Leadership Lessons of NFPs During the Global Financial Crisis

The leadership lessons of some Australia’s major Not for Profit organisations during the global financial crisis are being shared in a new book by consultant and business coach, Avril Henry.

Leadership Revelations II, How Australians Lead in Crises taps into the leadership lessons learned by 89 well known Australians including those working in the Not for Profit sector.

The book revisits Henry's first book Leadership Revelations, An Australian Perspective, which was written in 2005 at the height of economic prosperity when jobs were plentiful and human resources scarce.

According to Henry, the economic environment both here and internationally has changed markedly since 2005, providing an opportunity to examine how operating in a financial crisis changes organisations and leadership styles.

Some of the key trends for the NFP sector include:

• Open, transparent communication became more important especially in relation to organisational direction and performance
• Organisations were more focused on cash flow and ensuring that assets were working fully.
• There was a strong focus on key stakeholders and supporters and on marketing and positioning in a more strategic way
• Organisations paid more attention to compliance reporting to demonstrate that money was being spent where it was needed most.

To win a copy of the book – see details below.

Henry has also used the book to highlight the key crisis management strategies that were used by the contributors to sustain and even grow their business or organisation’s operations.

“Those key strategies included seeking to retain the best people, identifying innovative solutions and creating new products and services, investing in infrastructure and importantly increasing the frequency of communication while managing expectations,” Henry.

Not for Profit contributors to the book include:

David Bussau AM, Philanthropic Entrepreneur
David Butcher, Chief Executive Officer, Greening Australia
Ian Carter AM, Chief Executive Officer, Anglicare WA
Jo Cavanagh, Chief Executive Officer, Family Life
Reverend Bill Crews, Chief Executive Officer, The Exodus Foundation
Jack Heath, Director, Inspire Australia Foundation
Elaine Henry, Chair, The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth
Doug Paling AM, Community Consultant, Foodbank of Western Australia
Father Chris Riley, Chief Executive Officer, Youth Off The Streets
Simon Rountree, Chief Executive Officer, Camp Quality

Henry's career has spanned senior roles in finance, IT, project management, change management and human resources. The companies she has worked for include De Beers, Barclays Bank, Midland Bank, UBS Warburg, Westpac, Merrill Lynch and DMR Consulting. She has worked in South Africa, Australia, the UK and USA.

Pro Bono Australia has two copies of the Avril Henry Book to give away. Simply visit the Pro Bono Australia Facebook page, 'like' the page and also comment on the story that’s published about the book with your NFP organisation’s name.

The book will be released on Tuesday 15 May 2012 and can be ordered online.

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