Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast: Episode Summary

Title: What To Do When The Team You Have Is No Longer The Team You Need
Host: Brooke Richie-Babbage
Release Date: October 8, 2024

Introduction

In this enlightening episode of the Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast, Brooke Richie-Babbage delves into a critical challenge faced by growing nonprofit organizations: transitioning from an existing team to a team that aligns with evolving organizational goals. Drawing from her 25 years of experience as a social justice lawyer, two-time nonprofit founder, and growth strategist, Brooke provides actionable strategies to effectively rework existing teams and judiciously add capacity to foster sustainable growth without burnout.

Identifying the Problem: When Your Current Team Falls Short

Brooke begins by highlighting common signs that indicate a nonprofit's current team may no longer suffice:

• Overreliance on Leadership: Feeling solely responsible for creating strategies and planning (00:00).
• Accountability Issues: Leaders being the go-to for troubleshooting when programs falter.
• Misaligned Goals and Execution: Clear objectives on paper, but inconsistent or ineffective implementation.

"As your organization grows, you will almost definitely reach a point where you look around and feel like the team that got you to where you are isn't quite working anymore." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

The Necessity of Evolving Your Team

Brooke emphasizes that as organizations grow from, say, a $500,000 to a $2 million operation, the team dynamics and skills required inevitably change. She asserts that it's rare for the same team to perfectly fit the organization's needs through various growth stages.

"The truth is, I've never worked with an organization that was growing that had the same team at 2 million that they had at 500,000." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

Two Pillars of Team Evolution: Reworking and Adding Capacity

Brooke introduces two distinct yet complementary strategies essential for team evolution:

1. Reworking Your Team:

   • Strategic Evaluation: Assessing current team members' roles, skills, and alignment with long-term goals.
   • Role Mapping: Determining the necessary roles based on organizational objectives, independent of existing team members.

   "Reworking your team requires strategically evaluating your existing team, assessing to make sure that you have the right people in the right roles with the right skills." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

2. Adding Capacity:

   • Hiring New Talent: Bringing in additional team members to handle increased workloads or fill skill gaps.
   • Avoiding Redundancies: Ensuring new hires complement the restructured team without causing overlap or confusion.

   "Adding capacity means hiring people, expanding the team, bringing in more people to handle either more work or to fill in the gaps that are on your team." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

The Correct Sequence for Team Transformation

Brooke outlines the recommended order of operations to ensure a smooth transition:

1. Assessment and Reworking:

   • Begin with a thorough evaluation of existing roles against the organization's strategic goals.
   • Conduct future casting to anticipate the skills and structures needed for long-term success.

   "Start with assessing and reworking your team, then add capacity as necessary." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

2. Adding Capacity:

   • Once roles are clearly defined, identify and hire individuals who fit these specific needs.
   • This approach minimizes redundancies and ensures each new team member has a clear purpose.

   "If you just add capacity... they end up with redundancies and overlap confusion." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

Role Mapping: The Foundation of Effective Team Structuring

Brooke underscores the importance of role mapping, which involves:

• Defining Necessary Roles: Based purely on the work required to achieve organizational goals, independent of current team members.
• Aligning Skills and Competencies: Matching or developing team members to fit these roles.

"When you are role mapping, you're not mapping your existing team. You're not looking at the people that you have and saying which roles do they fill." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

She advocates for a clear separation between identifying needed roles and assessing current team capabilities, ensuring that organizational needs drive team structure rather than existing personnel.

Navigating the Difficulties of Team Pruning

A candid discussion ensues on the emotional and practical challenges of letting go of team members who no longer fit the organization's evolving needs:

• Emotional Attachment: Acknowledging that parting with team members is often uncomfortable and challenging.

  "For me, I hate it. I have always hated it and the times that I've had to do it in my career, it has always taken me longer to make the decision than it should have." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

• Stewardship of the Mission: Emphasizing that maintaining alignment with the organization's mission sometimes necessitates difficult decisions.

  "At the root of your job as the executive director is to be a steward for the mission of your organization." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

Brooke encourages leaders to prioritize organizational health and mission alignment over personal discomfort, framing tough decisions as essential for sustained impact.

Strategic Planning and Resource Alignment

The episode highlights the pivotal role of strategic planning in guiding team restructuring and expansion:

• Clear Goals: Establishing what the organization aims to achieve in the next few years.
• Outcome-Oriented Planning: Translating mission into specific, actionable goals.

"Everything starts with where do you want to be three years from now? What outcomes is your organization putting itself on the line to accomplish?" — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

Brooke references her strategic planning podcast miniseries and offers resources such as role mapping matrices and hiring bundles to assist listeners in implementing these strategies effectively.

Practical Resources and Next Steps

Brooke provides valuable resources to aid nonprofit leaders in executing the strategies discussed:

• Role Mapping Worksheet: A tool to identify necessary roles based on organizational goals.
• High Impact Hiring Bundle: Comprehensive guides, templates, and step-by-step instructions available at brookerichiebabbage.com.

She encourages leaders to engage with these materials to streamline the process of team rework and capacity building.

Conclusion

Brooke Richie-Babbage wraps up the episode by reiterating the necessity of both reworking existing teams and thoughtfully adding capacity to achieve smooth, sustainable growth. By following a structured approach—assessing current teams, mapping necessary roles, pruning mismatches, and strategically hiring—nonprofit leaders can transition from their current teams to those that drive higher impact seamlessly.

"Smooth growth requires both adding capacity and reworking your team. But these are distinct processes and should happen carefully and strategically." — Brooke Richie-Babbage [00:00]

She invites listeners to join her next episode and engage further through ratings, reviews, and her newsletter, Leadership Forward 321.

Key Takeaways:

1. Assess Before Hiring: Begin with a clear understanding of the roles needed to achieve strategic goals before expanding the team.
2. Separate Processes: Treat team reworking and capacity adding as distinct, sequential actions to avoid redundancies and under-resourcing.
3. Steward Mission Over Comfort: Prioritize the organization's mission and long-term impact over personal attachments to team members.
4. Utilize Resources: Leverage available tools and guides to facilitate effective team restructuring and hiring processes.

By adopting these strategies, nonprofit leaders can ensure their teams evolve in tandem with their organizations, fostering sustained growth and amplified impact.