Leadership Assessment
School 1
Leader of Self
School 2
Leader of Teams
School 3
Leader of Organisation
School 4
Leader in the Sector
Leadership Assessment
School 1
Leader of Self
School 2
Leader of Teams
School 3
Leader of Organisation
School 4
Leader in the Sector
School 1
Understand your own qualities and personal leadership skills.
School 2
Understand teams and help team members to flourish.
School 3
Understand organisations and create an inspiring culture.
School 4
Understand and influence the Irish nonprofit sector.
The Breakfast Clubs are our Leadership Event Series. They create spaces for people in the sector, at all levels of their own Leadership journeys, to come together, hear some new ideas from other leaders in the sector and connect. They start with a fireside chat with two people with experience on a particular topic. We have a mix of leaders from within the sector and other experts in certain areas. Themes are be overarching and applicable to anyone on a leadership journey. After, we host facilitated roundtables with the audience to help people reflect on what they’ve heard and get to know others in their community.
Many leaders have mentors that have supported their journeys, or people they look up to, but what role do leaders have for people coming behind them? We don’t know, but we found some people who do!
It is well known in leadership parlance the value of having mentors on your journey, supporters and allies, champions and coaches.
But we don’t talk as much about the impact we have as leaders on people coming behind us. What’s our role and responsibilities to people navigating the same challenging environments that we have had to navigate.
Our two speakers at this event have both had interesting paths to where they are today, and they both maintain an unwavering commitment to support and advocate for the people coming behind them.
The Leadership Academy Breakfast Clubs are available to anyone in the community, voluntary, nonprofit, or social enterprise space at any level, from volunteer to CEO. The events are free and delivered both online and in-person to allow for accessibility. We’ve had just under 600 people attend our events in 2023.
Our attendee profiles show an ongoing mix of people at varying stages of their leadership journey from emerging leaders and young people considering a future career in the sector, to senior leaders with years of experience. We also have everyone from volunteers in the sector, to consultants working with the sector as well as staff in the sector. We invite anyone at any stage of their own leadership journey with an interest in the sector to attend.
Academic, author, public speaker
CEO of the Irish Cancer Society
Fine Gael Councillor/ She Builds People
CEO Carmichael
CEO UCD Professional Academy
CEO Childrens Books Ireland
Co-Founder Black and Irish
CEO Mantra Strategy
Senior Manager Crosscare
Biodynamic Psychotherapist
CEO Open Doors Initiative
The Trussel Trust
CEO NOVAS
Foroige
Nonprofit Consultant
CEO of the ISPCC
CEO of the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Services
Campaigner and Strategy Specialist
Director of Advocacy and Research at The Wheel
Head of Ethics and Governance, Chartered Accountants Ireland
CEO of Dóchas
CEO of Nano Nagle Place
CEO of Airfield Estate
CEO of Coolmine Therapeutic Community
Former Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
“For me personally, the benefits to the Breakfast Clubs have been many but key are the value of think-time, the cross sectional networking and having a product to offer staff looking to consider upskilling – in this regard promoting the breakfast club internally in Trócaire, in particular to my own team, is very relevant to the area of continuous leadership learning and development.”
Karen Casey
Head of Community Engagement & Outreach
Trócaire
Breakfast Club Attendee
The Breakfast Clubs created a networking space that feels open to all leaders, future and established, so that we can meet and make connections. Sharon encourages the early career professionals in the room to be the leads for discussion and she connects people with such ease. I have found TLA events extremely interesting and engaging, having enjoyed the the space to network freely. I would encourage anyone who is thinking of attending a Leadership Academy breakfast to attend and get involved.
Amy Ennis
Recruitment Coordinator at 2into3
Breakfast Club Attendee
Contrary to popular belief the Breakfast Clubs were not called after Breakfast, even though it plays a valuable part in our day. It was actually called after the fabulous 1985 John Hughes movie.
In the movie five complete strangers find themselves becoming friends after spending a lengthy detention together. We had an idea that we wanted to make spaces for people from all across the sector with nothing obvious in common, to get together and connect. ‘Like that movie the Breakfast Club’, Sharon said to Mairead, and that is how The Breakfast Club stuck!
