Tasneem Sharrem, Senior Progression and Engagement Officer at Fat Macy’s, shares her experience of taking part in the Emerging Leaders London programme.
Generously funded by the City Bridge Foundation, this free to access programme aims to equip new leaders in the homelessness sector with essential skills and networks.
Tasneem's experience:
"It was such a privilege to take part in Homeless Link’s Emerging Leaders, a programme developed to support and upskill those working in the homelessness sector who are new to leadership.
My favourite thing about this programme has been networking with other leaders and undoubtedly the problem solving that came with participating in Action Learning Sets. For anyone not familiar with Action Learning Sets, they provide a safe space for leaders to work through an issue that they or their organisation is facing, using the collective wisdom of the group’s questioning to work towards actions.
It's not easy to teach leadership, but a few things I gleaned from taking part in Emerging Leaders include:
- Leadership isn't about 'becoming something', it comes from *you*. Being authentic is crucial to gaining people’s trust.
- You shouldn't go into leadership chasing likeability, it's far better to gain the respect of your team. If you are liked, you possibly won't be respected but if you are respected, you possibly will be liked.
- A risk is an unknown outcome, it's neither good nor bad. If we don't take risks that help us learn and grow, there's then a risk of stagnation.
- Impactful leaders know how to hold effective conversations.
- Leadership is about being kind and compassionate, but it's not about being "nice".
- To quote Jan Sheldon, CEO of Norwich homelessness charity St Martin’s (featured in a video in one of our final modules), “be brave, be bold and strive to move forwards”.
I also opted to take part in coaching as part of Emerging Leaders, and my coach Carmen Clarke was very effective at helping me reflect on what I've learnt and think about how to put it into practice.
I’m so grateful to Homeless Link for granting me a place on the programme (and for the hard work of all the convenors and facilitators, and my coach Carmen).
I would strongly encourage you to apply, especially if you are new to a leadership role. Having a strong peer network who understand the challenges, frustrations, and of course joys of working in our sector cannot be underestimated."