“Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times” (KoganPress, 2024) by Rebecca Homkes is an invaluable resource for not-for-profit managers and leaders seeking to navigate the complexities of today’s unpredictable environment. Homkes, a seasoned strategist, offers a comprehensive guide that is particularly relevant for organizations dedicated to social impact.
The book is structured around three core principles: Survive, Reset, and Thrive. In the Survive section, Homkes addresses the immediate need for not-for-profits to stabilize during crises. She provides practical advice on maintaining operational continuity and financial stability, which is crucial for organizations reliant on donations and grants. This section is particularly beneficial for leaders looking to safeguard their missions during turbulent times.
In the Reset phase, Homkes emphasizes the importance of reassessing and realigning strategies to adapt to new realities. For not-for-profits, this might involve re-evaluating funding models, program delivery methods, and stakeholder engagement strategies. Homkes introduces tools and frameworks that enable leaders to pivot effectively, ensuring their strategies remain relevant and impactful. This part of the book is rich with actionable insights, making it a practical guide for strategic planning in the not-for-profit sector.
The final section, Thrive, focuses on leveraging the lessons learned during the survival and reset phases to drive sustainable growth and impact. Homkes argues that organizations can turn volatility into an advantage by fostering a culture of innovation and agility. She provides case studies and examples of not-for-profits that have successfully navigated turbulent periods and emerged stronger, offering inspiration and practical lessons for other leaders.
One of the standout features of “Survive, Reset, Thrive” is Homkes’ ability to blend theoretical concepts with real-world applications. Her writing is clear and engaging, making complex ideas accessible to a broad audience. The book is filled with practical tips, checklists, and exercises that not-for-profit managers can immediately implement in their own organizations. Overall, “Survive, Reset, Thrive” is an essential read for any not-for-profit leader looking to navigate the complexities of today’s volatile environment. Homkes’ expertise and practical approach make this book a valuable resource for driving breakthrough growth and impact in uncertain times.
The article “What Leaders at Winning Companies Know—and What You Need to Learn” by PwC [CLICK HERE TO READ] explores the strategies and characteristics that distinguish top-performing companies from their peers. Based on a survey of over 2,000 global executives, the study identifies key practices that successful leaders employ to achieve a significant performance advantage.
Key Findings:
Recommendations for Leaders:
For not-for-profit leaders and managers, these insights emphasize the importance of strategic foresight, leveraging technology, and focusing on distinctive activities that drive performance. By adopting these practices, not-for-profits can enhance their impact and achieve sustainable success.
It feels like we only just wrapped up 2023 and already we are here wrapping up 2024! The last couple of years have seen a plethora of industrial relations changes, but what does 2025 hold for those with a HR focus? At their recent ReimagineHR Conference in Sydney, Garter highlighted the top three trends that will shape HR priorities in 2025.
Their insights are summarised below, and you can click here to read it for yourself.
1. HR supporting growth strategies
56% of CEOs cited that growth remains a top business priority for 2025, with workforce strategies ranking fifth among organizational concerns. With that is an increasing recognition of the role HR plays in aligning workforce capability to support business growth ambitions.
How do we address this in HR?
2. Bridging the Gap Between AI Ambitions and Reality
Artificial Intelligence is seen as the most impactful technology for 2025, with 74% of CEOs prioritizing it. However, organizations face barriers like data limitations, skills shortages, and change resistance when implementing AI strategies.
How do we address this in HR?
3. Navigating Labor Market Shifts
Talent shortages, skills mismatches, and rising employee expectations are reshaping Australia’s labour market. Nearly half of job seekers decline offers due to unmet expectations, highlighting the need for stronger alignment between EVP and workforce demands.
How do we address this in HR?
To thrive in 2025 and beyond, HR must adopt proactive strategies that address the intersection of technology, workforce dynamics, and growth. By tackling these challenges head-on, HR can help organizations build resilient workforces, enhance employee experiences, and drive long-term success.
Some of PWCs global leaders have collaborated on an excellent recent article online in Strategy+Business [CLICK HERE TO READ], which discusses the concept of transformative leadership in the context of the current era of profound change. It highlights five key differentiators of transformative leadership:
1. Making sense of the world: Transformative leaders understand the complex changes occurring globally and reimagine how their organizations can create value within this context. They engage diverse perspectives to develop a collective understanding of future challenges and opportunities.
2. Setting radical ambition: Leaders set ambitious goals that address significant problems, inspiring their organizations to undergo fundamental transformations to achieve them. They position their organizations as authors of their own stories rather than passive responders to external forces.
