Global Focus, Team Leader for Policy and Analysis

Resume: In Global Focus, the Danish national platform for civil society working on development cooperation, I work as team leader for our policy and analysis work. I have been part of Global Focus since 2019 as a policy advisor, and in January 2024 I got promoted to team leader. My team consists of 5 full time colleagues and 2 student helpers. My job is to coordinate and lead Global Focus policy and advocacy work. We follow both national, European and international political processes, where we represent our members.
 
Motivation: I hope that the Forus' 5 th cycle of Leadership Development Programme focusing on Women Leadership will help me in this journey I'm on as team leader. I'm hoping to learn from and discuss with colleagues about what it means to inspire others, to ensure good work environments based on feminist principles of leadership such as care and democratic decision making, while also be able to take charge and be strong and clear in decisions and leadership. Leadership is many things, but I want to point to two main points of why good leadership in civil society is important. There is inspirational work and daily work. In many ways the two are connected - or at least they should be. As civil society organizations we are often torn in many directions. Many of us probably ended up in civil society because we question current power structures. Therefore, leadership in civil society can be challenging for both employees and leadership. It is part of our DNA to question power structures and decision making, but leadership is also needed for taking that wish for change and channeling it towards the world. We work for a cause that, for many of us, are close to our hearts. We go to work feeling lucky and privileged that we get paid to work for a cause we believe in. But it can also blur the line between work and free time, because there is always more that could be done to advance the cause. Here leadership is so important for setting a standard and boundaries. Work-life balance is not just good practice, civil society should be the sector that is being looked towards in setting standards for how to treat employees, volunteers and other partners. We need leadership for vision that can ensure that we move in the same direction and that we use our powers to have an impact externally and we need leadership to ensure that we create work environments where people are thriving. I hope to be part of the program that will discuss and inspire this and much more.
 
Fun Fact: A quote I often think about is "the idealists of today are the realists of tomorrow" (unknown). Does it mean that the idealists give up the hope and become realists, or is it that the idealists changed the world and so they become realists?