0:00

Thanks for joining me

0:02

today and greetings. I usually

0:04

do some kind of a

0:06

podcast at the start of

0:08

each year. And I think that

0:10

almost every year that I have

0:12

done a podcast, I have

0:14

opened the year with a podcast

0:17

that says this year is going

0:19

to be especially fill in the

0:21

blank. A year like no other.

0:23

And I always mean it. But I

0:25

think I might mean it more

0:27

this year. than I

0:29

ever have before. So I'm going

0:31

to ask you to bear with

0:34

me and do something. I'd

0:36

like you to actually sit

0:38

back in your chair and take

0:40

a deep breath and exhale.

0:43

Then I would like to see that

0:45

your seat belt is fast

0:47

and snug around your

0:49

waist and that your

0:51

seat belt and your

0:53

same factories are in

0:55

their forward upright positions

0:57

for takeoff. We are about

0:59

to have one hell of a

1:02

ride. And today, I want to

1:04

offer you five strategies

1:06

for navigating the hell of

1:09

a year. Greetings and welcome

1:11

to Nonprofits or

1:13

Messie. I'm your host, Joan

1:16

Gary, founder of the

1:18

Nonprofit Leadership Lab, where

1:20

we help smaller nonprofits

1:22

to thrive. I'm also

1:25

a strategic advisor for

1:27

executive directors and boards of

1:29

larger nonprofits. I'm a frequent keynote

1:31

speaker, a blogger, and an author

1:33

on all things leadership and management.

1:36

You can learn more at Joe

1:38

Gary.com. I'm a woman with a mission

1:40

to fuel the leadership of the non-profits.

1:43

My goal with each episode is to

1:45

dig deep into an issue I know

1:47

that non-profit leaders are grappling with

1:49

by finding just the right person

1:51

to offer you advice and insights

1:54

and insights. Today, it turns out

1:56

that the right person is me.

2:00

So we often set New Year's

2:02

resolutions. That's why you can't

2:04

escape all of the ads

2:06

for weight loss programs

2:08

and all of those things that

2:10

people say they're going to take

2:12

care of in the new year.

2:14

I like to look back and

2:17

see what I'm pulling along with

2:19

me and my rollerboard as I

2:21

move into the new year. And

2:23

I encourage you to do the

2:25

same thing. I'm pulling a rollerboard.

2:27

that has a lot of

2:30

accomplishments in it, and I know

2:32

you are too. I'm pulling a rollerboard

2:34

that makes me feel proud, and I

2:36

know you should feel proud of the work

2:39

that you've did last year, but I'm

2:41

asking you to be intentional and sit

2:43

and actually think about a couple

2:46

of things that made you feel

2:48

especially proud. Big moments, small moments,

2:50

victories, not just in terms of...

2:53

sort of how much money you

2:55

brought in the door, but how

2:57

you mentored someone, how you made

3:00

a terrific hire, how you interacted

3:02

with colleagues in your

3:04

community. Just think

3:06

about that and say, it was

3:08

a good year. And I know that this

3:11

year will be different. But

3:13

you're bringing that strength,

3:15

that power, that pride, with

3:17

you on the flight we are about

3:20

to take. I feel... that I'm

3:22

bringing into the new year a

3:24

new perspective on how I will

3:26

spend my time. I will work a

3:28

little less. I will take better

3:30

care of my health. That's not

3:32

a New Year's resolution, by the

3:34

way. That is a factual statement

3:37

based on my age, based on

3:39

my interest in squeezing every little

3:41

bit of juice out of the

3:43

time I have on this planet.

3:45

So work a little less. In

3:48

fact, as you hear this... podcast

3:50

right now. I am not in

3:52

the Garden State of New Jersey

3:54

where I live. I'm actually

3:57

in Florida. Yes, I'll do

3:59

some work. I will be playing

4:02

pickleball perhaps as you

4:04

listen to this. You know, stereotypes

4:06

exist for a reason.

4:09

But I'll be warm. I'll be

4:11

a minute from the beach, and

4:13

I can put my toes in the

4:15

sand. But my head and your

4:17

head cannot be in the sand,

4:20

particularly this year.

