Social Entrepreneur blog for the world changers
leadership
Is your CEO a figurehead?
Jan 30th
I recently noticed a trend in many nonprofit organizations. The Executive Director/CEO travels around the country and speaks at nonprofit conferences. This is good in theory because it promotes the organization but…what is going on back at the office while the CEO is away? There should be a COO (Chief Operating Officer) or Operations Director with full authority making the tough decisions back at the office. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and CEOs are expected to be the figurehead for the organization and make tough decisions back in the office. We need to recognize that nonprofit CEOs cannot do it all and we need competent Chief Operating Officers to have full authority to run the day-to-day operations of a nonprofit and interact with the board of directors while the CEO is traveling the country promoting the organization.
The White House’s views on Nonprofit Leadership
Nov 15th
The White House Forum on Nonprofit Leadership is going on today. In attendance at this invitation only event is the who’s who in the nonprofit sector. What’s being said at the Forum is nothing new, we’ve heard it many times by many different speakers at many different conferences, and in many different reports (e.g Daring to Lead, Independent Sector-NGEN Fellows Report, Commongood Careers Diversity Report, 2011 Employment Trends Report, YNPN National Report, etc.. For example, here are some of the tweets:
- @CGCareers It’s not just about the ED, it’s about every single leader in your organization. John Ryan at Center for Creative Leadership.
#nplead - @CGCareers ”If we’re not developing leaders FROM w/in communities, I fear that we will not actually solve pressing problems.- John Rice
#nplead“ - @RafaelLopez2 Disconnect b/w intent of
#nonprofit sector & practice real, esp around racial and gender diversity-@echoinggreen Cheryl Dorsey#nplead @StephenBauer: Because we have under-invested in nonprofit talent we are not benefiting from top talent – Melody Barnes#NPLead- @StephenBauer “Spriggs – How do we convince the public that human service infrastructure is worth investing in for our long-term sustainability?
#NPLead“ - @kcambell We need to add human capital when talking ab jobs infrastructure. Its more than physical capital, we need training & skills -Spriggs
#NPLead - @saif305 “Nonprofits contributed over $779 Billion to US GDP – American Urban Institute”Melody Barnes – WH Domestic Policy Council
#nplead @paulschmitz1: Dr. William Spriggs asst sec of labor, nonprofits 3rd largest employment sector after retail & manufacturing#nplead- @RafaelLopez2 “Nonprofits employ over 13.5 million people in US, 10%of the American workforce.
#nplead“
Yet, people are excited and acting like this is new information. I have come to the conclusion it doesn’t matter what is being said in the sector but who is saying it. Hopefully now that members of the white house are saying nonprofit leadership is important — things will really change and ALL funders and the general public will support nonprofit leadership, capacity building, and infrastructure. As I’ve said before the culture of the nonprofit sector needs to change. I personally am excited to teach Human Resource Management to nonprofit graduate students at Grand Valley State University in January and equip them to be better leaders, support and develop all the staff within their organizations, and not just value diversity — but practice cultural competency!
Real Life Case Study — Listen to your constituents
Aug 25th
X organization is a membership organization, it recently hired a new Executive Director, and also had been contemplating a name change for several years. Many members had voiced their frustrations over the high membership dues and had suggested that the organization improve its member relations efforts. Many members felt they were not getting back what they were paying in dues.
When the new Executive Director came on board, he/she announced the new name change (to the surprise of the members) and added new programming that would draw in new revenue but not directly benefit the members. As a result of these changes, the members were furious, they voiced their opinions at the annual membership meeting and threatened to pull out from the organization. But to the members dismay, the Executive Director and board did a series of things to not include the members in the changes ahead.
Members are struggling with how to proceed. They want to pull out, but the organization offers some unique programming that they feel they cannot get elsewhere. The members also like the bonds that they have formed with one another.
What should they do?
Update-The Executive Director recently resigned and the board announced they will be returning back to their original mission and focus as a membership organization.
What should the members do?
Should they stay or should they go.
7 Tips to Confront "Poor Performers"
Jun 16th
Nothing is certain but death and taxes. You can add below average employees to that list.
