We asked the Maliasili team to take a moment, reflect on our work, and answer this question: If you had one piece of advice to share with our partners that will help them do their work even better, what would it be? We hope you enjoy the responses below:

Put your team first. 

People are your organization’s greatest asset. When you treat them with that in mind, you’ll gain their commitment, trust, and ultimately their best (and hardest) work. - Jessie

Know what not to do. 

There can be an abundance of need and opportunities,  but being sharply focused on your purpose can help you set yourself up for success. Better to do a few things really well than a lot of disparate activities without enough resources to get the results you want. - Elizabeth 

Keep it simple and relevant. 

Whatever you are working on, make sure to keep it simple and as relevant as possible so that it is easy to implement and delivers the right kind of impact for the right people. - Akshay

Build partnerships. 

Be generous with what you know, and humble about what you don’t know, because sharing makes us so much stronger. - Liz

Ask for help. 

The greatest leaders do not do it alone. Build a network of people you trust. Normalise a culture of sharing burdens and challenges. Take care of yourself. - Kasmira 

Have Fun. 

Creating a positive, fun and open workplace by celebrating wins, sharing positive (and negative) things that are going on, brings people closer together and will help you get the most out of your employees and make them enjoy their working hours. - Gathoni

Communicate achievements and impact. 

Our top tip for partners - and all organizations - for all seasons: Distill and communicate your organization’s impact in clear, compelling, and visually attractive ways. Make it easy for your audiences to understand the great work you are doing and impact you are achieving. - Fred

To find answers, you need questions. 

Good questions prompt deeper thinking, and often lead to more creativity. Use questions to gain more understanding of a challenge… then ask probing questions to get to the root of the problem. A good question is clear, succinct and open-ended. - Nikita

Go slow to go fast. 

We do our best work when we are best prepared. Take the necessary time to get your ideas and team aligned even if this means changing course. Despite the tension to respond and jump in, this year has reminded us to slow down and reflect, listen and learn. Then do. - Anna

Be your best friend. 

The work we do can be very demanding. Within all the turmoil, challenges, stress that each day brings, find time to take care of yourself and your team. Tomorrow needs a better you. - Richard

Just begin. 

When you struggle to make progress with an important cerebral task and feel overwhelmed, start with what feels easy. The important thing is to start. Develop your outline or put some ideas into a rough structure to get the momentum going. Before you know it, your brain will be focussed, you’ll be knocking out that report or other piece of dreaded work and you’ll wonder why you were so nervous in the first place. - Karine

Think outside of the box. 

Be creative and collaborative. Always take time to brainstorm and share new ideas with your team. - Maddy

Be intentional about building trust.

We all know trust is important, but leaders don’t always invest time in ensuring there is trust within their teams. If you prioritise trust building your team will be more efficient and achieve far greater results. - Cara

Don’t rush recruitment.

Aim not just to have a position filled by the deadline, but to have it appropriately filled with the person who will do the job best and bring the most to your team and work. - Beatrice

Remain connected to yourself and your mission.

Our best work comes from the passion we have for it. In the most challenging of times, if we remember why we started this work and what is most needed, we will have clarity around difficult decisions and see the path forward. - Janelle

Read the full newsletter here: Maliasili Reader Issue 13

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