving 1% of your earnings this year.

5. Resources – what resources do you have at your disposal? Can you influence your workplace to support a charity, offer a space to an event or meeting or use your profile to help build momentum for a cause?

I really do believe that people just don’t know how influential they can be. We have everything at our fingertips – access to knowledge, access to platforms to have a say, access to resources.

Don’t Forget!

In a Harvard Business Review article, Ben Laker and Charmi Patel outline a number of ways that you can increase your influence with one on one.

1. Build rapport – building rapport with the people that you want to influence will strengthen the interpersonal connections and trust that you have with them. Get to know people, dig a little deeper then you usually would – find out their purpose and passions in life, consider how you can support them.

2. Be an active listener – influencing isn’t just about telling people what to do or buy, it’s about understanding what will make them want to do these things. To learn this, you must first listen to them, understand what their motivations are and be empathetic about what they tell you. Practice asking good questions and listening.

3. Be focused and set an example – you can’t influence someone to change if you have not made that change yourself. Often I’ve found this is the best way to influence. Great influence comes from sharing your own experiences, and showing someone that the change you made could be great for them too.

The real question is: Are you ready to step up?

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The world needs more purpose-driven people. But where do you start?

This inspiring guide will give you powerful insights to find and refine your own purpose in life.
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Running for the Federal Senate

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Recently I was asked to speak at the inaugural She Runs Campaign School in Perth, a program to encourage more women to run for politics.  They were keen to hear about my leadership development work that empowers people from diverse backgrounds to step up and lead AND also about the time I ran as an independent candidate for the Federal Senate.

The time I ran for federal politics

I was 21 years old when I ran for federal politics.  It was an incredible experience that taught me so much and influenced my future steps (albeit not in politics).  So how did I come run as an independent in 2004?
It’s actually a funny story.  2004 was a very different time in politics.  There weren’t many independents that ran at all back then. So much so, the morning TV show, Sunrise started a media campaign to encourage their viewers to run as independents at the next election which hadn’t been called at that stage.

21 year old me had had some experience with politicians and politics through my teenage years.  While being involved in my community volunteering, I had the opportunity to meet with, talk and connect with many of my local members of parliament (state and federal) and also meet the Prime Minister, Premier and Minister for the Environment.

So when Sunrise asked viewers to send in videos sharing what you would do if you were a Senator, I was happy to share my two cents worth.  Next, Sunrise were showing all the videos and had chosen three people from each state to fly to Canberra to talk about what it would mean to run for the Senate.  We got the opportunity to meet and speak with politicians and then we recorded a one minute pitch to be shared again with viewers.

Political pop stars

This is where it turned into, what I call, ‘political pop stars’ where viewers were invited to vote for their favourite Senator-to-be, for the chance to win $10,000 to go towards your costs of running in the election. Lo and behold, I won the WA viewer vote and was awarded the funds!  On the 29 August, the election was called for a short 6-week campaign leading up to the election date on the 9 October between Howard and Latham, only the second Federal election where I was legally able to vote!

Like every opportunity I’ve come across, I took it on and gave it everything I had.  I printed flyers and posters, got T-shirts made, organised a website and started talking to people.  I used the opportunity to attend every networking event I could, where I focused on three key groups – young people, women and small businesses, asking people what they thought of politics and what the community needed. I spent many mornings out on busy street corners in Perth during the morning rush and tried to catch people that way!  It was especially useful when I had the couple of opportunities to speak on Sunrise during the campaign too.

Number #1 on the Ballot

I was drawn first on the ballot sheet, having found a running mate and entered as a group (as opposed to being an ungrouped independent) and getting the required number of signatures.  Another interesting part of the experience was being involved in the preference deals including with the main parties as well a whole range of smaller political parties that I had never heard of before.  What is most interesting to me was on reflection was just how so important those preference deals can be. In the end, I polled over 4,000 first preference votes and got pretty close once the preferences started to fall. It definitely shows the power of these preference deals to catapult someone into a seat. Over the years, I’ve noticed how many independents have, in fact, reached a seat on far less first preference votes than I received!

