Why It’s Time to Rethink the Language of Nonprofit Leadership Development

January 27, 2012 by · 3 Comments

Earlier this week, I gave a presentation for the National Human Services Assembly’s Field Services Council about how to develop a new generation of nonprofit leaders. We talked about some of the new research about what Generation X and Y nonprofit professionals need as well as ideas for how managers, organizations and associations might experiment with different strategies.

What I wanted to share here today is part of the conversation we had about the language we use in nonprofit leadership development as it relates to young people in the sector.

Develop vs. Support

The conventional wisdom in nonprofit leadership development is inherent in the term itself. It can be seen as the idea that nonprofit professionals need to be “developed” from what they are to what they should be. Like tadpoles. Or, it could be interpreted as a continuum of support systems that are required for professionals to reach their full potential in life and work.

I like the latter much better.

That’s why I wonder if now is the time to explore using the term ‘support’ more than we say ‘develop.’ When organizations hear that they need to develop their younger staff, they often go immediately into, “Oh, we don’t have money to develop our staff. It’s expensive to send them off to training or conferences.”

Sure, it is. But there are so many other ways to support young nonprofit professionals that cost little to no money. And the problem is that these opportunities are being grossly underutilized. Maybe because the language we’re using sounds a bit daunting for the average organization.

In contrast, the word support can refer to a wide range of activities from something as simple as saying YES when a young staff member asks to sit in on an important board meeting to giving permission for a group of interns to attend a free nonprofit panel discussion during the day.

Next vs. Now

Another thing we discussed was the language we use when we talk about younger nonprofit leaders. Whenever organizations talk about under-40 professionals, they tend to use the problematic term “next generation” or the more hip “next gen.” While it’s extremely important for groups to have programs geared toward this age demographic in the sector, the term implies that these young people will ONLY become leaders once they get older, over 40. Beyond that, it’s not clear who or what determines when (or if) a “next gen” professional actually transitions into a NOW generation leader.

See the problem here? The very programs that seek to help young nonprofit professionals can, by their very name, defer – or worse – belittle, the leadership they are already exhibiting within their communities, day after day.

In a previous post, I’ve written about The Normative Problem with the Term ‘Next Generation’ Leaders. I invite you to read it and then consider whether that term is really appropriate or useful for the field of nonprofit leadership development and where it needs to go.

My hope is that in 2012, we start thinking beyond who’s “next” and focus on who’s “now,” standing right in front of us with the courage and capacity to lead in a bigger way.

What do you think about the language we use in the field of nonprofit leadership development? What else, if anything, needs to change?

Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership Development Programs · Tagged With: ,

A Review of 2011 and Three Themes for Meaningful Work in 2012

January 3, 2012 by · 4 Comments

Happy new year! I’m still getting settled back in the DC area after a month away in Hawaii and Florida. My body is NOT happy about the change in weather, let me tell you! Part of me refuses to believe that it’s 2012 already. I feel like 2011 was a fast-moving year. Some parts of it felt rushed, which I didn’t like. I was on the road a lot, so it was nice to take a month off (mostly) to relax, spend time with family and get some reading and writing done.

What My Work Looked Like in 2011

I wanted to take a moment to reflect and summarize my public work over the past year. With 25 speaking engagements last year, I’ve been able to meet and learn from hundreds of nonprofit leaders around the country. For that, I am so grateful. If we met last year – anytime, anywhere - let’s reconnect on LinkedIn so we can stay in touch! I’d love to know what you’re working on for 2012 and if I can help.

Here’s a listing of my speaking and training work in 2011:

My consulting work in 2011:

Part of my work during most of 2011 involved facilitating and helping to manage the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington’s (my former employer) Future Executive Directors Fellowship program. We were able to support 25 emerging leaders as fellows in a yearlong leadership development program to help prepare them for nonprofit executive positions. Of our 2010-2011 class, several of them have already become EDs!

I was also interviewed in a few press outlets in 2011:

New products and services in 2011:

I took on a number of career coaching clients in 2011, most of whom either wanted to figure out how to improve in their nonprofit job or transition to a new nonprofit career. I also branched out a bit (this was very fun!) to coach other consultants and entrepreneurs on how to use social media to build their presence and platform online.