As a nonprofit manager, you are always going to have to handle less than ideal employees. It's simply a fact of life. How you confront these individuals can determine how successful your organization can be. It would seem there are only two ways to deal with these types of workers: You can avoid a potentially messy confrontation and hope they improve. Or, you can meet with the problematic employee and tell them to shape up or ship out. In his book How to Lead by THE BOOK, Dave Anderson (founder of The Matthew 25:35 Foundation) says there is actually a middle ground. By combining gentleness with firmness, a strong nonprofit manager can approach these "poor performers" in a way that will get them to perform better without making a scene. He lists 7 ways to get the most out of these confrontations:
As a nonprofit manager, you are always going to have to handle less than ideal employees. It's simply a fact of life. How you confront these individuals can determine how successful your organization can be. It would seem there are only two ways to deal with these types of workers: You can avoid a potentially messy confrontation and hope they improve. Or, you can meet with the problematic employee and tell them to shape up or ship out. In his book How to Lead by THE BOOK, Dave Anderson (founder of The Matthew 25:35 Foundation) says there is actually a middle ground. By combining gentleness with firmness, a strong nonprofit manager can approach these "poor performers" in a way that will get them to perform better without making a scene. He lists 7 ways to get the most out of these confrontations:
- Confront with class: Anderson urges respect when confronting problematic employees. Keeping that in mind, it is best to discuss problems with poor performers in private rather than bringing up the problems in front of their colleagues. Making a mistake is embarrassing enough without it having to be revealed to everyone in the office.
- Nix favoritism: Top performers are another constant for any nonprofit organization. But just because this individual hits the proverbial home run 99% of the time doesn't mean you should be cutting them slack if they happen to strike out once or twice. This will severely undermine the culture of your organization, as well as your credibility as a manager.
- Make sure the correction fits the "crime": Poor performers should be punished appropriately for whatever mistake they made. If it was only a small error, there is no need to institute harsh penalties for them. Anderson lists problems that stem from poor attitude, a lack of respect for the values of the company, or an overly inflated ego as issues that must be corrected most forcibly.
- Beware of committing a false kindness: Never try to forgo confrontational talk by just giving positive reinforcement. You might think this will help them perform better, but according to Anderson you are actually showing a lack of caring. He says that you should confront these problems before they get too big. This will help to teach employees that their leader cares about how work is conducted in the organization.
- Choose your battles wisely: A strong nonprofit leader will be able to know when a response is needed rather than a rebuke. Anderson uses the example of a mostly reliable employee coming in late one day. Instead of yelling at this employee, he suggests inquiring with them whether everything is all right. Tardiness from a repeat offender, on the other hand, would warrant a much different response.
- Follow up with follow-through: Always offer advice and encouragement after your initial confrontation with a poor performer. Failing to do this will leave the employee with no knowledge of what they need to do to improve. As Anderson says, it's like going to a doctor for a diagnosis and then refusing to take the prescribed medicine.
- Don't dig up the past: As tempting as it may be, you should never bring up past mistakes to poor performers. It does no good to live in the past. What's important is to correct the current problem, and bringing up dirty laundry won't help that.
For Nonprofit Managers, Trust is Key
May 2nd
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Our distrust is very expensive." When it comes to nonprofit managers and CEOs, this couldn't be more true. Let's face it, for a nonprofit to be successful, its employees have to trust the head of the organization. Without this, performance can suffer and, as a result, so will the organization's mission.
John Hamm (not that one, in case you are wondering), talks about how important trust is for company leaders in his new book, Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership. As the title of the book implies, it gives leaders nine tips on how to get employees to trust them. Here are some of these tips that Hamm mentions in his book:
• Hamm stresses that you don't have to act like a "boy scout" to gain the trust of your employees. In fact, he writes that the best leaders are those who don't try to act like anybody other than themselves. In fact, it's very easy to see how a manager or other leader who acts too kind might seem suspicious to employees.
• Along the same lines, Hamm wrote that it's important for a leader to look for chances to show that they are human by proving that they have authentic fears, imperfections, and emotions. He gives the example of a CEO named "Carl" who grew up in humble surroundings. Carl always told stories of his hard upbringing while leading his employees, as he knew this would make them feel more comfortable around him; it made him more accessible and, in turn, more trustworthy. To me, this was the most surprising tip Hamm gave; it's something I never thought of before, as we are often taught to hide our emotions from those we work with.