So what were my lessons from the experience? 

1. I experienced the huge lack of trust in politicians.  This was so stark for me moving from a 21-year-old community volunteer to a political candidate.  I could feel some doors closing (or being slammed) as people and groups not wanting to ‘be political’.  I don’t think this has changed much except for a few marked exceptions. There is much opportunity to redefine the role and perception of politicians.

2. I realised how little people knew about our political system. My most asked question was what seat I was running for in the Seat and, of course, the Senate is divided by states not seats. I think there is a great opportunity to update our political system too. I believe the adversarial nature of politics is quite out-dated and there is opportunity to look around at how other countries organise their governments as well as newer forms of participatory government such as citizen assemblies.

3. Running for politics is doable – anyone can do it.  Bring people together.  Do things differently.  You don’t have to buy into the ways things have always been done.

We want and need leaders with character.  And if Zali Steggles or Cathy McGowan’s experiences are anything to go by, now is the time to put yourself forward.  We need leaders driven by the greater good rather than those driven by ego, status and party politics.

Get this Free Guide: 6 POWERFUL SECRETS TO FIND YOUR HIGHEST PURPOSE IN LIFE

The world needs more purpose-driven people. But where do you start?

This inspiring guide will give you powerful insights to find and refine your own purpose in life.
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How to be a changemaker?

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“All of us are needed for a moral revolution.  It doesn’t matter where you live, the size of your bank account, or what you do for a living.  The world needs you to flex, to stretch to uncomfortable levels, to build your moral imagination, to listen more deeply, to reckon with your sense of identity, and to open yourself up to understand the layered inconsistencies and differing perspectives of others.  It requires each of us to partner better, to tell stories that matter and embrace the beautiful struggle.”
– Jacqueline Novogratz

I definitely know that I am at my happiest when I’m working with a team of people to make the world just a little better in some way.  I love new ideas and I love a project that challenges that status quo.  I love inspiring others to think about the change we can make together.

This year – 2020 –  commemorates 25 years since the start of my journey in leadership and community change making.  Back in 1995, I was 12 years old, I was given a beautiful gift.  I was chosen to attend the first International Children’s Conference (ICC) on the Environment run by the United Nations.  800 kids from 90 different countries were chosen to attend and experience 3 days of speakers, workshop and kinship.

There is no doubt in my mind that this conference was an immense catalyst in my life and one that I feel very fortunate to have.  At 12 years old, my attention was diverted away absorbed by my own teenage life and focused on others, my local community and world.

At this conference, I connected with the three other Perth delegates and we came back to Perth and formed our own group.  Supported by our parents and a supportive teacher, we decided to run our own kids conference!  This was probably one of the first examples of the ‘youth-led’ movement.  It took us 13 months and in 1996, we ran the first Kids Helping Kids conference with 150 kids from around Western Australia and our ICC friends from Malaysia.  In 1999, the group became incorporated as Millennium Kids and still runs today.

Since 1995, I have been a keen volunteer, a change maker and voice for the issues that matter. I look back with huge gratitude for the experiences I had, the people I met and most importantly, the mindset that was formed.  It was a mindset that change can happen, we can achieve great things in our community when we come together and we have more power and influence than we think!

So in this post, I want to share 7 lessons I’ve learnt about creating change!

1. Lead now

“Leader is not a title that the world gives to you—it’s an offering that you give to the world.”
– Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup champion

You can lead right where you are – with your knowledge, experience, ideas and passion!

Don’t wait to be asked, don’t wait until you’re old enough or experienced enough.  Get in there, join the team, shadow the leader, meet new people, share your ideas – start learning on the job!  We all have the capacity to lead change – to make the world a little bit better than how we found it.

You have to be willing to be brave and give ideas a go, put yourself out there, make mistakes, learn and realise you have some value to give to the world.

2. Don’t doubt the crazy ideas!

“The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.”
– Peter Diamandis, author and founder, Singularity University

It’s often the crazy ideas that can make the biggest difference!

