Leadership Stories - Nicola Booth, CEO of Finding Your Feet
Leadership Stories
Intern Reflection: From the call with Nicola, I got an insight into the experiences of a CEO in the 3rd sector. I learnt that due to the responsibilities of the role, the job does not necessarily finish at the end of the working day. There are many considerations and thoughts that come into play in managing the expectations and emotions of staff as well as clients. A big part of the role is ensuring the environment is set up so that everyone else is able to work effectively.
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Nicola Booth is the CEO of Finding Your Feet (FYF), a Scottish charity that works with and in support of people with amputations and limb differences: their ‘troopers’. It was set up in 2014. Nicola joined FYF 9 months after it was set up and has been there since. FYF serves 9 areas around Scotland providing troopers with activities in their locality. There are also opportunities to connect online, with existing peer support groups, which became more active and utilised during COVID lockdowns. FYF work to ensure all their activities are free for the wide variety of trooper they cater to.
For Nicola, the main highlight of working at FYF has been seeing the change in their troopers following their initial interaction, describing it as a ‘transformation’ as they begin to build new social networks and feel hopeful regarding their future.
Over years of working at FYF, there have been a variety of challenges. Finances are a recurring concern. It can be difficult to account for changes in cash flow and the impact this will have on the work that the charity is able to conduct. During the height of the COVID pandemic, there were concerns about whether FYF would be able to continue. Contrary to expectations, they received enough funding due to changes made by the government, private funders changing their criteria regarding funding, and individual donations increasing. However, with the present cost of living crisis, there appears to be a decrease in donations which may affect the FYF’s work. They have had to consider where to make cuts whether this means postponing events or running events and activities at a reduced capacity.
She has grown accustomed to this uncertainty but as she has grown in the role, she has gained more confidence and has found that speaking with other charity leaders allows her to see that she is not alone in the challenges of the role, connecting with ACOSVO has been helpful for this. Through ACOSVO’s monthly leaders’ meetings, she has been able to build individual relationships with other CEOs. As well as the personal support, she can access through these relationships, it has also helped her to connect other team members between FYF and other organisations.
When reflecting on her experiences to this point, the advice she would give herself when she was starting would be to have more self-confidence – though it is good not to be overconfident. It is also important to remember that things are still going well even if the results are different to other people. She also recommended communicating more and checking in with relevant people to ensure she was going along the right track. In her time at FYF, Nicola has also learnt the importance of differentiating between what is within her control and not within control when faced with a challenge. As the tasks vary from day to day, it requires constant reprioritisation to ensure other staff have the information they need and are equipped to conduct their tasks whilst also ensuring she is able to get her own work done.