What keeps you up at night? As a nonprofit leader, we’re guessing it isn’t just one thing.
Cash flow issues? Staff morale? An unengaged Board? Donor retention? Technology headaches? Program and service delivery when demand has increased exponentially? Or perhaps program and service delivery when demand has decreased or disappeared due to social distancing requirements? Whatever it is that has you losing valuable shuteye, now is the time to set a plan to tackle the opportunities and challenges (sadly, it’s not all sunshine and roses) that lie ahead.
It starts with making time with your partner in social change—yep, you’ve got it—your Board Chair if you’re an ED/CEO or your ED/CEO if you’re a Board Chair. Set aside a couple of hours to talk about what’s working for your organization and what’s not. No blame allowed.
This conversation can often bring forward those unspoken or overlooked pain points you’ve grown to accept. From there, you move to the fun part of creating your vision and accompanying roadmap for the year ahead. This is NOT a strategic plan. It’s simply a shared leadership agenda for the two top dogs of your organization. Together, what will both of you work to make happen? Creating a shared vision helps ensure you’re both on the same page and steering the ship in the same direction. Certainly a better alternative than sinking or going off course!
Below are a handful of questions to help you get started on this shared journey for 2021:
- What does success look like for our nonprofit one year from now?
- What will be our respective roles in reaching this goal?
- How will we work together to reach this milestone?
- What do we need to keep doing to make this a reality and what do we need to do differently?
- What resources do we need to bring this to life?
- How will we hold ourselves accountable along the way?
- How will we know we are making progress? What does that look like and when will we measure it?
The hour or two you invest now will save you countless hours and sleepless nights the rest of the year. Plus, it’s nice to know you’re not in this alone. It can feel lonely at the top, and by working with your other half, you have a built-in support system to navigate these sometimes murky and turbulent nonprofit waters.
If you are looking for help to create your shared leadership agenda for 2021, drop us a line. You’ve got this, and we’re here to support you along the way!