Kids running their own conference, young people being board directors on aged care organisations, everyday people joining together to become philanthropists…all of these crazy ideas became successful projects.  Many people scoffed at these ideas and took a lot of convincing of their worth.  Hang in there, it gets a little easier!

Give yourself time for thinking and talking about crazy ideas too. We can all too often get caught up in the busyness of life.  Give yourself time to really think about what the world most needs now.

3. Diversify your network

“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.” 
– Jesse Jackson, Politician and Civil Rights Activist

Get out and make as wide networks as you can.  A broad network is an advantage when it comes to creating change.  You can’t do it all by yourself!  When I was 21 years old, I ran as an independent candidate for the Federal Senate of Australia.  I loved the experience because it truly pushed me out of my comfort zone.  I committed to going to a wide range of events with people I had never met before.  Not only did it help during my campaign, but through the rest of my career and community work.  The friendships I made, the organisations I came across, the people I connected with have held me in great stead.

When you’re building a team, it’s integral to know your strengths and find people who strengthen the group through different mindsets, skillsets and networks.  They will challenge you and that’s a good thing!  It can be an easy trap to bring together people who mirror your own strengths, instead, push yourself to bring together different people.

In these increasingly polarised times that we are living in, it can be all too easy to be revolted by people who hold different opinions and close down the conversations completely.  Try to keep the avenue open.

4. Failure is part of the process

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”
– Ken Robinson

Plant many seeds as not all will grow.  Failure is not a reflection of you, it’s just part of the process.  For every project idea that’s been successful, there have been three ideas that have failed.  Don’t be disheartened by this.  Ask yourself, what can I learn from this?  The learnings might come years afterwards too.

See the obstacles not as a sign to stop but a sign to keep going! Embrace them. Rise to the challenge of them.  Obstacles will only make you stronger so keep in there!

5. Cultivate your skills in learning, listening and leadership

If you want to make a positive impact on the world, here are three key skills – learning, listening and leadership.  Since the very beginning of my journey, I’ve been honing these skills.  I still get it wrong and there is still much opportunity for improvement!

Learning – you are also learning! Learning about the complex problems we are facing in society, how we can make a positive impact, how we can work together more effectively.  Being a learner.

Listening – the greatest leaders I have observed are all incredible listeners. They listen for what is said, they listen for what is not said. They don’t just listen, they connect and see the world through the eyes of the speaker.  Often, when we have ideas and knowledge, we can be too quick to talk all the time.  A great leader sees the opportunity to ask questions and listen.  They listen with great humility.

Leadership – be ready to learn more about yourself, your team, your community and society and uncover the assumptions and biases that may hold you back.  This self awareness helps you to start building mastery in leadership.  You will need it when you need to bring together a diverse group with a common vision, when you need to have a courageous conversation with a team member and when you get knocked down by failures.

6. Surround yourself with the people, places and beauty that inspires you

When I feel inspired, I feel like I can do anything.  So I think deeply about what inspires me the most.  I wonder about the times that inspire fresh thinking, innovative ideas and connections.

For me, it’s about people, places and creativity. I surround myself with inspiring people. I meet with them. I read their books.  I listen to their videos and podcasts.  I attend events that push my knowledge and networks and am inspired by the incredible people I get to meet. I’m also inspired by our beautiful natural environment, the blue oceans, the tall trees and the animals who inhabit these spaces.  Art, creativity, music and movement also inspire me.  I love different art forms and the creativity and dedication it takes to create.

What gives you energy? Take your inspiration seriously.

7. Focus on what you’ve achieved, not what’s still to be done

“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg

This is an important one!  When change is the goal, you can be so futures focused that you don’t acknowledge your achievements along the way. And let’s face it, we often have big hopes and dreams!  Don’t get disheartened that there is still so much to do, celebrate what you have achieved along the way – highlight it, the small wins, make them visible to all the team.  Change, at the best of times, is slow but that doesn’t mean that you don’t celebrate the wins along the way.  Sometimes change happens in a giant leap, most of the time it will be incremental. Stick with your goals and purpose for the long term and don’t forget to take the time to acknowledge what you have achieved.