How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar, the book I co-wrote with Trista Harris continued to sell copies in ebook and paperback versions. We’ve added a special reader-only section with additional resources and it’s also on Amazon!

I also finally recorded a complete version of my popular 90-minute training on personal branding to advance your career, which you can purchase below.

Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career 


Having trouble getting your name out there for juicy jobs, consulting gigs or leadership opportunities? If so, your personal brand may need some work! This 90-minute video training will explain the origins of personal branding, explore ways to “audit” your current personal brand and inspire you to leverage social media for your career. You will also find out how you can grow your professional network and become known as the “go-to” person in your field using four of the most effective online tools available today: blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. By the end of this workshop, participants will have several strategies to add to their personal branding plan. This session will show you how to enhance your online presence if you already have one and how to get one if you don’t!  As soon as you purchase, you will get immediate access to the 90-minute, pure content webinar recording as well as the PDF handout with all the training slides.

Three Themes for My Work in 2012

After reflecting on what my work looked like last year, I came up with a few intentions for what I want my work to look like this year. Perhaps my list gets you thinking about what your themes would be for the next 12 months. What words or concepts would help you stay mindful of doing your best, most meaningful work in 2012?

Alignment

Through my blog, as well as my speaking and training work, I’ve been able to connect with thousands of professionals all over the country. I surpassed the cognitive limit of 150 “friends” mark a looong time ago. Over the past year, I realized I was adding way more people to my network than I could realistically keep up with (or wanted to try to keep up with). It started to feel frustrating to not be able to answer all my emails, but I wanted to find a way to maintain connections with specific people in my life and work. This post helped out a lot. I also did a mass unfollowing on Twitter a few months ago. Now, I have a smaller number of people I follow on Twitter, plus a special, private list called “friends.” I’ve also culled my Facebook down further to about 100 people that I truly wish to keep tabs on. (I use LinkedIn solely to maintain my professional connections, so that rarely gets overwhelming.)

In 2012, I want to stay aligned with the people who matter to me and only partner with individuals and organizations that fit with the work I want to do in the world. This means saying ‘no’ even more than I do now, or, when I need to, saying nothing to the deluge of emails that hit my inbox every day (there is really no way to “keep up,” no matter what I keep telling myself). Because what I’ve noticed is that when I can focus 100% on doing the work that’s most important to me, I am able to meet the needs of my clients and colleagues in a more meaningful way.

Contribution

Over the past month, I’ve been thinking constantly about which aspects of my work make the most impact for the people I want to serve – nonprofit leaders, young professionals and now, entrepreneurs (especially women and people of color). My most popular speech in 2011 was New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector and I’m hoping to go deeper with that thread of writing and teaching this year. I also continue to see steady interest in my sessions on working across generations and building a strong nonprofit career. My goal in this speaking and training work is not to just illuminate the nonprofit sector’s challenges but to also surface the opportunities for change through authenticity, diversity, innovation and advocacy.

This year, as I strive to live in greater alignment with my strengths and values, I hope to have more organizations book me for leadership development workshops, especially the one that’s been the most immediately powerful for the personal growth of staff: development of a personal mission statement. I will also be asking myself with every opportunity: is this how I want to contribute? What unique gifts can I bring to the table?

Community

One of the biggest lessons that I learned about my work this year is how lonely it can be as an independent consultant/speaker/coach/trainer/whatever. (By the way, this month marks TWO whole years that I’ve been working for myself. Yay!) I’m an introvert and I work well alone. I’m comfortable with that, but I’ve also started to miss the feeling of community that comes with being on the staff of an organization and working on a team with colleagues I can learn from and grow with. I was struck by this in November, right before all the holiday parties began, when I realized that I didn’t have one to go to.

I’m not sure if my need for community extends to seeking a full-time position just yet. My plan right now, though, is to be on the lookout for opportunities to contribute to a great organization in a long-term capacity by January 2013, maybe sooner. In the meantime, I will be making it a bigger priority to connect with like-minded colleagues in person at least once every week, not just online.

