ABCD Talent Quest
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
It might seem strange to start a talent quest with Aristotle. But read on and you’ll see that in fact there are few better places to start.
Aristotle, in describing people of influence, identified those who have just the right mix of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. In modern lingo:
1. Ethos is about operating to a set of values – walking the talk
2. Pathos means emotional intelligence and empathy
3. Logos relates to knowledge, know-how and innovation.
Going back as far as Aristotle makes the point that we’ve known the qualities needed to influence change for a long time. And we agree with good old Aristotle, but at Nurture Development we are not just looking for someone with that mix, we also want people on our team who have Telos: a vision for a better world.
We’re not done yet… we have one more to add! We are also looking for people who believe in Demos, which literally means ‘the common people’. We want people who are passionate about citizen-led action for change, people who still believe that democracy works and that people can come together to effect transformational change. We want people who are more invested in collective rather than individual change.
So in old language, at Nurture Development we are all trying our best to grow a mix between Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Telos and Demos.
Most of the time we fall short, but we’re having a good time trying. We are looking for others who want to help us grow these characteristics as an organisation and to help us achieve our ambition as an Asset-based Training, Research and Development organisation.
Our ambition? Over the next 30 years we want to help create the conditions for a skilled ABCD Community Builder to work in every neighbourhood in Europe.
Why? We believe that to realise our vision for a better more connected world we need to start where people live their lives, in neighbourhoods, supporting people to use what they have to secure what they want, in a way that includes everyone.
How? By helping the principles and practices of Asset-based Community Development proliferate.
Where first? To attain this vision in a way that is truly community-led, we want to spend the next 10 years supporting the establishment of Asset-based Community Development in every neighbourhood in the United Kingdom. We have already started in Gloucestershire, Croydon, Torbay, Leeds, Derby, Kirklees, and soon in Thurrock.
The opportunity? We are looking to recruit a new full-time member of staff, primarily to help us with our work in Gloucestershire, though they will also be working elsewhere.
Our recruitment process reflects the importance we place on relationships. Interviews can only tell you so much. So if you’d like to contribute to our change-making efforts, we’d like to invite you to join us for an Open Day Event on 3 March in Gloucestershire. This will be a semi-structured day where you’ll learn a lot more about Nurture Development, our passion for ABCD and the work we do on the ground, and we will have the opportunity to really get to know what makes you tick.
If this is of interest, please send us something that tells us why you feel you must come and meet us. You can be as creative as you like in what you submit; send us a blog, a video, an audio recording, an email, a story, or whatever you feel will communicate why you must be part of this. Send your submission to Cormac Russell at info@nurturedevelopment.org. Your submission will be reviewed by the Nurture Development team and, if we feel there is a connection, we’ll invite you along to our Open Day.
Deadline for submissions: Friday 14 February
You may not feel you have all the qualities or sufficient experience to apply; to be honest when we re-read this as a team at Nurture Development, we didn’t either. But don’t be put off; if you can see even a portion of these qualities within yourself and have the commitment and vision to see them grow, then we want to hear from you!!! Think of us as fellow travellers, or learning companions with room on-board for those who click with us.
Now listen to your gut! Is this for you?
Please see accompanying documents for further information:
1. Job Description – ABCD Coach
2. Person Specification – ABCD Coach
What happens next?
- Should you be invited along to the Open Day you will receive joining instructions by email, which will explain the purpose and content of the open day and other relevant information
- You will be contacted shortly after the Open Day to let you know if you have been shortlisted. If you have been shortlisted, we will arrange a final telephone interview with you.
If you require any of this information in a different format, please contact info@nurturedevelopment.org and tell us what you need.
Download this blog as a PDF document.