4:22

Things will be different.

4:24

And so I want to

4:26

offer you... What I think

4:28

are five areas of focus,

4:30

five strategies that I believe

4:32

will make you a more

4:34

effective leader and manager

4:36

on a flight that's going

4:39

to be potentially really,

4:41

really turbulent, regardless of

4:43

what kind of nonprofit

4:46

you lead, regardless of

4:48

what sector and regardless

4:51

of your political

4:53

ideology. Things may change in

4:56

very big ways. So here they are.

4:58

These are my five. Number one, you

5:00

have to educate yourself.

5:02

So I happened to know because

5:04

I was a nonprofit executive

5:07

director. And I saw that there

5:09

were kind of these three bubbles.

5:12

Bubble number one was my

5:14

organizational bubble making sure that

5:16

my team was good, that

5:18

we were raising the right

5:20

amount of money, that we

5:22

were doing great work. All

5:24

of those things. The

5:26

second bubble larger

5:29

was the bubble of,

5:31

in my case, the

5:33

LGBTQ movement. My colleagues

5:36

in that movement, what

5:38

the trends were, what

5:40

the stories were, what

5:42

things were happening as

5:45

it related to LGBT

5:47

issues that would impact how

5:49

I led my

5:51

organization. A bubble I

5:54

didn't really pay much attention

5:56

to. And it is called the

5:58

non-profit sector. bubble, right?

6:01

My organization existed in the

6:03

LGBT movement and the LGBT

6:05

movement organizations existed in a

6:07

bubble of the non-profit sector.

6:10

And I'm gonna rather with

6:12

my head-hanging low tell you

6:14

I didn't follow trends in

6:16

the non-profit sector very much.

6:18

Now it's part of my

6:21

mission, my job, is to

6:23

provide you with context and

6:25

insights that helped you. Think

6:27

about that third bubble. I

6:30

am here to say that

6:32

in 2024, paying attention to

6:34

that third bubble is non-negotiable.

6:36

You have got to read

6:39

nonprofit news and understand trends.

6:41

This is an important ecosystem

6:43

that may in fact change

6:45

in some pretty dramatic ways.

6:48

The incoming administration in Washington

6:50

seems rather focused on non-profits

6:52

at the moment. We'll see

6:54

where that goes. Many of

6:57

you have heard about H.R.

6:59

9495, a piece of legislation,

7:01

and you can count on

7:03

us here at non-profits or

7:06

messy to keep you apprised

7:08

of the status of that

7:10

bill and the implications thereof.

7:12

We have a podcast in

7:15

the works already with someone

7:17

to talk just about that.

7:19

So that's something you can

7:21

look forward to on this

7:23

podcast. But I also am

7:26

strongly urging you to have

7:28

your eyes wide open about

7:30

trends in the non-profit sector.

7:32

I'm going to tell you

7:35

that I have an old-fashioned

7:37

habit and I read the

7:39

hard copy of the Chronicle

7:41

of Philanthropy. And you can

7:44

do it online. I learned

7:46

really important things about how...

7:48

or other organizations are girding

7:50

themselves for 20 for the

7:53

new year. I learned about

7:55

a small organization that is

7:57

innovating. in a very big

7:59

way. I read opinion pieces

8:02

by some really interesting thought

8:04

leaders. Not only did it

8:06

put gas in my tank,

8:08

but it gave me ideas

8:11

and context, and it's going

8:13

to do the same for

8:15

you. If you're wondering where

8:17

you're going to find the

8:20

time for this, I'm going

8:22

to tell you that the

8:24

technical phrase, it will bite

8:26

you in the butt if

8:28

you don't make time. And

8:31

I'll talk a little bit

8:33

about time management in one

8:35

of my other, one of

8:37

my other four strategies for

8:40

the new year. So my

8:42

first strategy is you have

8:44

got to educate yourself. Things

8:46

will not stay the same.

