Deeper Dive - I Think We Need to Talk - September 20, 2022
Being a leader in any capacity is hard, but it seems like the nonprofit world is tougher than most
The Adventure of the Last Year
Am I the only one that gets nervous when my wife says, “I think we need to talk.”? These words are usually followed by a conversation that we know could be emotionally and cognitively difficult. It’s at this time we know things are going to real.
Yet, I hear these words a lot from readers of this newsletter. Readers send me an email and I am more than happy to carve out a little time to talk other leaders and help them when they need to have a conversation.
It has been one year since this newsletter started and this adventure has created scores of new opportunities for me to help serve those in this line of work. Leaders across the world have sent me a quick note saying, “Hey, can we talk.?”
The answer is unequivocally, yes, absolutely.
I have been in this line of work long enough to realize that this work is really, really hard. Sometimes it’s hard because we challenge ourselves to be better versions of ourselves and we want to know the skills and abilities we need to do our work better. Sometimes it’s hard because we see other people doing it differently and we think they are doing it better and we want to know we are okay. Sometimes it’s hard because we often feel like we were thrown in the deep end of the pool and we don’t know to swim.
The reasons that prompt these conversations are pretty varied, but they can come down to something in our minds and our spirits that are telling us that something is just not right and we need help.
And I am always happy to give anyone in this industry the help they need. But, as I have talked with leaders all across the country (and even the world!) in this line of work, it’s a different kind of help that our leaders need.
Of course, I will happily help folks work on a finance scorecard, clean up bylaws or even help with a logic model every now and then; these are technical skills that I more than happy to help someone with.
But more often not, the folks that I have had the privilege to talk to…..just want to talk. My new friends don’t need to learn a new skill as much as they just need confidence to know they can do the work that is laid out in front of them. They need someone that will warmly engage through listening and let them know that even though things seem confusing now, things will get better in the future.
One of the observations, I have learned in this line of work is that leading a small organization can be an awfully lonely place. There are things we experience, things we see and things we feel that we can’t adequately talk about to anyone else. We can’t always bring these things up to the Board, they might think we aren’t up to the task. We can’t bring these things to the staff, that might cause concerns. We can’t even bring these things up to our loved ones; they just don’t get it.
It’s in that large hole of not knowing where to turn where I am trying to fill the gap for our nonprofit leaders. And that gap can only be filled by listening.
I meet leaders all the time that need that trusted advisor, that person that can listen and help. Maybe ask a question here and there to guide a conversation, but generally just reassure those that are on the frontlines that, yes, this work is tough, but you have more than you need to be successful in this line of work.
If it sounds like we need to talk, let’s do that. Feel free to drop me a line at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com. I’d be happy to oblige.