Is your work turning you into a jerk? Is 9-to-5-ing stopping you from thriving? Does your current career fill you with fear?  It’s normal to fantasise about ending a job sometimes, but there are options to consider before you hand in your notice.  I consider myself somewhat of an expert in quitting jobs. Over the years […]

Working for a not for profit can be immensely rewarding and life-enhancing, but it’s important to be honest about the challenges too. That said, here are 10 surprising skills that’ll help you thrive at a not for profit.  It’s not all solar power and organic roses. In the real world, not for profits often lack important resources […]

Ah, networking… some people make it look so easy! They flit from person to person at events, all charm and wit, making the bubbly sweeter and the conversations richer. But what about the rest of us? How can we network effectively, when we’re less social butterfly and more… uh… antisocial moth? After attending a few […]

Sick of distraction, ‘busywork’ and a whole of lot emailing? You don’t need to quit your job to transform your work-life. Cal Newport’s concept of ‘deep work’ allows us to create a more meaningful, more satisfying, more fulfilling role in the job we have now.  Think about your average work-day. Does it include: Masses of emails? Definitely. ✔ Swathes […]

You’ve started a new job. You were excited to start but the reality is just, well, meh. What do you do? Say you’re going for a coffee, then make a break for it? Call your girlfriend in tears from a bathroom cubicle? Let’s have a look at your options. Give it a few weeks then […]

For some, setting goals is a piece of (organic, vegan) cake. But what if you don’t know what you want? If you’re having problems identifying your goals, Liz has five tried-and-true techniques for you: Outwardly, 2013 looked like a solid year. I was working for an awesome social enterprise, I was in a relationship with […]

Draft that novel? Puh-leese. Get a 5k raise? Hell yeah. Finish that master’s degree? Amen! It’s a new year and we’ve got big, BIG goals. So how do we turn these goals into reality? Liz takes a closer look at five ways to ensure we get sh*t done… Last night I woke at 3am, with […]

How to cope with a new boss Your boss has left, and a new one is on the way. You might be grieving the loss of your old boss, or be grateful that the new ‘relationship’ brings new opportunities for you in the workplace. Naturally there’s nervousness, expectation, hope and possibly resentment….along with a host […]

So, you’ve got the job. You obviously made a great first impression on the people interviewing you, but how do you make a good impression when you turn up for day one at your new job? We asked two HR experts, Lucy Boomer,  the People and Culture Advisor for Greenpeace New Zealand, and Becca Harvey, the People […]

Guest post: Alanna Irving — “What is it that makes you a leader? Why is it you who often takes the lead?” This question was posed to us, a group of relatively young people at different points in our professional journeys, by our facilitator, Suze Wilson, at the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Rethinking Leadership hui. […]

There are a lot of great things about working less than 30 hours a week, as more than half a million part-time workers in New Zealand would tell you. After nearly a year as a full-time, first-time mum, it allowed me to transition back into the workforce gently, and now allows me to balance my […]

After six years at university I left with a couple of degrees. Today, you can probably learn most of what I studied through a myriad of websites and apps from science, arts and commerce topics, for a tiny fraction of my student loan…. From using javascript, learning how to speak Español, finance skills and more. […]

Tips on taking care of yourself Doing good can be a tough job sometimes – so if you’re going to avoid burning out, you’ll need to take care of yourself. You might be supporting young people with addictions, former refugees with post-traumatic stress disorder, rehabilitating neglected animals, lobbying for urgent action on poverty or climate […]

Ever wondered which tools super-productive and uber-organised people use to get things done? I am lucky to be surrounded by tech start-ups in the shared office space I work in at the Bizdojo where words like Slack, Trello boards and Zaps get bandied around.  I asked a few charity friends (Pat and Reuben from the […]

Juggling workloads in not-for-profits can often feel overwhelming. We care passionately about the larger vision our work contributes to and it is very easy to overextend yourself. You know…skipping lunch breaks, working overtime, taking work home to lighten the load the next day. We’ve all done it.  Life in non-profit world is busy. Many organisations […]

My good buddy Amelia recently drew this picture. Judging by the response she got when she posted it on Facebook, it resonated with a lot of people with week-one back to work blues. So, how can we make life suck less, and for work to be less dumb after an outstanding holiday break? Here are […]

“The great thing about reading is that it broadens your life” –  George R.R. Martin (Author, Game of Thrones). While Game of Thrones might have added some colour (and gore) to my life, there are a whole load more books which have broadened my not for profit career.   Here is a compilation I’ve put […]

Do you wish you could withdraw to a blanket-fort? Do you fantasize about switching an open-plan office for a cubicle-oasis of bliss? Do you feel like work-related criticism or bright lights seems to effect you more than your colleagues? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may be a Highly Sensitive […]

You’ve probably heard the saying “jack of all trades, master of none”, but do you know there’s an additional line? Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one The addition of seven words turns an insult into encouragement. Fingers in lots of pies? Great! Pies are really delicious. Why stick to […]

I love new year’s resolutions. I love making new year’s resolutions, anyway (learn to drive! write a book! talk to cute person who works at neighbourhood coffee shop!)*. The task of actually resolving new year’s resolutions is a bit of a different story. Despite faithfully resolving to learn to drive for the last five years, the number of […]