Leading Nonprofits in an Evolving World
Fall Take Five Recap: Leading in an Evolving Nonprofit World
On Tuesday, October 24, Joel Kessel shared his insights and advice based on his experiences and conversations with nonprofit leaders at Brady Ware’s Fall Take Five Nonprofit Leadership Conference. His workshop, Leading in an Evolving Nonprofit World, focused on the importance of strong leadership. Here are some key takeaways from the event.
Ask the Right Questions to Identify Areas for Leadership Development
How would you rate yourself as a leader? Why would you rate yourself that way? How would your team rate you? What actions can you take in the next 90 days to improve their leadership rating by one point? What might hinder you from making that improvement?
Key Qualities of Strong Leaders
Out of numerous leadership principles, Joel discussed a few key points to focus on:
- Strong leaders have the courage to disrupt routines and exercise a high level of curiosity, which can help identify innovative solutions and improve outcomes.
- Curiosity and open-ended questions promote deeper, more strategic discussions.
- Surround yourself with good people and recognize that you cannot achieve your goals alone. Invest in the growth and development of your staff.
- Maintain self-awareness.
- Don’t make assumptions. Communicate clearly and openly to avoid misunderstandings.
- Embrace conflict and humility in a healthy way.
Evaluating Progress
Results should not be the sole focus; try to focus on aspects you can control. Using language like “aims” or “targets” instead of “goals” can help leaders focus on progress rather than perfection.
Conclusion
Joel concluded with a call for nonprofit leaders to reflect on their leadership level and set goals for improvement. He also provided a list of recommended resources on leadership, team dynamics, and impact storytelling that you can download here.
Fall 2023 Take Five Nonprofit Leadership Conference Video
Nonprofit employee recruitment and retention, disengaged board, how to leverage artificial intelligence, burnout, fear, increased salaries, low self-confidence, only begin to scratch the surface of the many challenges and complexities facing nonprofit leaders today. Fundamentally, nonprofit leadership isn’t a reward, it’s a responsibility. And if you agree with the statement above, consider some of these questions:
- Do you believe you are the right person to lead your organization?
- Do you want to be the person leading your organization?
- What does your organization require of you as its Executive Director or CEO today, and moving forward?
In this 60-minute session you will walk away with:
- A better understanding on where you want and need to develop as a leader.
- Actionable steps you can immediately begin implementing for your leadership development.
- Questions that will push you to think more strategically and less tactically as a leader.
Who should watch:
- Executive Directors
- Presidents
- CEOs
- Board Chairs
- Anyone who wants to make an impact in their organization’s leadership
