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Articles by Liam Black
Kings, Queens and Jacks All Make Sets in Wild Four-Way All-In at Borgata
It takes something special to stop a tournament room in its tracks, but a four-way all-in during the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off at the Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker, did exactly that. The tournament is the marquee opener of the BSPO festival featuring more than $4 million in guaranteed prize pools. The Deep Stack Kick Off alone boasts a $1,000,000 guarantee, with players currently battling to survive to Sunday's Day 2.
How to crush imposter syndrome: ‘Be yourself. Be honest. Be open’
It’s crucial to celebrate the little wins. This message echoed from the speakers throughout the latest SE100 Social Business Coffee Break webinar on How to Crush Imposter Syndrome, which was hosted on 16 April by Pioneers Post founding editor Tim West and supported by NatWest Social & Community Capital. The webinar featured a range of speakers who offered a variety of practical tips, tools and resources that attendees could draw on to manage imposter syndrome.
Five Transfers to Make Manchester United Premier League Winners
Five Transfer to Make Manchester United Premier League Winners As the transfer window opens Manchester United will be looking to strengthen ahead of next season. The Premier League season came to its conclusion last weekend, but the title race had been a formality since the Christmas period. Liverpool cantered to the title, finishing 18 points clear of their nearest rivals, Manchester City. Many fans will be hoping for a more competitive season next term.
How Sportswashing Is Taking Over Football
Football is being used as a political tool on the international stage: The dark side of football sponsorship Since the turn of the millennium many regimes with questionable human rights records have been using sports to improve their image to the rest of the world. This process has been called ‘sportswashing’ where a country attaches itself to a sporting event or team. When people talk about a country, they associate it with the positive message of their chosen sport.
Why every business needs a maniac and a minder
PART 10: As a social entrepreneur, you need to be a bit of a maniac to think your unreasonable ideas will succeed. Just as vital, though, is an “inner minder”, who can tend to the boring but vital stuff – and tell the maniac to slow down sometimes. The final extract in our serialisation of Liam Black's book, How to lead with purpose: Lessons in life and work from the gloves-off mentor. ‘So, Matt, when did you last make love with your wife?’ Long pause. ‘Dunno. Last August.
Good Leaders Podcast Episode 9 - Katie Buckingham: ‘Social entrepreneurs are inherently resilient’
Love podcasts? Don't miss out on ours! Catch up on all our podcasts and subscribe free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Soundcloud. Creating a world where mental health is understood and addressed in the same way as physical health: such was the vision of Katie Buckingham when she founded social enterprise Altruist Enterprises 10 years ago. Having suffered from anxiety from a young age, Buckingham became an active campaigner for better mental health support as a teenager.
‘I have never in my life felt so alone': how to survive the loneliness of leadership
PART 9: Leadership can be thrilling and deeply fulfilling – but if the buck stops with you, you’re on your own. The key is knowing that bouts of intense isolation and loneliness don’t make you a bad leader. And if you expect it, you can deal with it. The latest in our serialisation of Liam Black's new book, How to lead with purpose: Lessons in life and work from the gloves-off mentor.
‘I have never in my life felt so alone': how to survive the loneliness of leadership
PART 9: Leadership can be thrilling and deeply fulfilling – but if the buck stops with you, you’re on your own. The key is knowing that bouts of intense isolation and loneliness don’t make you a bad leader. And if you expect it, you can deal with it. The latest in our serialisation of Liam Black's new book, How to lead with purpose: Lessons in life and work from the gloves-off mentor.
When purposeful leadership meets performative male ego
PART 8: What do you do if you find yourself in a workplace drenched in sexism? Liam Black – “pale, male and stale” himself, and still “unlearning the misogyny” that shaped his formative years – shares strategies taken by some of his female mentees. Plus: why men in leadership need to step up. The latest instalment of his new book, How to lead with purpose: Lessons in life and work from the gloves-off mentor.
How to lead amid bullsh*t and bullying
PART 7: If you're a purpose-driven leader, you're likely to face resistance from people with a very different agenda to yours, says Liam Black. From bullying bosses to game-playing business partners: how do you avoid getting drawn into the drama? Expert advice from the latest instalment of his new book, How to lead with purpose: Lessons in life and work from the gloves-off mentor.
Pioneers Post founder among five ‘extraordinary’ winners of Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2023
£10,000 award supports social entrepreneurs to develop their leadership skills and grow the impact of their businesses which this year focus on healthcare, homelessness, young leaders, ethical supply chains and providing critical information for the global impact community. Five UK social entrepreneurs today will be awarded the 2023 Cambridge Social Innovation Prize, which is given to “extraordinary founder-CEOs of scale-up social enterprises” to support their growth as leaders.
