Precision Philanthropy - The latest trend in leadership development!

Ruth Seymour, of the innovative charity Pilotlight, introduces Precision Philanthropy

As managers climb the company ladder it can be challenging to find new routes to personal development. The vast range of corporate training experiences from outward bound team building to in-house training may just not fit the bill for those at the top of their field. Pilotlight, the charity that matches senior business people to small and innovative charities, offers senior managers meaningful and challenging ways to develop their leadership skills through precision philanthropy.

Pilotlighting enables corporations to support charities in a practical, effective and personal way by donating the most valuable skills of their top executives. The premise is this: why let an experienced manager dish out soup when they could be dishing out a top management strategy? Successful businesses demand exceptional skills at the most senior levels, and Pilotlight believe this is just the same for successful charities.

For forward thinking companies like BP, BT, Channel 4, Sainsburyís and Morgan Stanley, Pilotlight has proven to be just what they were looking for to stretch their management in a fresh context.

Pilotlight takes executives out of their corporate comfort zone and puts them into the charity sector where they may be mentoring individuals with no formal business background and have to work without the big company resources they are used to. Relationship building and complex problem solving skills are tested in an environment even the largest learning and development budget can not buy. ëPilotlightersí give just three hours a month, yet a properly managed relationship with a suitably matched charity delivers fulfillment out of all proportion to the value of the time given to all parties.

On an individual level, the benefits are far-reaching. Kathryn Sloggett, CFO and Commercial Director at BT, explains

ìThe Pilotlight experience has highlighted for me that smaller and not-for-profit organisations value the business and Board skills Iíve developed through my career in larger organisations. Iíve found that, from within a very large organisation, itís sometimes difficult to see the impact you personally are having on the whole business so itís very energising to be an enabler for the positive steps forward that an organisation and its leadership team can take in a relatively short time with Pilotlight.î

BP has been actively involved with Pilotlight for two years, and partners with the programme to enable the delivery of enhanced learning experiences for some of its high potential leadership programme members. One of these, Mark, commented:

ëPilotlight has been a highly rewarding experience in terms of building personal awareness, broadening leadership skills, developing competencies and using these and other skills in a very different environment. It has also been an eye-opener to a side of society that I had previously had extremely limited contact with and little appreciation of - this was both disturbing and challenging, but ultimately highly rewardingí.

Precision philanthropy is demanding upon those managing it ñ so Pilotlight sets up thorough evaluation processes which enable each individual to see the impact they are having in helping the charity secure a sustainable future.

As Kathryn Sloggett concludes: ìIíve learnt about different industries and specialisations from my fellow Pilotlighters, Iíve learnt a lot about the charity sector and the challenges it faces, and Iíve found some of the Pilotlight techniques so helpful that Iíve adopted them for use in my day job and in my other Board roles.î

The satisfaction Pilotlighters gain from using the very skills that have made them successful to benefit society is priceless. If youíd like to find out more visit www.pilotlight.org.uk or telephone 0207 396 7414.