Never compromise your values… for free

Yesterday I was at a reception in Durbar Court. The British Foreign Office invited the top players in the country to celebrate the signature of the Lisbon Treaty. I was there with the PM. If you don’t know who the PM is (the Prime Minister) you have never been invited to such an event. So you better read my entry carefully!

I was surrounded by Cabinet Ministers and Director-Generals but I didn’t put in any effort to make my self known to them. We’ve just got another grant and we don’t need to beg anymore. Moreover, top people hate professional climbers. So the best way to meet them is actually a random chat while you are queuing for champagne or being introduced by an acquaintance just after you have made a slightly embarrassing joke (sex is my favourite topic). You should never show you are keen to meet someone or you might seem like a fundraiser. In any case, the best fundraisers are the wives of billionaires because they don’t need to fundraise.

When you can comfortably sit on your grants it is easier to capitalise on this situation. Remember politicians need you because you can mobilise voters. Oxfam has more members than the Labour Party. So, I spent my time chatting with Ambassadors and directors of any sorts without mentioning my business even once. The day after I received some invitations to meet up and explore opportunities for collaboration.

I understand that not everybody can enjoy such a comfortable position. At the beginning you have to compromise. Actually you have to wriggle like a worm begging for help and paying what you have to. In that case, don’t forget your honour and if you have to… sell it for the highest price. As a third sector leader you can always get  justification in your biography because you did it to save the world!