How to find authority and agency amid the messiness of leadership
PART 6: “He said, she said” arguments, an interfering chair, and colleagues like a “bag of ferrets” – long-time mentor Liam Black has seen it all. So do the work to know who you are as a leader, and how you want to exercise your authority – or prepare for trouble. Expert advice from the latest instalment of his new book, How to lead with purpose: Lessons in life and work from the gloves-off mentor.
When purpose and platform clash - and how to exit gracefully
PART 5: “This should be one of the highlights of my career... but I'm hating it.” Liam Black recalls what it took to walk away from a role with Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant – and explains why finding the right “platform” to pursue your purpose can make or break your leadership. The fifth instalment from his new book, How to lead with purpose: Lessons in life and work from the gloves-off mentor. Cameras flash, champagne bottles pop, glasses tinkle.
On courage, self-belief and taking the plunge
I met Chen at a social innovation awards ceremony I was MCing in London, in July 2019. I sat in on her pitch sessions and I was fascinated by her story. She had arrived in the UK from China in 2002 speaking little English and with no network at all. She managed to pay her way through university and got her PhD in Computer Graphics.
So you want to change the world? Brace yourself for the impact delusion
Most of those I mentor, myself and I suspect you, dear reader are in the richest 0.1% of the world’s population. We, unlike so many of the Earth’s people, do not need to worry too much about money, food, shelter and security. We have the luxury of being able to spend time thinking about whether our work has meaning and purpose beyond simply making a living. For many people the purpose in work is to simply put food on the table and pay the rent doing whatever job they can get.
Peace, love and profit - Revue
Occasional and a bit random but mainly about leadership, the state we're in, business and purpose, occasional bouts of metaphysics and angst.
The A-Z Podcasts #6: Meet the mentors
What qualities make a good mentor? Liam Black is back in the recording studio to discuss this very matter with Lucy Adams, managing director of Firehouse and former HR director at the BBC. Also with him is Ronnie Hughes, the co-founder of A Sense of Place and previously Liam’s own mentor. Click here to listen via iTunes (this will open an iTunes window from which you can subscribe to the podcast).
‘You’ve undergone a “racial awakening” - but will you do what you said you would?’ - David McQueen
For the past 20 years, Liam Black – board chair, former CEO, investment advisor and mentor for corporates, social businesses and charities alike – has been signing off his blogs and emails in a way that reflects the conflicting values of the world of social business. Now, he has got together with Pioneers Post to create a new podcast series of the same name. Join Liam as he opens up honest conversations with exceptional people in social business and impact investment in ‘Peace, Love and Profit’.
Peace, Love & Profit
‘You’ve undergone a “racial awakening” – but will you do what you said you would?’ – David McQueen Leadership coach David McQueen talks to Liam Black about ‘cancel culture’, the ‘BAME’ acronym, and challenging the power of middle-aged white men. Episode three of the Peace, Love and Profit podcast. 'Now is the time to reset your business model' – Myriam Sidibé Recent events have shown just how important it is for companies to build social credibility, says global brand expert Myriam Sidibé.
'Now is the time to reset your business model' - Myriam Sidibé
For the past 20 years, Liam Black – board chair, former CEO, investment advisor and mentor for corporates, social businesses and charities alike – has been signing off his blogs and emails in a way that reflects the conflicting values of the world of social business. Now, he has got together with Pioneers Post to create a new podcast series of the same name. Join Liam as he opens up honest conversations with exceptional people in social business and impact investment, in: ‘Peace, Love and Profit’.
The Feeling’s Mutual: 'They're walking over the top of beautiful community action'
Mutual aid means that we look out for each other: you support me and I support you. In the wake of Covid-19, thousands of new groups have been set up on these principles. But is there a danger of losing the 'mutual'? In a new podcast series – The Feeling's Mutual – Bob, Maff and guests discuss, and offer their potential solutions. Whatsapp and Facebook mutual aid groups formed across the UK when Covid-19 first hit.
“It’s like running an A+E department” - Henry Jones
For the past 20 years, Liam Black – board chair, former CEO, investment advisor and mentor for corporates, social businesses and charities alike – has been signing off his blogs and emails in a way that reflects the conflicting values of the world of social business. Now, he has got together with Pioneers Post to create a new podcast series of the same name. Join Liam as he opens up honest conversations with exceptional people in social business and impact investment, in: ‘Peace, Love and Profit’.
