Last weekend my friend and I attended a concert by my favorite neo-soul artist, Eric Roberson. He is an amazing singer, songwriter who is still largely an underground musician with a large following on the East Coast and in Europe. He writes his own songs about love, friendship, social issues, and has recently become a strong musical voice for getting out the vote for Barack Obama. We were standing right in front as usual, and there was a woman next to us holding her video camera in the air recording his performance. The band eased into a slow jam set, where Eric started to sing, “Softest Lips,” one of his most popular ballads. The women went crazy as he walked up and down the stage, making eye contact with those of us lucky enough to be in front. At one point, he stops in front of the woman with the video camera, pries it gently from her fingers, and sings directly into the camera, giving her a close up view of the concert. Don’t take my word for it, here it is on YouTube:
What Eric Roberson did at that moment was so true to his personality, and why he has such a huge fan base even without a major record deal. He seeks to connect intimately with fans in so many ways, and meets us where we are. He’s authentic in the way that he communicates with us in person and online. I know I was probably the only one standing there in the audience thinking about how much nonprofit leaders could learn from this amazing musician, but I continue to think of ways that we can bring our whole selves to our nonprofit work and become more authentic in how we interact with our staff, boards, funders, members and clients.
Meet Them Where They Are
Eric Roberson communicates with fans online by email, on his blog, on Myspace and Facebook where most of his fans reside. These online spaces allow fans to learn more about him and his music, as well as allows us to interact with each other and gush about our favorite songs and performances of his. Likewise in nonprofits, if your clients are using social media, your organization should be, too. I was surprised to find that the Girl Scouts, for instance, has a very limited presence on Myspace and Facebook, even though the age range of the girls they serve are very much engaged on both sites. Last year, the Girl Scouts ventured into social media with this site on Myspace focused on the cookies. How much more effective could they be at bringing more girls into the fold if they actually reached out to them where they are already hanging out online in a meaningful way?
Write Your Own Songs
Often as nonprofit leaders, we can get caught up in the jargon of our field instead of using real words to describe the work that we do. Or we can find ourselves looking to the corporate sector to borrow their business-speak for our interactions with staff, the media, etc. Not that seeking to engage in professional communication is at all a bad thing. I just think we can be professional and keep it real at the same time. Our unique capability as nonprofit leaders is that we are expected to have heart and passion about our work. So we should not be afraid to show it. I recently heard a male baby boomer foundation President speak at an event, and he got choked up in the middle of his remarks and began to cry. Nothing he could have said in words had the effect that showing his emotions did. You could just see his dedication and optimism show through. If you have to do a lot of public speaking, please don’t let anyone else write your complete speeches for you. Use your own words to share your truth. It’s always more powerful than trying to sound like a news anchor.
Trust Your Gut
At last week’s concert, Eric Roberson did something that shocked and delighted the entire audience when he grabbed a fan’s camera and sang right into it. As a musician, he trusted his impulse that he could act according to his personality and it would be well-received. As nonprofit leaders, we are always asking ourselves and our organizations, “can we really do that?” The answer is yes. Yes, we can innovate. Yes, we can try something new this time around. Yes, we can send flowers to an ill board member or an ailing client. Yes, we can ask our staff how was their weekend. Sure we can plan a fun retreat after that stressful fundraising event. We CAN really do that, and indeed we should. When we trust those ideas that are core to your authentic personality, it can improve our relationships and inspire others to get more engaged with our organizations.
What are some ways that YOU have practiced being authentic in your own leadership?