So, those are my themes. I learned a lot last year and I look forward to learning even more this year! Here’s to an amazing 2012 filled with meaningful, purpose-driven work.

What did you learn about yourself or your work in 2011? What themes will you be taking into the new year?

Filed Under: Career Advice, Leadership ·

Who Do You Really Work for?

December 15, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Edie Rasell - UCC Justice and Witness Ministries

Most nonprofit professionals (even nonprofit consultants) have someone to answer to when it comes time to get paid. Technically, you work for whomever signs your checks.

On paper, you work for an organization. The board. A supervisor or department head.

But when you think about it . . . that’s not who you really work for, is it?

If you went to work just to please The Big Cheese, your nonprofit job wouldn’t have much meaning, would it?

Of course, it’s easy to be able to say, “that’s not my job” or “I just do what they tell me” or “I’m just the intern” if you view yourself as working simply to fulfill a job description or organizational position.

But I’m willing to bet there’s a 99.9% chance you didn’t take the nonprofit gig you have now just so you could work for your supervisor (as awesome as she may be).

You took it because you thought it would be a good place filled with good people that would allow you to do good work.

But good work for who?

Who does your work impact on a daily basis?

Who will it impact 20 years from now?

That’s who you really work for.

Filed Under: Leadership, Nonprofit Management ·

#NP808 Roundup: Updates from Second Annual Conference of Nonprofit Communities of Hawaii

December 2, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

This is me! In Hawaii! Earlier this week, me and my co-author Trista Harris had the opportunity to speak at the second annual Conference of Nonprofit Communities of Hawai`i. Our morning plenary on the second day of the conference was on “Cultivating Nonprofit Leadership Across Generations.” It was our first time presenting a keynote session together and we were so nervous about how we were going to navigate both of us being on stage at the same time presenting one set of material. (Our solution was to put two chairs on stage and present informally to the audience.) I think it went well, as lots of people took away new ways to apply the ideas we shared about how to approach nonprofit leadership. We also presented a few breakout sessions during the conference on next generation issues in philanthropy as well as nonprofit career advancement.

Mahalo (the Hawaiian word for thank you) to the entire conference planning committee for having us! Very special thanks to Anne Swayne, Lisa Maruyama, Jennifer Creed, Sandra Gibson, Alan Tang, Ruth Limtiaco and Cara Mazzei for bringing us to Hawaii and making our stay so pleasant. Last but not least, much love to everyone who bought their very own copy of our book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar!

Here is our slide deck to give you an idea of what we were talking about in our plenary session.

Cultivating Leadership Across Generations

Blog Post Roundup

Here are all the blog posts I wrote about the conference. Hope they give you a sense of the amazing speakers and passionate nonprofit leaders in Hawaii.

There were a lot more sessions with great speakers, but these are the ones where I attended and took notes. You can find more insights on Twitter!

Follow the #np808 conversation on Twitter

There’s lots of great nuggets from the conference that were shared on Twitter this week. Check them out by searching the hashtag #np808 on Twitter.

Watch Pierre Omidyar’s luncheon keynote on philanthropy

There. It’s almost like you were at the conference with me. Hope the updates were useful to you!

Filed Under: Leadership, Nonprofit Management, Where's Rosetta · Tagged With:

Pierre Omidyar’s Philanthropic Journey: From eBay to Aloha

November 29, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Pierre Omidyar is the luncheon keynote at the second annual Conference of Nonprofit Communities of Hawai`i. Pierre is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is best known as the founder of eBay. In addition to his company, Pierre has had a significant impact in philanthropy – giving away over a billion dollars in the last few years. In Hawaii specifically, he and his wife Pam have given $50 million over six years to the Hawaii Community Foundation, which is considered to be the largest single gift ever given in the state by living donors.

These are the insights Pierre shared with us at lunch, as interviewed by Kelvin Taketa, President of the Hawaii Community Foundation.

***

The first phase of eBay’s philanthropy

Pierre experienced huge growth at eBay for the first few years. As they prepared for the IPO, his team talked about involving the community in their financial growth. They initially created the eBay Foundation (driven by Jeff Skoll) as they realized that they had far more money than anyone could put to use personally. Early on, Pierre talked to Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton, who told him, “Whatever you do, don’t create a foundation.” But of course, that’s what he did.

