A (0:00)

Okay, so I'm mad or frustrated. I hear everyone in the nonprofit sector, donors, board members, consultants, talk about this burnout epidemic. I hear about great folks who call it quits. I know that the average tenure for nonprofit leaders is 6, but we all know that's an average. We know that many, many leaders don't even last five. I think there's a tendency to blame the leaders, right? Oh, they take on too much. They have insufficient resources. They get frustrated when they can't have the impact they came to have. They're deep in paths, and it can eat a leader up. When they can't help enough, then there's this narrative. They didn't have the experience. They came up through programs. They never learned about the art and science of hiring, evaluating, and moving people out when there isn't a fit. And then when there is a transition, we tell the search committee to find the messiah, expect them to know and do it all. Now, it's true. Sometimes we hire the wrong person for the job, made even more risky when the folks on the search committee have actually never done the job themselves. Long and short of this, I believe we are not setting our leaders up to succeed, especially now. We don't live in a what if world when it comes to crises. We live in a world in which the waters are always turbulent and sometimes there are sharks, sometimes even pirates. And the object of the work for a leader is not to manage through turbulence in the hopes of calm seas, but to just embrace the turbulence, motivate their teams to do especially hard work. And unlike 2020, when the promise of a vaccine led us all to hope that things might return to normal, what is happening in our world today? No vaccine. It's time for all of us who support nonprofit leaders to take a good look in the mirror. Let's get real about how we have to change and what we have to do in order to strengthen our leaders and retain them. The world is counting on them, and they are counting on us.

B (2:22)

Welcome to Nonprofits Are Messy with Joan, Gary and Experts. This podcast is your go to space for insights, advice, and inspiration designed to help nonprofit leaders overcome challenges and drive impact. Whether you're navigating small beginnings or leading a larger organization, we're here to support you every step of the way. Together with Joan and a diverse group of expert guests, we tackle the big question questions nonprofit leaders face and offer actionable advice to fuel your leadership journey. A special thank you to donorperfect for sponsoring this episode and supporting nonprofits that we love. Now let's jump in.

A (3:14)