Together we can effect real change, by joining together, sharing our talents and envisioning a better future.  Often I reflect on my 12 year old self, who had their eyes opened by the possibilities of this. No matter what we face as a world or society, I try and remember this.  Now I have children of my own who see the issues they would like to positively impact and I know it’s my turn to encourage them to see their role as a changemaker in society.

Here’s to another 25 years of changemaking impact.

 

In 2021 I’m piloting a new online course on personal leadership and making an impact! Are you keen to join in? It includes weekly masterclasses, leadership challenges and opportunities to share and connect. If you want to find out more, add your email here and receive my free guide too.

 

Get this Free Guide: 6 POWERFUL SECRETS TO FIND YOUR HIGHEST PURPOSE IN LIFE

The world needs more purpose-driven people. But where do you start?

This inspiring guide will give you powerful insights to find and refine your own purpose in life.
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Does your lack of confidence hold you back?

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Have you ever wanted to pursue or achieve something important, but your lack of confidence held you back? It’s not a nice feeling, is it? It might have been a job opportunity, a board position, or perhaps simply reaching out to someone.

When we talk about confidence, what do we mean? The latin meaning is “having deep trust in yourself.” In modernity, it’s the degree to which you think and feel your actions will achieve positive results.

Do you trust yourself? Do you believe your actions will lead to the results you want?

We all go through periods of lack of confidence. Self doubt, fear, the knockers will continue throughout your life. Nobody escapes it and it’s an ongoing practice for leaders.

The more important question is this: how can you further develop your confidence right now?

Psychologist Albert Bandura developed a theory that highlighted four sources of confidence.

The four sources of confidence

Mastery Experiences

What are mastery experiences? It’s learning first hand, setting realistic but challenging goals, and giving it a go.

Start Small

These experiences build your confidence to keep striving and trying something new. The big thing here is that it doesn’t have to be huge. You can start with really small actions and build up! What is the smallest step that will move you closer to where you want to be? How can you show up consistently with small actions? You’ll be amazed at the confidence this brings.

Even Mistakes Count

Get out there, give it a go. You will either achieve something or you’ll learn something! Every mistake or failure is a great learning opportunity. So start failing and learning!

What to do?

Start consciously building up your mastery experiences.

2. Vicarious Experiences

Ok, so you haven’t done something yourself (mastery experience)? You can also build your confidence through observing others such as mentors, role models, or leaders.

Role Modelling

Seeing others achieve what we want can show us that it is possible. Observing how others achieve goals similar to what you want helps you build your own confidence in your ability to achieve it too.

Don’t Get Jealous, Get Motivated

Don’t sink in to the comparison game. If you start to show envy or jealousy, this is you doubting that you can achieve it too. Shift your mood to one of wonder, curiosity and celebration. Get inspired and understand that if they can do it, you can too.

What to do?

Read those autobiographies. Go listen to inspiring role models (live or on the internet). Surround yourself with examples of who you want to be. Celebrate others and regularly expose yourself the unlimited potential of humans!

3. Social Persuasion

Social Persuasion is having an influential mentor directly ‘persuading’ you to achieve what you want.

The Power of Belief

As a leadership facilitator, I am constantly in awe of the power of someone believing in you. I’ve seen first hand what can happen when I believe in a participant in one of my programs. What they can achieve is incredible! Your confidence can be developed by having a coach, mentor, teachers or leader in your life that demonstrates their belief in you.

What to do?

Gather together your supporter network. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and encourage you to reach higher.

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4. Physiology

Our physiology matters and it influences our confidence. So are you putting aside time for self care, healthy eating, exercise, meditation and good sleep? These inputs can influence your emotions, moods, and your physical state.

If you feel tired, anxious, or tense, it’s going to affect your confidence. On the flipside, if you put healthy foods into your body, move regularly, commit to getting a good night’s sleep, and take time for regular self care, this will also affect your confidence – in a positive way.

What to do?

Look after your wellbeing to give yourself the best chance of self confidence.