3. Achieving promised outcomes: Transformative leaders translate ambitious goals into specific, measurable outcomes, fostering commitment throughout the organization. They create structures and systems that enable the organization to surpass existing capabilities and deliver meaningful results.
4. Acting as a catalyst: Leaders catalyze collaboration across diverse ecosystems, bringing together different stakeholders to tackle complex challenges. They attract talent, define necessary capabilities, and create environments conducive to innovation and problem-solving.
5. Powering the engines: To sustain transformative efforts, leaders prioritize personal and organizational well-being. They cultivate environments of psychological safety, promote growth mindsets, and invest in strategies to maintain energy and resilience.
The article emphasizes that these principles are essential for leaders at all levels, from the C-suite to frontline positions, as organizations navigate ongoing transformation amid unprecedented challenges. It also suggests that while existing frameworks like transformational leadership offer valuable insights, they may not fully address the complexities of today’s environment, necessitating a focus on these five differentiators of transformative leadership.
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In today’s fast-paced world, effective leadership requires continuous adaptation. A recent article from McKinsey & Co [CLICK HERE TO READ] note that just as technology needs regular updates, so do personal operating models—the systems that define how leaders prioritize, manage roles, allocate time, and sustain energy. This concept is crucial for nonprofit leaders who face unique challenges and opportunities.
Why Upgrade? Leaders must evolve their personal operating models at key inflection points, such as career transitions, organizational changes, or personal life shifts. Unlike automatic software updates, these changes require self-awareness and proactive adjustments.
Four Drivers of the Personal Operating Model:
Practical Steps for Leaders:
By continuously upgrading their personal operating models, nonprofit leaders can enhance productivity, drive meaningful change, and lead their organizations more effectively. This proactive approach ensures that leaders remain resilient and adaptable in the face of evolving challenges
In The Perfection Trap (2023), Thomas Curran, an acclaimed professor at the London School of Economics, addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time: the societal obsession with perfectionism. Curran explores how the increasing demands for perfection—from the workplace to social media—are contributing to rising levels of burnout, depression, and inequality.
Curran’s book highlights how the quest for elite credentials, social media comparisons, and relentless competition fuel the unrealistic expectation that we need to be perfect to succeed. This pressure, he argues, creates a cycle of dissatisfaction, as individuals constantly feel they are not enough. The book masterfully weaves contemporary evidence to show that perfectionism doesn’t lead to better performance or happiness, but rather undermines our well-being and deepens inequality.
Drawing on years of research, Curran offers both a mindset shift and a call for societal change. He encourages readers to reject the unrealistic pressures of modern society and embrace the liberating power of imperfection. The Perfection Trap teaches us to prioritise purpose over productivity, and to find value in being “good enough” rather than striving for unattainable perfection.
This book is essential reading for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the need to compete for more or be the best. Curran provides practical strategies to resist societal pressures, and shows how we can create a culture that celebrates authenticity, self-acceptance, and the joy of imperfection.
In 1982 Tylenol was the most successful over the counter product in the US with over 100 million users. It accounted for 20% of Johnson & Johnson’s yearly profits and was the absolute leader in the profits from that one painkiller alone were enough to put the company in the top half of the Fortune 500 list. Then, out of the blue, somebody replaced Tylenol capsules with cyanide-laced capsules, resealed the bottles, and put them on shelves in Chicago resulting in the deaths of seven people. Johnson & Johnson were faced with the crisis every company dreads – their product, something people trusted, was killing people.
This is not the crisis most companies will face, but it is a great example of the right way to respond to a public relations nightmare and a complete loss of the faith from stakeholders. Sometimes businesses and companies will make the mistake of trying to save face, save a product or to put profits first, and will attempt a cover-up. Cover-ups rarely work in the long term (ask the Catholic Church about this). They result in a total loss of trust and brand reputation damage that is unlikely to ever be reclaimed.
Tylenol launched such a successful response to its crisis that it became the bases for many of the crisis communications strategies developed by researchers over the next 40 years. They asked first “How do we protect people?” and then, “How do we save this product?”. They immediately issued a national press release telling people to avoid all Tylenol and pulled all products off the shelves first in Chicago, where they found two more contaminated bottles, and then the entire United States. They provided a free number to call for advice and kept the community up to date with regular press events. They immediately put a new safety system into production – the “triple safety seal” – educated the public as to its features and value. They had their product back on shelves within six months and over time completely recovered their market share. The entire crisis cost them over $100 million in revenue, but their recovery meant that since 1982 they have consistently made around $300 million a year.
So how can a smaller organisation replicate this successful response to a crisis? It comes down to three simple things.