Thought for the Week: Lockdown is your 'Kitchen Nightmare' opportunity
Kitchen Nightmare (Lockdown Edition): Chef Gordon Ramsay is invited by the owners to spend lockdown in their struggling restaurant in an attempt to revive the business and #BuildBackBetter. For a brief time in my life I binged on a TV show called Kitchen Nightmares.
Reimagining your business model: 17 social enterprise types to guide you
After the shakeup of Covid-19, many of us will be in crisis and survival mode. But now is also the time to be thinking about the future and recovery phase. There will be new market opportunities as services and products are reimagined, new needs from our communities, and a more open space for business models with purpose as we question an economic system that valued GDP above all else. This three part blog series explores the what and how of social enterprise business models.
11 Articles Every Social Entrepreneur Should Read
11 Articles Every Social Entrepreneur Should Read The great Albert Einstein once said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” This quote reinforces a maxim we should all live by: always be learning. Irrespective of how many years of social enterprise experience you may have, no matter how many social enterprise programs you’ve completed or how many social ventures you’ve founded, there will forever be something new to learn.
Covid-proof your business model: a guide for social entrepreneurs
PART ONE: The post-Covid world may offer new opportunities to push business as a force for good. But getting the business model right will be crucial. In this first of a three-part series to help you pin down your plans, Tara Anderson sets out the core components of any successful social enterprise, and picks apart the trade-offs you'll need to manage when it comes to governance, operations, management, stakeholder management or strategic decision making.
Letter to my granddaughter: "My darling girl - I miss our early, early breakfasts"
It’s got to be a busy time for Big White Wall, the purpose-driven mental health enterprise offering online support for millions of people suffering anxiety and depression. But for its chair Liam Black, the global existential crisis we’re facing is expressed in a more personal way much closer to home… My darling girl, The country’s locked down. Millions of us cooped up. Jobs lost. Planes grounded. People dying. The biggest, fastest shock to our systems ever.
Book Review: 4th Sector Entrepreneurship - How to grow sustainable, social impact… without losing your mind
When someone starts talking about “sectors” my hackles tend to go up. So a book about “4th Sector Entrepreneurship” was immediately at a disadvantage before I had opened it. Personally, I don’t even want to separate myself off into a “third sector” of the business and societal playground. Surely social entrepreneurship is so compelling because you can do it (i.e. the verb) pan-sectorally, in public, private and civil society arenas?
Venn and the art of avoiding a parallel governance universe
For growing social enterprises, success can depend on having the right board in place for each phase of growth, and getting the right relationship between board and executive team. Yet for many social entrepreneurs it can sometimes feel like you are sitting at either end of the spectrum below. Above: A Venn diagram shows the optimum alignment of board and executive team.
Tagged - mental health
Modern life is stressful for most of us. But social entrepreneurs face a particular kind of pressure that, in some cases, can have far-reaching effects. Is it time to open up?
Social entrepreneurs open up about failure, mental health and bumps in the road
The pressures of avoiding mental and physical burnout while running a successful social business were laid bare this week – as several founders shared their most personal and challenging experiences before an audience of over 300 people at the UK's major annual event for social entrepreneurs.
L is for Look after yourself
Feeling pretty chilled and smug about your work-life balance? Probably not, if you're anything like the typical social entrepreneur. April is stress awareness month, so we're republishing this chapter from The Social Entrepreneur's A-Z, Liam Black's no-nonsense guide to leading a social business.
Seven Davos headlines you may have missed
1. Global inequality appears worse than ever. To kick off the week, Oxfam International warned of a ‘broken’ economy, with hundreds of millions of people living in extreme poverty, and huge rewards going to those at the very top. In 2018, the 26 richest individuals owned as much as the poorest half of the entire world’s population, according to the international NGO. However, as in previous editions of the report, some questioned Oxfam’s methodology. Read more from Oxfam here. 2.
Why every social entrepreneur should meditate
Though his organisation Stepping Out, serial social entrepreneur Craig Dearden Phillips has made it his mission to transform public services for the better. It has not been plain sailing however. He explains why finding Headspace has been a lifeline. It happened to me 18 months ago. I was in Australia taking a break. Burnout was stalking. I was three years into my business, Stepping Out, and things were not going to plan.
Fit for purpose: becoming a sustainable social venture
OutdoorLads organises ways for its 14,000 members to get together in the great outdoors. In doing so it helps tackle the social isolation many gay, bi and trans men feel, doing its bit to combat the dramatically higher rates of mental illness and suicide these men face versus the male heterosexual population. The journey to OutdoorLads’ current successful sustainable state has, however, not been easy.