8 leaders share their confidence secrets

So, how do those four sources of confidence look in everyday life? 8 incredible leaders share their tips for building confidence below:

“I take a deep breath and think about some of the things I really wasn’t confident to do but did anyway (and they came out good, often far beyond my expectations!)”
Lyn Beazley AO FTSE FACE CIE (Aust)
WA Australian of the Year 2015

“Lifelong learning and stretching myself to do new and interesting things not only builds my confidence but also means I get to meet and experience interesting people and continue to grow and develop as a person.”
Angie Paskevicius, CEO Holyoake
WA Telstra Businesswoman of the Year 2016

“I build confidence in a few ways. I stay on top of what is happening in the industry and particularly in industry journals. In short I make sure I am well read. I also make sure I am actively seeking feedback from the people I work with (both Board and staff). And finally, having a person as a coach or mentor who is honest with you helps.”
Russell Bricknell,
CEO, Baptistcare

“Confidence for me is about recognising that, as CEO, most people think you are fully in control and don’t need support or pep talks. So I make sure I seek it out from people inside and outside my organisation who are supportive and on my side and confident enough to give me feedback on things I need to improve on.”
Justine Colyer,
CEO RISE

“I keep trying to stretch myself by learning new things and doing things that make me uncomfortable.”
Dr Nicky Howe,
CEO, Southcare

+ Surround myself with a ‘cheer squad’, family and friends who will support me and provide advice (even the hard stuff) grounded in unconditional love for me.
+ Reducing the influence of ‘toxic’ people in my life by disengaging from them.
+ Positive self-talk – every day!
+ Reflect and learn from my mistakes and my successes.
+ Enhance my resilience every day through keeping fit and healthy.
Dr Sue van Leeuwen,
Non Executive Director

“I meditate regularly. I find this not only provides a sense of calm – but it also helps me to keep things in perspective.”
Graeme Cowan,
Leadership Resilience Speaker and Author, Non Executive Director R U OK?

“I focus on my values, and have a clear vision of the goals I want to achieve. I make sure my decisions and actions are always 100% aligned with what I want to achieve and my values. Then I have the courage to not care if others mock me. Self loathing is always just at an arm’s length … so it’s important to remember that second guessing yourself is normal and healthy in leadership. And it’s best to just accept not everyone will always agree with you. But if your values are in the right place, keep on track.”
Sue Pember, Director,
Mi Casa Property Boutique, Aussie Orientation Services and Rare Birds Ambassador

Now over to you: what are you strategies for overcoming the knockers in your pursuit of a goal? I’d love to hear!

How to get a meeting with a busy potential mentor

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Working with a mentor can be one of the most fulfilling and useful career strategies. It can fast track your knowledge, expertise, and confidence. And the first point of contact is make or break, especially when you might not know the person.

So you’ve seen, heard, or experienced an amazing leader who you would love to have a one-on-one chat with. They are inspiring, knowledgeable, and highly experienced. Only trouble is – they are also in high demand. We all have many constraints on our time these days. So how do you send a request that will have the most success?

As a regular conference speaker, I know that you can often get overwhelmed with really lovely requests to catch up for coffee dates after a conference presentation. I love meeting and chatting with people but sometimes there just isn’t enough hours in the day! From my own experience, and from other colleagues I’ve spoken to about this, I’ve listed a few ideas to cut through and make you more favourable to get a meeting with a busy potential mentor.

Let’s start with a big meeting request no-no!

The worst possible request is “can I have a coffee with you to pick your brain?”

This request implies a one-way exchange. It’s nondescript. And it lacks any type of focus or value for the mentor. Most people want to help. But help yourself with the following tips and make your next request outstanding!

How to ask for a meeting with a potential mentor

Be open with how

You can ask for a face to face meeting but also mention that you are willing to have a phone call too. Sometimes it’s easier for the person to jump on the phone with you for 15 minutes rather than (up to) an hour’s meeting plus travel time. A phone call gives them an experience of you and perhaps they might meet in person in the future. Check their schedule for public events – speaking or networking – that you could use as an opportunity to meet them and ask them a few questions there. Think outside of the box.