8:49

I can't tell you what

8:51

that looks like, but if

8:53

you are not paying a

8:55

lot of attention, you won't

8:58

know and you and your

9:00

board will not be prepared.

9:02

Strategy number two actually has

9:04

to do with your board.

9:07

I am going to strongly

9:09

encourage you to invest in

9:11

shifting the mindset of your

9:13

board. So there are three

9:16

levels of governance, fiduciary, strategic,

9:18

and generative. Fiduciary, making sure

9:20

nothing goes wrong. Strategic, solving

9:22

problems. Generative, imagining what is

9:25

possible. The vast majority the

9:27

overwhelming majority of boards Never

9:29

leave fiduciary the fiduciary level.

9:31

I call it because I

9:34

have my twin engine jet

9:36

philosophy I say that for

9:38

the fiduciary level of governance

9:40

is on the tarmac the

9:42

plane is on the tarmac

9:45

in the weeds on the

9:47

tarmac Shouldn't really be any

9:49

weeds in the tarmac, but

9:51

you get the idea and

9:54

so Your board is very

9:56

likely all about making sure

9:58

nothing goes wrong. We call

10:00

that risk management. That

10:02

is in fact one of the responsibilities

10:05

of a non-profit

10:07

board. But oh my goodness,

10:10

so not the only one, right?

10:12

Risk management and

10:14

innovation do not go together.

10:16

Risk management and

10:19

piloting, and I'm not talking

10:21

about the jet, piloting, trying

10:23

new things, failing forward.

10:26

All of those things don't

10:28

really go together much. with

10:30

risk management. It's time for

10:32

you to push your board, to be

10:34

more adaptive, to introduce

10:37

the idea of a pilot, try

10:39

something new, illustrate proof of

10:41

concept, share the success with

10:43

your board, and help them

10:46

feel the success that comes

10:48

with trying something new. I

10:50

feel like this is really going

10:52

to be important, because otherwise

10:55

you are going to be

10:57

reactive to changes. rather than

10:59

proactive to them. Right? Here's

11:02

another thing on this subject

11:04

about risk management that I

11:06

want you to keep in mind. The

11:09

independent sector reports that

11:11

over the last several years

11:13

we have seen a precipitous

11:16

drop in the policy and

11:18

lobbying efforts of nonprofit organizations.

11:21

There's lots of reasons for

11:23

this, and that may be a

11:26

whole another podcast. But certainly one

11:28

of them is a fear of

11:31

jeopardizing their tax-exempt

11:33

status. Fear. Risk management.

11:36

Go back to educate yourself,

11:38

which is my number

11:40

one strategy. Educate yourself

11:42

and your board about

11:44

how your organization can,

11:47

in fact, engage in

11:49

policy work without jeopardizing

11:51

your tax-exempt status. Or

11:54

without taking that risk. Help

11:57

your board get better

11:59

job. and recognize

12:01

that in some cases

12:03

with some of your

12:06

organizations, there's going to be

12:08

some fight, and they're going

12:10

to need to have some teeth.

12:12

So, number one is educate

12:14

yourself. Number two is shift

12:16

the mindset of your board

12:18

from risk managers to

12:20

innovators. Remember, the origin

12:23

story of your organization

12:25

is rooted in innovation. It's

12:27

rooted in trying something new. in

12:30

seeing a gap, in filling

12:32

a need, please continually

12:34

remind your board of

12:37

that and why it is

12:39

important to continually be

12:41

assessing and changing how

12:43

you do things to not

12:46

only have greater impact,

12:48

but also to

12:50

proactively address turbulent

12:52

air ahead. Number

12:54

three, get comfortable

12:56

living in a non-binary

12:59

world. I mean this in a

13:01

very broad sense. We can

13:03

no longer ignore the space

13:06

in between. You know, I

13:08

often talk about a

13:10

twin engine jet as

13:12

a metaphor for a

13:14

non-profit organization, and I

13:17

put the chair of

13:19

their board and the

13:21

executive director in the cockpit.

13:24

Two deciders, two type

13:26

A people in the cockpit.