The Foundation was the first phase of Pierre’s philanthropy.

The next phase: philanthropy as investment

After a while, Pierre began to feel constrained in eBay’s gifts because they could only give to nonprofits. He wanted to be able to do grantmaking as well as make investments in positive social change.

So, Pierre started Omidyar Network in 2004. Also created subsequent organizations: Humanity United, HopeLab, and Ulupono Initiative. Their partners are what allow them to have such an impact on the world. They help Pierre to bring more capital into organizations to help serve more people – especially in the microfinance space.

More recently, Pierre founded Civil Beat, a publication to help make Hawaii a better place. It’s progressive journalism on what’s really happening in Hawaii – investigating the questions people want answers to. (Note: I had a piece published in Civil Beat recently, It’s Time for All Hands on Deck in Hawaii’s Nonprofit Sector)

Why he chose to invest in social good

The challenge of making an impact. The opportunity to use new tools to make it happen. As a technologist, bringing for-profit innovation to the field of social change. People today – especially young people – have a much higher expectation of transparency from organizations.

There’s a difference between charity and philanthropy – and we need both. We need to address the causes – need to take a long view. The status quo is so powerful – very hard to change systems. Pierre has spent a lot of time mapping systems so he knows where to go to make a difference.

“That’s why we give multi-year grants – we want long-term relationships with our grantees. The only way we can have an impact in the world is in working through others. We look at it as a partnership. Grantees enable us to have the impact we want to have.”

On the partnership with Hawaii Community Foundation

Pierre saw that Hawaii was about to go through a tough financial period  - needed charity to help address direct needs to stabilize the community. Got involved with the Island Innovation Fund. With the Innovation Fund, you can see who else applied and who gets the money. This opens it up for new opportunities for collaboration in the sector.

On taking risks in philanthropy

“Risk is a part of creating something new. If you want to create something new, you have to take risks. People have a really hard time envisioning what will happen if they fail. But in Silicon Valley, we have a different approach – if you haven’t tried something and falied and learned from it, why would I want to work with you?”

Standard of success for foundations is that 100% of grants given were successful. This is unreasonable. The philanthropic sector needs to be able to take more risks – not everything has to be a success.

On the role of a nonprofit board

Most important role of a nonprofit board is to make the nonprofit more effective. Beyond fiduciary responsibility, you need to bring the business experience you have to the board and help drive the team toward results. If you had to do just one thing, ensure that the management is clear on what it’s measuring and when they’re meeting its goals. Don’t take your business hat off when you go into the nonprofit boardroom.

On hiring good people

Given the scale of the challenges that we’re working on, the attribute I look for the most is the ability to deal with ambiguity and a sense of the person’s values  - respect, service, humility are really critical. Finding leaders who can deal with ambigous environments and embody these essential values.

On the role of social media in philanthropy

We’re hyperconnected now. The power of connecting people together has a tremendous leverage effect. Social media helps people manage over 150 relationships. If technology has allowed us to maintain contact with others, remarkable things will happen. People are inherently good, so the more connected we are, the more we are likely to want to make a difference. Young people are coming out of college wanting to make the world a better place, though not necessarily in a nonprofit.

On young people and leadership

It’s very important that young people see leadership positions open up to them. What’s the point of developing 20 and 30 year-olds when all the leadership roles are taken up by 50 and 60 year-olds? We have to be mindful of our assumptions that we need people with the most experiences – that means our organizations’ staff will always skew older.

Pierre hopes to create a leadership development program in Hawaii. “Do we have enough leaders to solve the problems we have today? I don’t think so. We need more development programs.” Pierre highlighted the White House Fellows Program where he is a commissioner.

The following was the final question to Pierre, posed by someone from the audience. His initial response resonated quite deeply with me. So simple, yet so profound.

How has your work changed you?

“It has made me more hopeful about the future of humanity.”

***

You can view the archive of the entire live stream of Pierre’s keynote on the Civil Beat website.

 

Filed Under: Leadership, Philanthropy · Tagged With: , , ,
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