Cocktails at the Conduit or cash-strapped Cameraderie?
Dear Jude Have you been invited to join the Conduit Club? An eight storey neo-classical building on Mayfair’s Conduit Street is being renovated at a cost of millions to be the luxury home of "a diverse community of people passionate about social change... bringing together social entrepreneurs, investors, creatives, business leaders, policy-makers and civil society...
The Social Entrepreneur's A-Z
What are your motives and desires? Key to being a successful social entrepreneur is being honest with yourself, writes Liam Black.
Taking the plunge - again
Dear Jude, So it’s 9:23pm and I’m watching my favourite show Peaky Blinders. It’s 48 hours since I’ve signed away my ownership of Wavelength, the company I co-founded ten years ago. Suddenly my mind slips into Anxiety Overdrive.“You stupid bastard what have you done? You’re 57 and you jump ship from a profitable cash rich business? You’re mad. Your best days are behind you. You’re done. What are you thinking.” This mental drumbeat continues in bed, lying awake, into the small hours.
Why impact measurement is all about power and money
I am an evangelist about impact measurement for charities and social enterprises. Not because I’m a geek, though that’s certainly true. But because impact measurement is a tool for influencing the flow of money and power. My problem is that all the effort around impact measurement is driven by a need to meet funders’ requirements, not to learn about and improve the work. It’s driven by accountability to funders, not accountability to the people being served.
How to recover after losing a major contract
Losing a major contract can be painful, especially when it makes up more than half of your annual turnover. Laurie Russell, CEO of the Wise Group, found himself in exactly that position in 2011. He spoke at the E3M Social Enterprise Leaders Club recently about the keys to survival after taking a huge financial hit.
Fit for purpose: becoming a sustainable social venture
OutdoorLads organises ways for its 14,000 members to get together in the great outdoors. In doing so it helps tackle the social isolation many gay, bi and trans men feel, doing its bit to combat the dramatically higher rates of mental illness and suicide these men face versus the male heterosexual population. The journey to OutdoorLads’ current successful sustainable state has, however, not been easy.
How hard are you prepared to work to make a difference?
It starts with a passion to change the world, to put your ding in the universe. Your mother had dementia and you were shocked by the terrible lack of support (Unforgettable). You’re sickened by the homelessness in your city (Homes For Good). You want to give troubled young people a chance to shine (Latimer). You are passionate about tackling climate change (Green Running). You want to help poor families out of debt (Fair For You). You set up a business. It’s bloody hard work.
New year's resolutions for social entrepreneurs
Dear Jude, Samuel Johnson said we need to be reminded more often than we need to be instructed. The time crush and warp speed of leading an enterprise can make us neglect some simple truths about leadership and running a business. So, some questions and reminders for the coming year. 1. Are you still passionate about the course upon which you are set? Is running this social business how you really want to be spending your time?
How social entrepreneurs can survive tough times
Dear Jude It's tough out there isn't it? Brexit? Austerity? Hard to hear a really clear signal in the noise but whatever's going on this is proving to be our toughest sales push for ages. And it's not just me. Everywhere I look – the businesses in the Ignite and IVUK portfolios, social entrepreneurs I meet at events, those who get in touch for advice and introductions, clients and mates across the corporate world – it's the same story. Hard yards to reach those sales targets – especially in B2B.
Mentors can turbo-charge your business; how do you find one?
Anyone who’s run a social venture knows that it’s really, really hard work. Things go wrong. There are unknowns and obstacles, all the time. Your organisation seems to mutate every other month. But you're the boss. You don't have a manager to help you out. Who can you turn to for advice? Seek out help from people who know what they’re talking about, who have been there and done it, and who can counsel you through the particular challenge at hand.
Big Society Brouhaha: Silly old me and my middle-aged memory
Middle age is terrible isn’t it? Hair loss, aching joints, good looks fading fast, performance, er, dropping in all departments. And don't start me on my memory. Do you know what? Sometimes I really believe I have a clear memory of something only to be told by someone else that I’m quite wrong.
Of angel investors and pinstriped idiots
Dear Jude – We recently celebrated the 25th birthday of FRC Group in Liverpool, the social enterprise where I earned my spurs over 12 years as Chairman and CEO and in the process made some of my best friends and bitterest enemies! In the early nineties on the banks of the Mersey as we made the gruelling shift from a fundraised to an earned income culture – from being reliant on the kindness of strangers to having belief in the strength of our products and services - we were told in no...
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