• Another interesting point was Hamm's mention of the so-called "adulterer's guarantee." Essentially, this is when a leader tells an employee that they lied to someone else, but that they would never lie to you. Some think doing this would show an employee that their boss is behind them, but it really just exposes the leader as a dishonest person. If this leader would lie to someone else, why should an employee believe they are not lying to them? And is usually the case with these situations, the story of this incident will spread, hurting morale.
• Finally, Hamm wrote that a leader should never punish "good failures." These are failures that occur despite an organization doing everything right, and are usually associated with taking a calculated risk for a project. By punishing employees for these "failures," employees will be more averse to taking risks in their work. And since risk-taking is the key for any organization's success, this is most definitely a bad thing. Instead, leaders should strive to create a culture where innovation is promoted, so that all these good failures can eventually lead to something successful.
If you are interested in learning more about Unusually Excellent, visit the book's website.
John Hamm (not that one, in case you are wondering), talks about how important trust is for company leaders in his new book, Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership. As the title of the book implies, it gives leaders nine tips on how to get employees to trust them. Here are some of these tips that Hamm mentions in his book:
• Hamm stresses that you don't have to act like a "boy scout" to gain the trust of your employees. In fact, he writes that the best leaders are those who don't try to act like anybody other than themselves. In fact, it's very easy to see how a manager or other leader who acts too kind might seem suspicious to employees.
• Along the same lines, Hamm wrote that it's important for a leader to look for chances to show that they are human by proving that they have authentic fears, imperfections, and emotions. He gives the example of a CEO named "Carl" who grew up in humble surroundings. Carl always told stories of his hard upbringing while leading his employees, as he knew this would make them feel more comfortable around him; it made him more accessible and, in turn, more trustworthy. To me, this was the most surprising tip Hamm gave; it's something I never thought of before, as we are often taught to hide our emotions from those we work with.
• Another interesting point was Hamm's mention of the so-called "adulterer's guarantee." Essentially, this is when a leader tells an employee that they lied to someone else, but that they would never lie to you. Some think doing this would show an employee that their boss is behind them, but it really just exposes the leader as a dishonest person. If this leader would lie to someone else, why should an employee believe they are not lying to them? And is usually the case with these situations, the story of this incident will spread, hurting morale.
• Finally, Hamm wrote that a leader should never punish "good failures." These are failures that occur despite an organization doing everything right, and are usually associated with taking a calculated risk for a project. By punishing employees for these "failures," employees will be more averse to taking risks in their work. And since risk-taking is the key for any organization's success, this is most definitely a bad thing. Instead, leaders should strive to create a culture where innovation is promoted, so that all these good failures can eventually lead to something successful.
If you are interested in learning more about Unusually Excellent, visit the book's website.
The realities of working in a nonprofit organization
Jan 25th
I love working in the nonprofit sector!! There are many well paid jobs and career opportunities in nonprofit organizations. However…there are certain realities of working in nonprofit organizations that employees must understand in order to sustain a career in the nonprofit sector.
The reality is the majority of nonprofits operate with budgets less than $500k; they are small businesses with limited resources. Even organizations that have $1mil or $2mil budgets have limited resources, especially when it comes to staff training and development. In last year’s Nonprofit Employment Trends survey we found that only 4% of nonprofits with less than $1mil have a human resource manager. The majority of organizations have an executive director or other senior staff member who manages the human resources function in addition to their other responsibilities. We also found that the majority of nonprofits use current employees to staff new initiatives. This puts increased demands on employee time and less time for employee development.
These realities often conflict with the needs and wants of employees, especially younger workers. Younger workers often think and express “my boss needs to teach me, mentor me, develop me as a manger.” Case in point, Maria Walker’s article More than Just a Boss. Yeah, Maria’s tips are great to sustain younger employees longer than 12 months in an organization, but are these tips really realistic? Maybe 1 in a 100 organizations have a boss who truly mentors and develops their employees, but the realities of the current state of nonprofit organizations, prevent younger workers from having a boss like that. I am totally supportive of trying to change the way that nonprofits currently operate. In fact, I believe all nonprofits (and all companies for that matter) should operate like Southwest Airlines. Southwest is known for putting their employees first and as a result, their employees are happy workers! Many nonprofits are a long way from operating like Southwest, so in the meantime employees need to be flexible and find ways to thrive in the current realities of the workplace. Or, employees can purposefully seek out nonprofits that focus on employee development, of few of these organizations do exist!
