Leadership services - Leadership 20:20
Leadership 20:20 Commission
In 2008, NCVO brought together the Leadership 20:20 network, led by a core group of emerging leaders, to discuss the issues surrounding emerging leadership in civil society.
Their discussions and consultations led the group to propose the idea of the Commission, and they worked together on its core themes over the course of 18 months.
Read the Leadership 20:20 pilot group report If not now then when? (PDF 199kb).
In early 2010 nominations were sought for the 20 most inspiring emerging leaders in civil society to make up the Commission. In April 2010 a new body of commissioners met for the first time they have led a national discussion on the future leadership of civil society.
Read the recommendations download L2020 Recommendations (PDF 639 KB).
An introduction to Leadership 20:20
Our President
The Commission’s President is Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, DBE. As President of the Commission, Baroness Grey-Thompson, who is widely acknowledged as Britain’s greatest Paralympic athlete, is helping to champion the Commission’s work and recommendations for developing emerging leaders in civil society. She launched the Commission’s recommendations in December 2011.
Remit
The Commission believes that civil society needs bold leaders to give direction and drive change, and that bold leadership can change the world and civil society for the better. The Commission looked into four areas;
- Identifying pathways into civil society leadership
- Attracting and retaining the most influential leaders
- Connecting and growing emerging leaders and
- Addressing the challenges future leaders will face.
The recommendations developed by the Commission address each of the above four areas in different ways. The Commission deployed a number of research methods with which to explore each of the four areas. These included an online consultation completed by over 500 respondents, as well as focus groups and face to face interviews with experts, and emerging and established leaders.
Following these consultations, Commissioners have developed five recommendations:
- Redressing inequalities in Civil Society leadership through opening up pathways.
- A strengthening of foresight efforts within the sector through bringing together networks of emerging leaders.
- A sector-wide Development Framework.
- A policy change from funders and commissioners to include management and leadership development components in funding agreements and/or monitoring, to ensure future success and sustainability.
- Encouraging mobility of leaders across sectors.
- Below is a brief summary of the rationale and evidence supporting our recommendations. We believe that these recommendations are the start of a discussion and we welcome debate and suggestions on their implementation.
The recommendations are the start of a discussion and the Commissioners welcome debate and suggestions on their implementation.
Read the recommendations download L2020 Recommendations (PDF 639 KB).
Background to the Leadership 20:20 Commission
In 2008 the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) brought together a talented group of emerging leaders in order to discuss the future leadership of Civil Society. This pilot group held a series of discussions, and produced the report If not now then when? (PDF 199kb).
The pilot group recommended establishing an independent Commission to make recommendations on the future leadership of Civil Society, and following an open recruitment process the Commissioners first met in April 2010.
The Commissioners are:
Adam O’Boyle, Ashley Sweetland, Ben Emmens, Fiona Ellison, Gail Scott-Spicer, Hilary Carty, Jo Sullivan, Jules Mason, Katherine Hudson, Patrick Woodman, Richard Doughty, Robert Longley-Cook, Rowena Lewis, Roxanne Persaud, Tarn Lamb and Zoe Douglas-Judson.
Acknowledgments
The Commission would like to thank:
NCVO for their support, and particularly Richard Williams, Ben Kernighan, Arabella Shewry, Sarah Wyatt, Harriet Emberson, and Sir Stuart Etherington.
Former Commissioners Anne Selby, Emma-Jane Cross, Joe Bachour, Ruth Spellman OBE, and particularly Graham Alcott who Chaired the Commission from April 2010 to January 2011.
Those who have contributed to preparing the recommendations, including Joanna Francis, Wendy Cook and Liam Mills.
Everyone who participated in the Commission’s consultations, focus groups, and interviews.