13:28

They actually have to

13:30

share leadership. It's kind

13:33

of non-binary in

13:35

that way. It's gray. It's

13:37

time to embrace the gray,

13:40

this year especially. A

13:42

binary worldview is antiquated

13:46

and serves us very,

13:48

very poorly. We are in

13:50

a very polarized world,

13:52

and the only way through

13:54

it is to learn how

13:56

to learn how to

13:58

multiple truths. I can bring

14:01

this home for myself and

14:03

say that I can look

14:05

at the Israel-Hemos War and

14:07

know two truths or one truth.

14:09

It is completely legitimate

14:12

for me to be heartbroken

14:14

for multiple groups

14:16

at the same time. And

14:19

because our world is polarized,

14:21

I do believe it tends

14:23

to drive us to the, it is

14:25

either this or this. And I don't

14:27

think that will help us.

14:29

I think we have to look

14:32

at what brings us together.

14:34

And so many of you do

14:36

work that can and

14:38

is exactly that. So

14:40

embrace the gray and start

14:43

to get comfortable living

14:45

in a non-binary

14:47

world. Exerspilled

14:49

and exercise your team's

14:51

muscles to have difficult

14:54

conversations. Grab resources to

14:56

help people begin to

14:58

get more comfortable being

15:00

really uncomfortable. Remember, you

15:02

came into this work as a

15:04

disruptor. There's going to

15:06

be a lot of disruption

15:09

this year, navigating it thoughtfully

15:11

with the people who don't necessarily

15:13

agree with you is going

15:15

to be essential. Number

15:18

four, embrace community.

15:20

We're going to need each

15:22

other in the nonprofit sector.

15:25

We're going to need each

15:27

other, period. My wife, for quite

15:29

a number of years, was the

15:31

head of the food network brought

15:34

many household names into

15:36

your kitchens and living

15:38

rooms. And I remember

15:40

very distinctly that

15:43

after September 11th, maybe

15:45

it was. October or

15:47

November. We were sitting around and my

15:49

wife said to me, you know, I

15:51

think that there's going to be a

15:53

big run on roasting pants at

15:55

William Sonoma. I was like, I'm sorry,

15:58

what? She said, I just think. that

16:00

difficult times drive

16:02

people to be together, to be

16:04

in community, and to, as

16:06

she said, nest. I thought

16:08

it was a really interesting

16:11

hypothesis. And then, of course, I

16:13

couldn't have been more than a

16:15

few weeks later, there was,

16:18

in fact, an article that

16:20

there was, in fact, a

16:22

run on roasting pans at

16:24

William Sonoma and places where

16:26

roasting pans are sold. I

16:29

believe the same thing is going to

16:31

happen this year. That there will

16:33

be a need for us to be

16:36

in community. I also remember, as

16:38

the founder of the Nonprofit

16:40

Leadership Lab, we don't just

16:42

provide resources, time-saving

16:45

resources for non-profit

16:47

leaders, board and staff.

16:49

We also provide a community,

16:52

a community where you don't

16:54

feel so alone. And as we...

16:56

started to understand the

16:59

magnitude of the pandemic

17:01

in 2020. My business partner

17:04

and I were unclear about

17:06

whether or not the leadership

17:08

lab would draw people

17:11

during such a difficult

17:13

period. We needn't have

17:15

worried because we had

17:17

the opportunity to help so

17:20

many more leaders that year

17:22

because they needed. timely

17:25

information about how to file

17:27

for a PPP loan, but

17:29

maybe even more than that,

17:31

they just needed to be

17:33

in an online community with

17:35

others who are standing in

17:37

their shoes. I think that's what

17:40

we're going to have this coming

17:42

year and what you as a leader

17:44

are going to need. And by the

17:47

way, one of the really

17:49

remarkable things about our leadership

17:51

lab... is I may be in the

17:54

LGBTQ space, but I have as

17:56

much to learn from someone

17:58

who runs and... association

18:01

in Canada for somebody

18:03

who runs a program

18:06

for autism in the

18:08

UK. And in fact, the

18:10

leaders enrich one another.