I suppose I should begin by acknowledging my bias. Since 2010, I have been an executive coach for nonprofit leaders. I've been offering advice through a blog, a podcast, a book, and yes, close to 25,000 leaders have found resources and community in our nonprofit leadership lab. Now I ask myself, does that make me biased or does that actually make me credible? I think it makes me more credible than biased, but I guess you will make that call after you listen to me rant I about what I believe nonprofit leaders need. Story In 2018, Dr. Nastasia Harris founded the Perinatal Health Equity Initiative in Essex County, New Jersey, where I live. Her doctoral work reflected her passions, implicit bias and racism in healthcare, breastfeeding in the Black community, obstetrical violence, high risk OB and reproductive justice. She couldn't sit idly by by recognizing the clear disparities in in black infant and maternal health, and her organization was born. So Dr. Harris is a person who strives to get things right and invests time and energy in learning. It's in her DNA. As a founder of a nonprofit, there was no shortage of things to learn. Her learning approach was multifaceted. Her learning journey included joining our nonprofit leadership lab where she could learn the basics and be in a community of kindred spirits. Also on a learning journey, she found herself a bit stuck, continued on her path and found her way to a group coaching cohort led by Brooke Richie Babbage, a Black woman who had stood in her shoes as a founder. Dr. Harris added podcasts, books and resources referred to her by trusted voices. So I met Dr. Harris as part of my engagement in a giving circle in my home state of New Jersey. She was a finalist for Essex County's Impact 100's most significant grant, the Impact grant of $100,000. Before voting, all members received info about the finalists and every one of them compelling and worthy. Then members were invited to listen to a moderated panel of the finalists. Dr. Harris stood out. She was inspiring, clear and compelling. She articulated the problem her organization was working to solve, her core strategies and she could point to clear impact. This impact was propelling the organization to scale, and the $100,000 grant was essential to that growth. The other finalists were worthy and strong ambassadors. But Dr. Harris stood out and yep, she won the grant. Her seven year old organization is growing because she's growing because she sought grants for leadership development because her board saw the value in her learning journey and included funds in the budget, something she learned to ask for by listening to a podcast. I didn't know any of this about Dr. Harris, her continuous learning, or even that she had tapped into resources I provided. I just knew that her mission was super clear. Her grant request was excellent and and she represented her organization really, really well. I also didn't know that she had applied for the grant in a prior year and didn't get it. This is an organization I am proud to invest in as part of our local giving circle. So of course this story made me realize that Dr. Harris is deeply motivated to invest time in leadership development. Perhaps her board suggested it, but based on what you just heard, she doesn't seem like someone who would be shy about asking and then including the funds in her budget. And I found myself wondering what it would take to get more leaders to see leadership development the way Dr. Harris does. It also made me think about something else. My wife and I give to a variety of causes and I realized that if I knew that the leader of an organization I was interested in invested in their own continuous learning and being part of a community of leaders, I would be even more motivated to give or maybe motivated to give more or to give an unrestricted gift to an organization with some kind of a bump up restricted to that executive director's leadership development. Dr. Harris is one of thousands of leaders who benefit from some kind of ongoing development and I tip my hat to each and every one of them. But let's remember there are 1.8 million nonprofits in the US alone. Thousands 1.8. So only a fraction of nonprofit leaders. And don't get me started about board leaders embrace what I consider the non negotiable need for leadership, learning and community. Next up, I want to talk about what thwarts a leader's ability to go and get the support they need to be the best leaders and managers they can be. There is no shortage of support. What's in their way? We'll talk about that after the break. Today's episode is sponsored by DRG Talent. I go way back with drg. This team is passionate about strengthening the nonprofit sector. Their work goes well beyond a holistic executive search process with strat plans, comp analyses, culture surveys, leadership 360s and the list goes on. I refer clients to DRG regularly and I'm excited to be able to say this with a microphone in front of me. These folks are good and they care. Reach out to them drgtalent.com and tell them Joan Gary sent you. So what thwarts a leader's ability to go and get the support they need to be the best Leaders and managers they can be. You think the answer is very simple, right? It's about time and money. But surely Dr. Harris's story pokes some big fat holes in that answer. No. Look, if I can Invest, let's say $1,000 and make the time to incorporate what I've learned in my work as a staff leader and I can secure a $100,000 grant, that's an ROI I would take all day, every day. Now, I'm not saying that time and money are not factors, but I think there's an underlying issue and it's called value. Let's tease that word out in a number of different ways. Our boards don't value leadership development. Can you imagine if during the budget process your chair or your treasurer initiated a conversation that money be allocated for a coach or the array of resources that are out there waiting for you? I bet most of you can't boards. Secondly, nonprofit leaders don't value leadership development enough to advocate for it themselves. You hear things like, ah, it's just going to get cut anyway, or I'm not going to have the time even if it doesn't get cut, or I need the $5,000 for something else programmatic, or I need that $5,000 to give my staff some raises or if my board thinks I'm great, why would I actually need help? Do you feel seen? Some of you, Many of you. And then third is our sector doesn't value leadership development. I don't think there's a lot of need for discussion here. Any kind of leadership development expense falls under, yes, you guessed