One of the main ways that employees can thrive in their careers in the nonprofit sector is through tapping into personal and professional development opportunities outside of their organizations. In How to be a Nonprofit Rockstar, Rosetta and Trista explain 50 ways employees can seek out professional development opportunities, many of which are OUTSIDE of the walls of their own organization. Case in point, I would not be as successful as I am today if it wasn’t for all the professional development that I obtained outside of the workplace. These professional development opportunities included networking, blogging, graduate education, etc.
My theory of change in the workplace
From my experience, I believe there is a change continuum that exists in the workplace. The younger the person, the more they want and push for change. But this push for change often conflicts with experienced workers who are comfortable with how things are. Older workers might push for change but at a lower rate than younger workers. If younger workers are patient and wait it out for a couple of years, they can adapt and grow as the organizational environment around them adapts and grows.
What do you think? Do your experiences match up with the realities of the nonprofit workplace? Do you agree or disagree with my theory of change? I want to hear your thoughts.
New podcasts: leadership, social entrepreneurs and numbers
Dec 14th
The benefits of having lost the argument over who should have the long commute with my wife is that I have plenty of time to catch up on podcasts and a bit of work-related listening on the way in (and...
Qualities of a Great Boss – Part 2
Jul 11th
Often people are thrown into supervisory roles without realizing how much work and interpersonal skills are really needed to manage people!
Most employees want a boss who will be responsive, understand different working styles, and provide feedback on a regular basis (e.g. tell employees how they are doing and how they should improve). Employees also want a positive working environment and a place where they can feel safe.
I think everyone has the potential to become a great boss. It just takes a shift from focusing on the work itself to focusing on the employees who are doing the work. Being a great boss also requires the knowledge and understanding that each person within an organization is at a different developmental, emotional, and expertise stage. A great boss needs to be able to meet each employee where they are at. This is not easy.
The same is true for employees. In order to recognize a great boss, employees need to be able to receive feedback and be willing to take the next step in their job or go to the next developmental, emotional, or expertise stage.
My boss is busy, she runs a research center, she meets with funders, and she supervises six doctoral students. She could just focus on the work, but instead she takes the time to meet with us individually and also meet with us as a group.
Last week she sat down with me to go over my work plan for the coming school year. This meeting meant a lot to me because she told me about her plan for me in my new role. Now that I am Research Associate she wants me to supervise other doctoral students in certain research projects. She also wants me to improve my flexibility skills in the workplace (e.g. be willing to work on other projects at a moments notice). This meeting and feedback where very meaningful to me. My boss took the time to encourage me to go to the next stage of my research and my supervision skills.
Hopefully this post will inspire you to become a great boss, because the everyday encounters and meetings that you have with your employees can improve the overall morale and productivity of your organization.
Most employees want a boss who will be responsive, understand different working styles, and provide feedback on a regular basis (e.g. tell employees how they are doing and how they should improve). Employees also want a positive working environment and a place where they can feel safe.
I think everyone has the potential to become a great boss. It just takes a shift from focusing on the work itself to focusing on the employees who are doing the work. Being a great boss also requires the knowledge and understanding that each person within an organization is at a different developmental, emotional, and expertise stage. A great boss needs to be able to meet each employee where they are at. This is not easy.
The same is true for employees. In order to recognize a great boss, employees need to be able to receive feedback and be willing to take the next step in their job or go to the next developmental, emotional, or expertise stage.
My boss is busy, she runs a research center, she meets with funders, and she supervises six doctoral students. She could just focus on the work, but instead she takes the time to meet with us individually and also meet with us as a group.
Last week she sat down with me to go over my work plan for the coming school year. This meeting meant a lot to me because she told me about her plan for me in my new role. Now that I am Research Associate she wants me to supervise other doctoral students in certain research projects. She also wants me to improve my flexibility skills in the workplace (e.g. be willing to work on other projects at a moments notice). This meeting and feedback where very meaningful to me. My boss took the time to encourage me to go to the next stage of my research and my supervision skills.
Hopefully this post will inspire you to become a great boss, because the everyday encounters and meetings that you have with your employees can improve the overall morale and productivity of your organization.
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