In the first of our series of blogs by existing senior leaders, Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, CEO of charity Surviving Economic Abuse, shares her path to leadership and reflections on what is to be a leader. You can find Nicola at @nicolajanesharp.
1. To set the scene, can you give us an overview of your career to date?
My background is in policy research and advocacy, initially in the field of international development and then within the women’s sector with a focus on addressing violence against women and girls.
I followed a linear career progression path for 10 years. My first ‘proper’ role was as a Policy Researcher at Plan International before progressing on to Policy and Advocacy Advisor. I moved to Refuge as Policy Manager and then Head of Policy and Parliamentary Affairs. After this I moved into the role of Director of Policy and Advocacy at Missing People.
The next logical step would have been a CEO role. However, I realised that I preferred ‘doing’ to ‘overseeing’ - I was often envious of what my team was up to and wanted to get stuck in myself! I also realised that my passion was tackling violence against women and girls, an issue I had stepped away from in my Director role.
I was undertaking a part-time doctorate and so chose to pursue an academic career for 5 years, working within the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University. My role as Research Fellow enabled me to focus on economic abuse as a particular form of violence against women and girls – an issue that I had first researched when I undertook an MA at the Unit back at the start of my Refuge career.
In 2016 I was made a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow and travelled to the US and Australia to explore innovative responses to economic abuse. It was my determination to ensure that women in the UK have access to the same responses that led me to establish the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) in 2017. Over the past four years I have constantly readjusted my position within the charity – from being the only paid employee to now leading a team of over 20 women. In 2020, I was named joint-winner of the Rising Chief Executive award by Third Sector magazine.
I continue to develop my academic career through my positions as Emeritus Research Fellow at CWASU and Visiting Senior Fellow in Social Policy at the School of Law and Social Sciences, University of Suffolk.
2. Have you always wanted to be a senior leader?
The honest answer to this question is no – I never set out to be a leader and took a conscious decision not to progress along a senior leadership career path. In 2018 I took part in the Emerging Leaders programme run by Windsor Leadership and described myself as a ‘reluctant’ leader!
3. Did you encounter any barriers on your path to senior leadership and, if so, how did you overcome them?
When I was following the linear leadership career path, the biggest challenge was limited opportunity for internal progression. This meant being flexible and willing to move between organisations to advance my career.
The biggest challenge since establishing SEA and becoming its CEO has been feeling comfortable within this role as it is not one that I set out to take on. My syndicate group within the Emerging Leaders programme with Windsor Leadership helped me recognise that my sense of purpose comes from championing a cause and making a difference by bringing about the change I want to see.
I focus now on channelling my passion and sense of purpose into being a ‘leader in the field’ and enthusing others to want to be part of that change. I seek to link my goal of empowering women into my leadership style.
4. How would you describe a ‘leader’, and has this changed throughout your time in the sector?
I used to think that being a ‘good’ leader was focusing on my weaknesses to the exclusion of developing my strengths. I have come to the realisation that leadership is about developing a balanced team - getting others to ‘coalesce’ around you - so that we lead together.
Another realisation is that it is ok to be an introvert and a leader. I am often in the position of having to do things outside of my comfort zone such as speaking out in front of large groups. I recognise now that I put additional energy into those activities which I find difficult, but which I know are necessary. As such I consciously monitor and manage my energy levels, so that I know when they are flagging, and I need to re-energise.
5. What advice would you give to aspiring and developing charity leaders today?
I aspire to evolve and achieve my potential. I believe that by living to your full potential, you will not only change your world, but you will also change the world around you.
Trust your intuition and be courageous. The braver I am, the more successful I am in bringing about the change I want to see.
I love what I do, and it permeates my life in a way that is highly rewarding; however, it is also important to maintain a sense of perspective - not to sacrifice the other things that are important to you along the way.
Finally, always look to the future and consider where you want to be in five years from now. How can you maintain your sense of purpose and what does that look like in relation to new challenges and ambitions?