Tell them what you’re after

Tell them what you want to ask! Outline the questions, information, or value you are after.
“Can I meet with you?” doesn’t really share why it’s important that they meet with you specifically. Make it easy for them and share that information.

You want the potential mentor you are contacting to ascertain if they are the best person to talk to. Maybe you’re wrong in your assumptions, and they may be able to suggest a better person to connect with. You might save yourself and them a huge amount of time if you clarify what is it you are interested in.

Make it easy for them

Allow them to name the time and place that’s easier for them. You buy the coffee. Sometimes it might be easier for them if you come straight to their office. Whatever is easiest for them.

Think about how you can give back

I think people forget the most basic ways we can be helpful to each other. Even if you’re just starting out in your career, you can show that you are mindful enough to make a meeting mutually beneficial for each other!

Here are some ideas about how you can be useful to the person you want to meet:
  • You can share their work with your networks. How can you profile their work or charity contributions to your network?
  • Provide a testimonial or a Linkedin recommendation.
  • You could facilitate some business opportunities for them or send them some referrals.
  • Pay them for their time if appropriate. I know many consultants who are constantly asked for their time to give their expertise for free. Perhaps you could purchase their course or donate to their favourite charity.

If you get a meeting, make the most of the time.

The points below might seem basic, but most of the time we can miss these in the busyness of life.
• Come on time.
• Be prepared with your questions. Make their time (and your own) count.
• If you’re meeting at a cafe, pay for the coffee. If you’re requested the meeting, it’s common courtesy to pay for the drinks.
• Send a thank you note afterward.

Final Words

A person’s time is incredibly valuable. If you’re reaching out to an admired leader, role model, or potential mentor, be respectful of their time and show your commitment.

Now over to you: Have you thought about working with a mentor? I’d love to hear your thoughts about this!

Ready to step into your full leadership potential?

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15 WAYS TO FIND AN NFP BOARD POSITION
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Hot tip to get a board appointment

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Many people ask me…

  • What networking events should I attend to meet board directors?
  • How do I learn more about the NFP sector? and
  • How can I understand more about board governance?

Well, I’ve got ONE suggestion for an event that answers all three questions above!

All NFPs (associations) have this event and most will host this event every year (many will run them Aug/Sept/Oct every year).

Have you guessed what it is yet?

It’s an Annual General Meeting or AGM!

Now, what’s your first thought when you hear the word AGM? Boring? Pass? Or something similar?

Trust me, I’ve been to my fair share of yawn worthy AGMs but to be honest, I’ve also been to AGMs where the organisation has at least tried to be interesting. Some organisations will try and have their AGMs done in 30 minutes flat and other organisations involve lunch and a keynote speaker.

BUT…

What is one of the main orders of business at an AGM?

Board nominations and elections!

Who attends AGMs?

Board directors!

So AGMs can be a very interesting place to network, observe and learn. There will usually be copies of the Annual Report where you can read about the achievements of the last year and plans for the future. You might also learn more about the organisation’s constitution such as what’s the objectives of the organisation, who can be a member, who can be a board director and how are board directors voted in.

So what AGMs can you attend?

  • Think about all the organisations of which you are a member of such as community organisations, industry associations, member-based organisations or sporting clubs. You should receive notice of the upcoming AGM as a member.
  • Think about organisations you could become a member of. Once you are a member, you will receive the newsletters, invitations to events and you will have the opportunity to vote in the board elections.
  • Some organisations may open their AGMs to the public and you will be able to observe the proceedings such as peak bodies. These events are great as they may have CEOs and board directors of a number of organisations attending.

With AGM season looming for many organisations, get yourself to a few and see what happens!

Now over to you: Have you been to an AGM before? Or are you planning on attending one this year? Head to the Alyceum Leaders group to share your thoughts!

Ready to step into your full leadership potential?

GET THE FREE GUIDE:
15 WAYS TO FIND AN NFP BOARD POSITION
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