18:13

And honestly, it's inspiring

18:16

to be in community

18:18

with other folks who

18:20

are trying to make the

18:22

world a better place one

18:25

day, one step, one step,

18:27

one action at a time. Think

18:30

about that as it relates to

18:32

your team. Think about how that

18:34

relates to bringing your team together,

18:36

even if you are remote or

18:39

hybrid. And think about what

18:41

it means for you as a leader.

18:43

This is going to be a bumpy

18:45

ride, and nonprofit executive

18:47

directors are by nature. They

18:50

can feel quite lonely. And so

18:52

loneliness is not going to be

18:54

your friend this coming year. So

18:57

think about that as well. So we

18:59

have. Four so far. Get

19:01

smart, educate yourself,

19:03

shift the mindset of

19:05

your board, get comfortable

19:08

living in a non-binary

19:10

world, embrace community,

19:13

and my fifth one, final,

19:15

invest in you. It

19:17

will be absolutely essential

19:19

that you take good care

19:22

of yourself this year. There

19:24

is always a risk that

19:26

your engine will overheat. You're

19:29

going to hear different

19:31

pieces of information about

19:33

the same thing, in the same

19:36

week, and your head's going to

19:38

be spinning like Linda Blair

19:40

in the exorcist, right?

19:42

You've got to keep centered. And

19:45

what do I mean by

19:47

that? Well, certainly I mean

19:49

balance, making sure that you have

19:51

a palette of activities in

19:54

your world that fuel you

19:56

in one way shape or form.

19:58

Right. Don't think of war. is just

20:00

work that you do until you

20:03

can have time with your

20:05

family. Think about it as of

20:07

a cloth, but you have to

20:09

make time for you. As part

20:11

of that, please see professional

20:13

development, growing your skills

20:15

and your chops as

20:18

a leader and a

20:20

manager, to be not a luxury

20:22

item, but a must have.

20:24

I need to be really good

20:26

at flying that jet, especially. when

20:29

the air is turbulent. So

20:31

investing in, getting the best leadership

20:33

book you can find. Reading my

20:35

blog or listening a podcast just

20:38

like this one. That's an example,

20:40

right? Take care of yourself, like

20:42

escape. And I'm not a meditator

20:44

because I'm too fidgety. The fidgety

20:46

skeptic I think is what Dan

20:48

Harris refers to me as, or

20:50

people like me as. If you're

20:53

a reader. Get a book that

20:55

takes you away and just read

20:57

for 15 minutes before you go

20:59

to bed to sort of shut

21:01

it down. Glenda, who runs

21:03

the non-profit leadership lab for

21:05

us, happens to be, I

21:07

hope I'm not outing her here,

21:09

like addicted to true crime podcasts.

21:12

There's an escape. Pick one.

21:14

Use it. See its value. Here's

21:17

another example of

21:19

investing in yourself. Learn how

21:21

to say no or not yet. Maybe

21:23

you can get home in time

21:25

for dinner. No, or not yet. I

21:28

coach clients every day. I

21:30

see thousands of folks in our

21:32

leadership lab. You have control

21:35

issues. I know this. I have them

21:37

too. In this, we are kindred

21:39

spirits. Learn to delegate.

21:41

When you say you have too much

21:43

on your plate, take a look at

21:46

what's on your plate. Does it

21:48

really all belong there? I

21:50

don't think so. And if you do

21:52

that, You might be able

21:55

to manage your time

21:57

rather than it managing

21:59

you. Nonprofit Leadership Lab is

22:01

led by Joan Garry

22:03

and is the world's best

22:05

online community for leaders

22:08

of small nonprofits. Learn how

22:10

to raise more money,

22:12

build the board of your

22:14

dreams, grow a large

22:16

audience of supporters and so

22:18

much more. To learn

22:21

more and request an invitation

22:23

to become a member,

22:25

please go to nonprofitleadershiplab .com/podcast.

22:27

That's nonprofitleadershiplab .com/podcast. So

22:30

these are my five pieces of

22:32

advice. Five strategies

22:34

that will enable

22:36

you to be the best

22:38

leader and manager you can be this year.