1. Acknowledge the Crisis Immediately
Your objective here is to take control of the narrative and show accountability. This can be done through a public statement on multiple channels that will reach your stakeholders. This needs to be immediate and thorough. Hiding feels like lying. Share everything you legally can to ensure transparency.
2. Prioritize Public Safety
Demonstrate a commitment to people over profit and over reputation. Your situation may not be one of product deficiency, it may be a problematic person within the organisation – remove and report them if it is in the interest of public safety and let people know you have taken this seriously and acted immediately. Provide clear instructions to affected individuals and collaborate with public authorities to address the crisis.
3. Communicate Regularly and Honestly
Share updates as the situation evolves, even if it means admitting uncertainties. Be honest about the challenges while focusing on solutions and use empathetic and clear language that resonates with your audience.
The main communication lesson that can be learned from Johnson & Johnson, as well as countless other business, NPOs, organisations and individuals over the years is – maintain ethical accountability. Be honest. Be transparent. Put people first and keep them informed. A crisis can be a chance to show your stakeholders who you really are as an organisation and to win their deep respect for your ability to navigate difficult situations.
The article “The Art of 21st-Century Leadership” by Bob Sternfels, Daniel Pacthod, Kurt Strovink, and Wyman Howard, [READ IT HERE] explores the evolving landscape of leadership in today’s complex world. It highlights the increasing challenges leaders face due to rapid technological advancements, geopolitical tensions, and shifting workforce dynamics. The authors emphasize that modern leaders must navigate a multitude of critical issues simultaneously, a significant increase from a decade ago.
Key traits for 21st-century leaders include:
The article also outlines best practices for developing leadership within organizations:
Finally, the concept of a “leadership factory” is introduced, where organizations systematically develop leadership capabilities through mentorship, real-world experiences, and continuous feedback. This approach ensures a robust pipeline of leaders ready to tackle future challenges.
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The online article, “Oversight of AI in the Boardroom” by Deloitte Insights [CLICK HERE TO READ], highlights the critical role of governance in the ethical use and oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) in organizations. With AI’s increasing impact across sectors, boards need to adapt to ensure that AI is deployed responsibly and aligned with an organization’s values and mission.
Key points include:
For not-for-profit leaders, this article underscores the importance of strategic AI adoption, risk management, and ethical considerations. Boards must be proactive, ensuring AI initiatives align with mission-driven goals while protecting stakeholders and maintaining public trust.
While spending some quality time with my “read me” pile recently, I stumbled across the term “work harassment” in a research article[1]. Different from general harassment, work harassment refers specifically to the systematic and prolonged use of high workloads, coupled with excessive accountability for employees. In a nutshell, expecting people to ‘do more with less’.
The study was specifically focused on frontline workers such as nurses, but the principles are applicable to all organisations. For example, a business will often view under resourcing as a cost-saving measure. While this may be an appropriate short-term measure, the systematic use of this approach as the default method of operation is a psychosocial hazard.
In the same reading session I happened upon an article on change fatigue (click here to read for yourself), and thought of how often a period of organisational change results in high workloads and under resourcing. Money is saved in the short term, but it is counterproductive in the long term.
The article suggests some key strategies for fostering resilience and adaptability while ensuring employees are not overwhelmed by unsustainable workloads:
1. Open-Source Change Management: Involve employees in co-creating change decisions and give them ownership of implementation planning. Transparent, participative processes reduce change fatigue by 29% and increase willingness to embrace change by almost 50%. Engaging employees in this manner also boosts trust and team cohesion, essential for managing workloads effectively.
2. Prioritization and Empowerment: Leaders should avoid overloading employees by systematically assessing whether additional resources are necessary. Consider how you can empower employees to make decisions based on clear criteria, helping them navigate change with confidence. This not only reduces the burden on management but also increases employees’ sense of ownership.
3. Psychological Safety: The presence of psychological safety—especially the safety to experiment and challenge—can reduce change fatigue by 46%. When employees feel safe to learn from mistakes and question the status quo, they are more likely to adapt and contribute positively to change.
As businesses face increasing levels of change, managing workloads becomes more crucial than ever. Focus on sustainable solutions, fostering psychological safety, and empowering your teams. Not only is it part of mitigating psychosocial risks, but it maximises the chances of organisational success
[1]Farr-Wharton, B., Brunetto, Y., Xerri, M., Shriberg, A., Newman, S., & Dienger, J. (2022). Work harassment in the UK and US nursing context. Journal of Management and Organization, 28(2), 348-362. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2019.16.
