Nonprofit CEOs Share Lessons Learned With Managing for Success Fellows

Nonprofit CEOs Share Lessons Learned With Managing for Success Fellows

ProInspire’sManaging for Success Fellowsrecently enjoyeda private panel with leaders from three of the D.C. Metro Area’s top nonprofit organizations:

• Jan Ridgely, Executive Director of United Charitable Programs
• Lidia Soto-Harmon, CEO of Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital
• Adam Tenner, Executive Director of Metro TeenAIDS

The panel format and collaborative, Q&A interchange offered relevant, actionable information to the Management Fellows, most of whom were new nonprofit managers with an eye toward career advancement.Though the panelists represented a mix of leadership styles, personalities, and career paths, several common themes surfaced:

• Prioritize all-way communication. Maintain open flows of information, in day-to-day tactical execution, long-term strategic planning, and professional development alike. As a manager, you must understand the nuances of howand what to communicate, based on the situation and the preferred communication styles of your team and superiors. It’s important to periodically self-assess to determine whether team members feel you, as a manager, are accessible and open to communication; panelists mentioned 360 review as an effective assessment tool for this.

“I want the good, the bad, and the ugly.  As CEO, I need to know what you know

in order to be responsive…and protect the organization.” – Lidia Soto-Harmon

• Nurture your social IQ. Social IQ –the capacity to effectively negotiate complex social relationships and environments –is critical to effective leadership.Organizations are comprised of humans, and as a manageryoumust navigate human interactions in order to manage well.  The panelists cautioned not to confuse being smart with being savvy, and mentioned several areas where social IQ is critical to the manager role.  For example, discussing sensitive issues like poor job performance requires an understanding of the other person’s emotional state, temperament, and response tendencies as well as situational context in order to maintain a productive tone in the conversation and produce the desired outcome.

“Remember that most people come with good intentions,

which is often forgotten in tense situations.” – Adam Tenner

• Focus on role, not title. Skill set requirements evolve as managers move up within the organization as well as across the sector.  As a manager, be mindful about the skill sets demanded not only by your current role but also by future roles.

“Become a life learner as a way to ensure skill sets stay sharp and relevant.”

– Adam Tenner

• Maintain a long-term perspective. All panelists expressed regret over not embracing more of a long-term perspective throughout their careers. Getting lost in the weeds of what’s happening at this moment, in this role, burdens managers, creates fear, and hinders personal and organizational progress.   When faced with a challenge, it’s wise to put the current situation in a broader context.

“Life is one of the best teachers. As a new manager,

I wish I had enjoyed more depth of perspective, less fear.” – Jan Ridgely

• Keep passion in its place. The social sector often leads with its heart and not its head.  As the landscape changes, it will become more important for nonprofit leaders to balance passion for the cause with business needs of the organization.

“What keeps us in nonprofit is passion for the issue.  But don’t let the passion

(blind you to) the reality about what it takes to make it happen.” – Jan Ridgely

• Recognize the role of culture. Though the panelists differed on how to create and foster organizational culture, they all agreed on the importance of it as a foundational element as well as on the need for leadership to be deliberate about it.  Adam articulated his belief that culture is a byproduct of the individuals within an organization and what they bring to the workplace:

“Culture is nothing you can enforce. It is the expression of the people in the organization.  If you want to change culture, you have to change how you do things. It’s rarely the people who are the problem, it’s generally the process.” – Adam Tenner

Lidia, on the other hand, expressed her conviction that being deliberate about the organizational culture you want to create is an effective means of solidifying it:

“Every month, our staff reflects on a piece of the Girl Scout mission as a way of deepening understanding of our shared purpose and organizational culture.”

– Lidia Soto-Harmon

The takeaway here is that culture is nuanced and as a leader, you have to identify what works for your organization.

• Organizational fit matters.  Focus on organizational fit, both personally and institutionally.  Periodically ask yourself, ‘How do I know when I’m done at an organization?’  This will help you optimize your own career path as well as make sure the organization has the right mix of people and skills to move the organization forward.

Valuable advice from successful nonprofit leaders.  Why not heed it?  Start with an inventory of your current approach; are you focused on these principles of effective nonprofit management? If not, what needs to change?   Is there anything you would add to this list?  Share it with the community.  Share it with your team.  Together, we are more effective as professionals increasing impact in the social sector.