Gill Gibb's blog

'Perseverance works in the end!'

Posted 10 January 2011

‘The Kings Speech’, a film hotly tipped for Oscar success, is the story of one man’s battle to overcome and control his stammer. That man happens to be the spare heir to the British crown, forced by his older brother’s abdication to ascend the throne as King George VI.

What makes the film great is not just Colin Firth’s excellent acting but its portrayal of both the sheer perseverance needed to overcome a speech impediment and the bravery needed to try something different when all else has failed (and those close to you would prefer that you didn’t!).

The New Year is often a time when personal resolutions are made and perseverance is needed to achieve them but I wonder how often we make resolutions for our professional lives? Charities will need determination and perseverance to get through 2011 and will be required to look for new and different solutions for old and newly emerging problems. A thorough review of what worked well and what didn’t in 2010 alongside establishing real clarity about what future objectives are and how you are going to achieve them will give a greater chance of a successful year.

Whilst I wouldn’t recommend some of the solutions tried in the film, which included speaking with a mouthful of marbles and shouting expletives very loudly before difficult sounds, I would suggest that you use your teams to get involved in developing ideas and new ways to achieve your objectives.

These objectives must be regularly reviewed to ensure that if they’re not working you don’t just carry on blindly, but try something different to ensure that the outputs and impacts are what you and your Trustees hoped for.

Here’s to a determined and creative 2011 – let’s start the year on a positive note despite the VAT rise!

'That your ferret?"

Posted 28 June 2010

Working from home today and I started this morning really pleased I didn't have to go up to a sweltering London. Just cracking on with my emails and there's a knock on the open door. I love living in the country, I can safely leave the front door open in the summer and the postman puts the mail on the hall table with a cheery hello.

"That your ferret?" says a man I vaguely recognise as living on the new estate in the village (it's been there 15 years but, as in most small villages, you have to have been around for 40+ years to be considered as part of village life). I peered closely as a ferret ambled around my front lawn. Now we have four chickens and two soon to arrive kittens, but as for a ferret...

"No, it's not ours, but wait there - I'll get a cat carrier to pop it in," I replied and dashed off to the back garden to get the carrier. Anyway, three bitten fingers later the ferret is caged and ready to be picked up by the RSPCA as no one can recall who it belongs to.

We work in a great sector - the RSPCA were wonderful when I called, and not only enquired after the health of the ferret but also about the state of my fingers and suggested a tetanus injection. Their message for callers on hold points out that they are a charity reliant upon donations, with no government funding, which is vital for them to point out as many take their work for granted.

For those who envy my (occasional) working from home and living in the country, take note - it's not without it's dangers: it would have been safer going to London! Still it made a great excuse for why I was late making my 10am call. "Hi John, sorry, but I have been delayed stemming the blood from my ferret bites." He said it was the best excuse he'd heard all year. Nearly as good as missing the first half hour of a conference call with the World Bank and the CEO of the Charity Finance Directors Group with the (real) excuse of being stuck in a lift. With no phone. But that's another story...

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