22:42

First, get smart, educate

22:45

yourself in a way you probably never

22:47

have before. Number

22:49

two, shift

22:52

the mindset of your board. Move

22:54

them from risk management

22:57

to embracing

23:00

adaptability, embracing

23:03

change management, embracing

23:06

innovation. It

23:09

is how your

23:11

organization started and

23:14

many far too many organizations have strayed

23:16

too far from it. Number three,

23:19

embrace the gray

23:21

and get comfortable living

23:23

in a non -binary

23:25

world. I

23:27

talk often about shared leadership

23:29

between the board and staff. That's

23:32

what I mean by gray. A

23:34

polarized society

23:37

where we talk with people

23:39

who vehemently disagree with us. How

23:42

do we get comfortable being in that

23:44

space? We have to,

23:47

in fact, not dig our

23:49

heels in, but find

23:51

common ground. Number

23:54

four is embracing community, non

23:56

-profit leaders have lonely

23:59

jobs. and really

24:01

difficult times provide

24:03

us with an opportunity to

24:05

be fueled by

24:07

the community around us,

24:10

people who stand in our

24:12

shoes, whether that is people

24:14

in your family, your

24:16

chosen family, or your

24:19

family within your sector

24:21

or within the larger

24:23

non-profit sector.

24:25

It will fuel you. You will

24:28

learn and be inspired by

24:30

those who also share the

24:32

same commitment and passion to

24:35

the nonprofit sector.

24:37

And lastly, invest

24:39

in you. This is so one of

24:41

those situations where you got

24:44

to put the mask on

24:46

first. And I know that

24:48

generally results in maniacal

24:51

laughter from nonprofit leaders

24:53

that I say it

24:55

to. But boy, oh boy, this

24:57

year, yes, this year. So breathe.

25:00

Make sure that seat belt

25:02

is snugly fastened

25:04

and take those five things

25:06

with you as we move into

25:09

the new year. Lastly,

25:11

because I want you to

25:13

really be thinking about

25:15

that third bubble, right?

25:17

We talked about the

25:20

organization, the sector you're

25:22

in. For me, it was the

25:24

LGBT movement. For you, it might

25:26

be social services. It might be

25:29

the unhoused. It might be food

25:31

insecurity. It might be equine therapy.

25:33

It might be autism. But that's

25:35

third bubble, the non-profit sector,

25:38

the one we've probably all

25:40

been ignoring that I want you

25:42

to educate yourself about. I want

25:44

you to think about it as more

25:46

than a sector. I think this is

25:48

going to help you. I want you to

25:50

think about it as a movement. Thousands

25:54

and thousands of

25:56

people from all over

25:59

the world. affecting

26:01

change in absolutely

26:03

remarkable ways. Yeah,

26:05

I'm talking about you. And

26:07

all of them stronger

26:10

together, right? Coming

26:12

together in community

26:14

and stronger as a result.

26:17

That's how I see that

26:19

third bubble, the non-profit

26:21

sector. I see it

26:23

as a movement. that

26:25

we are all part of

26:28

a strong and determined movement

26:30

to make the world more fair,

26:32

more just, and more

26:34

beautiful. And let me just

26:37

tell you that when you think

26:39

about all of those people,

26:41

of which you are one, and all

26:43

of those organizations,

26:46

and you align that with

26:48

the turbulence ahead, I'm

26:50

betting on you, I'm betting

26:52

on the sector. I'm betting on

26:54

the non-profit sector to be

26:56

a force to be reckoned with in the

26:59

coming year. Happy New Year. Thanks

27:01

so much for spending time

27:03

with me today. I hope you

27:06

found the conversation valuable as you

27:08

navigate the messy world of

27:10

nonprofits. Check out all my other

27:13

resources at Joan Gehry.com. Hope

27:15

you find them helpful too.

27:17

Lastly, thank you for the work you

27:19

do to repair the world in ways

27:21

large and small. I'll see you next

27:23

time.