it, overhead. And that makes an expense of this nature often a total non starter. If we want nonprofit leaders who can advocate for their work, advocate for the essential nature of the work of our sector, and we want them to love their work, be fueled by it, rather than constantly drained. If we want our fantastic leaders to stay 10 years instead of five, we simply can't accept the obstacles we have to advocate for change. And oh for goodness sake, that's what most of you who are listening right now, that's actually what you do. I like to think of myself as an advocate for the essential work of our sector and I am furious that it is being targeted. I'm outraged at the appalling lack of empathy for the needs of the neighbors that our elected leaders represent. And as it relates to this issue, I do not believe we can sit idly by. And honestly, I'm worried. As I said, our world is going to be like this for years to come. No vaccine remember? And so our leaders need a kind of resilience and the skills to navigate waters they should assume will always be turbulent. Instead of an occasional rough patch amidst calm seas, it's going to be the other way around. And that kind of environment demands a different kind of adaptive leadership that far too many leaders are just not equipped to navigate. I said I was an advocate, so I'm going to deliver. When we come back, I want to offer five strategies that I think could change the narrative on leadership development. We'll be right back. Are you a staff or board member of a small to mid sized nonprofit? Now, you might feel alone, but trust me, you are not. I built the nonprofit Leadership Lab for the millions who are just like you. You'll find time saving resources when your pants are on fire, opportunities to uplevel your skills, and a warm, nurturing private community of what we call superheroes. Thousands of board and staff leaders call the lab home and we'd love for you to join us. Learn more@nonprofitleadershiplab.com those of you who follow my work know that I don't just identify the problems and the things that get in the way, but I also think about solutions. So here are five strategies and there are probably many more for changing the nonprofit sector narrative about the value of leadership development. I think they're pretty good and some of them are not hard. But everyone demands a mindset shift and if you have not read a book by Carol Dweck called Mindset, you need to go get it. It's your first little step on the road of leadership development. So here's my first strategy. Share this podcast with your board and talk about the commitment you need them to make to invest in leadership for you and the senior folks in your organization. Set some time on the board meeting agenda to talk about it. And when you do, would you do me a favor? Have them share the professional development opportunities they have had throughout their careers and the benefits it has reaped for them. You deserve less. I don't think so. Number two, let's talk about one on one coaching. I actually think we've made some headway here. When I talk to pals in talent and search like our friends at drg, I hear that there is a shift. Not all the way, but progress. We still have search committees who don't understand why the rock star they paid a talent firm to find for them would actually need a coach at all. If they need a coach, they're not rock stars. Right? I just have two words for people who have this Mindset. Roger Federer, Rockstar always had a coach. The mindset seems to be shifting, but not fast enough for where we are. So one on one coaching Number three. I'm calling this a Good Housekeeping seal of approval. What do I mean? Well, there is nothing like tossing some external motivation into the mix, right? Ready? What if you could not get a platinum seal of approval From Candid or 4 stars from charity Navigator unless you indicated that monies in your approved budget were allocated for leadership development. Now I'm sure there are other ways to check that box, but what we're looking for is something tangible. A light lift for updating that profile, but no top notch rating without it. This is currently my new favorite idea. This isn't the last time you'll hear about it. Leadership development should be a critical criterion for your organization getting an A. Number four Funders demonstrate commitment. I'd love to see this, especially with smaller organizations. Ask me as a donor to make $1,000 general operating gift and not unlike the roundup strategy you find at supermarkets. Ask me if I would consider rounding my gift up by $250. That would be restricted to to leadership development for the staff, board and senior leaders. And while it's not the sexiest thing in the world, how about in the year end update to donors? You bring that investment to life with a story or photos. Brag a little bit about the organization's commitment to growth and development. The commitment you're making to your great leaders, which everyone reading it will know is a retention driver. And by the way, it might just spread the word that your organization would be an especially good one to join. Number five Introduce accountability into your annual review. Okay, imagine if you as an ED had a leadership development annual goal and during your review you needed to illustrate how that investment had paid dividends. Could be how you've improved public speaking, how your grant writing has improved. Or maybe it includes absolutely no cost endeavors like staff listening to a podcast or blog and talking about the implications of those ideas in their daily work. You can do the same with your board as well. You know, the people who are in your ecosystem, they want to learn too. They want to learn to be good at their jobs. They want to learn about the sector, the cause, the systemic roots of the problem. Bring them in. They won't say no. Okay, so there's my five strategies, right? Share the podcast and talk about it. Be real about one on one coaching. Think differently about the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. Get funders to demonstrate commitment to leadership development and introduce accountability about leadership development into the performance review of your staff leader. There's one more, and maybe it's the most important one of all. It's about you. You have to value continued growth and development. You have to value being in community with other leaders. Take a lesson from Dr. Harris's playbook. Be an advocate for yourself. You need this and you are worth it. Thanks for all you do. Take good care of yourself and I look forward to seeing you next time.