As author and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg says, “motivation comes from working on things we care about”.

That’s certainly true of our global community of disability ERG/Network leaders who work tirelessly to support their organisations to build a better and more inclusive world. 

ERG/Network leadership is hard work but can be hugely rewarding. 

As HSBC’s Ability ERG global co-chair Alia Cooper says successful ERG/Network leaders can become influencers who ‘traverse the whole organisation in a way that would never be possible in your core role’.

But disability ERG/Networks can’t live on fresh air and enthusiasm alone. 

There are many that try, and enthusiasm goes a very long way in our world. Those that deliver sustained impact tend to have an allocation of time to spend on ‘voluntary’ activities and access to leadership development support.

This month we invite you to consider:

• How do you motivate colleagues to give their time and energy on a top of a busy day job and on a topic that isn’t always a priority for well-intentioned but busy colleagues?
• How do you work with the business to ensure that disability ERG/Network activity is it exciting and attractive and that ERG/Network activity is recognised, resourced and rewarded? 
• What human skills do disability ERG/Network leaders need to develop to generate excitement and motivation? 

New resource: Motivating volunteers

This month we will support you to think about how you motivate volunteers by bringing you insights from leaders from across the PurpleSpace community.

As Rae Hinton, EnableIn ERG Global Co-Chair, LinkedIn explains:

“The voluntary nature of ERG work requires a gentle approach when it comes to getting things done. I use regular communication, recognition of people’s work and plenty of humour to build bonds and ensure that everyone feels like they have a stake in this”.

Peer Leadership Roundtables

One of the most valuable aspects of PurpleSpace membership is the opportunity to build your leadership capacity via quality conversation with other disability ERG/Network leaders.

Each month we convene groups of disability ERG/Network leaders to stimulate discussion on the issues that matter most to our members.

Connect with your peers during these interactive one-hour sessions for disability ERG/Network leaders. These sessions are a great way to share good practice and challenges, swap ideas and build your ERG/Network leadership capacity. 

We have two sessions to choose from to explore the key to motivating others:

• 7 June 08:00 – 09:00 GMT (19:00 – 20:00 ACT)

• 21 June 16:00 – 17:00 GMT (11:00 – 12:00 AST)

Resources and Recommendations 

Tap into our PurpleSpace know-how and check out some of the external learning that links into this leadership lesson:

• Priceless – Resourcing, recognising and rewarding disability ERGs/Networks
• Spotlight On Allies with Josh Gurley, The Coca-Cola Company
• 25 Ways To Be An Ally: Guide brimming suggestions for allies who want to be helpful, engaged and active. 
• Powerful Purple Allies: Key information on identifying, developing and supporting your allies as well as some hints and tips on being an ally.
• Leading Without Authority: A summary of lessons from Keith Ferrazzi’s 2020 book on how to how to convince and influence co-workers