Develop Leadership Best Practices for Your Small Nonprofit

As you develop leadership best practices for your small nonprofit, you can continue here to assess another four practices or attitudes that should be present in your organization. 

Take the time to reflect carefully on each on. Then determine what if any discussions, actions or research should be conducted to address your concerns.

The goal is an improved organization that better serves your participants. 

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13. Quality People Are Attracted to Serve Within the Organization

This is Practice 13 of 80

Your organization draws good quality people to it.

When an organization is run well, people are valued and their contributions maximized, others will be attracted.

If We Were Coaching Together I Would Ask This

• What is the net flow of high calibre leaders and workers from your organization ... coming or going?

• What trends can you notice among certain age groups or other configurations of workers?

• What do those trends mean? 

• If they mean that some dissatisfaction has set in, how will you address it?

Determine what it is that attracts the type of quality people that you want serving in your organization.

Why This Practice is Important to me as an Executive Coach

Positive, personally growing and integrity driven staff that care about people are essential. Without them, really, why would good people be attracted to work or serve there? No amount of great coaching could make things different if those fundamentals aren't addressed. 

I've been part of an organization that kept great people - leaders and volunteers - coming back year after year. We saw donors give consistently. There's something about a positive and "willingness to contribute" attitude of those who lead and work in an organization that is impressive to new people. 

New people want to be a part of it. And they bring their passion, experience and expertise, which builds the organization. Determine and develop leadership best practices for your small nonprofit and you will attract good people.  

Often, addressing the underlying attitudes, behaviors and culture of a team or organization has been the focus of coaching with an Executive Director who finds themself in such an environment. 

They realize they have a big hill to climb to overcome whatever has happened at the organization to make such an unattractive atmosphere for attracting good people. But with insight, good ideas and sensitive but purposeful follow- through, gains are made, and the organization is "turned around." 

The Key Concept, Attitude or Action That Drives This Practice

ATTRACTIVE

The working atmosphere of the organization needs to be attractive. That atmosphere is set by the attitudes and actions of its leadership.

An Expansive Thought

Cultivate attracting quality people. Learn everything you can about how to do that. How do you get them, keep them and deploy them on a course to take the good results of your organization further than ever before.

An Action Point

Ask yourself what attracts mature and effective leaders and then act on it.

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14. People Are Empowered to Assume Leadership Roles

This is Practice 14 of 80

New leadership roles are often just waiting to happen.

Good organizations and good leaders can often detect potential in others that the person may not see in themselves. Encouragers move other people forward, challenging, empowering and enabling them to grow into leadership roles appropriate to their level of growth.

Move emerging leadership along. It will pay off in long-term commitment to the organization.

If We Were Coaching Together I Would Ask This

• What has been your history of moving people into positions of leadership? 

• Looking back, what went right in moving people into positions of leadership? What went "okay?" What went wrong? 

• Looking back, what should we have asked and looked into that we didn't?

• How can we strengthen what went right in transitioning leadership? 

• Who in your leadership has an above average ‘knack’ for seeing good people and encouraging them into leadership?

• What will you do with this insight?

Most individual leaders started by taking responsibility for something small. If you think you have the ‘something small’, go and find someone with a passion to do it.

Why This Practice is Important to me as an Executive Coach

Our organizations need a constant flow of new leadership, effective and relevant to those we serve. Many times my clients are feeling overloaded because they haven't gone out and found "that right person" who can do a job they would be better delegating. 

Finding good people, and moving them forward is often a focus of our coaching. We often use a behavioral assessment to determine how this potential person might perform in certain areas. Finding these people and setting them up for success is just plain good leadership. 

The Key Concept, Attitude or Action That Drives This Practice

ADVANCEMENT

Advancing those you see perform from within your own organization develops a consistent and knowledgeable leadership base.

An Expansive Thought

Our organizations offer so many opportunities to form, test and advance emerging leadership. We need to be intentional about those opportunities.

An Action Point

Plan a consistent strategy of recognizing, grooming and moving leadership forward.

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15. Succession - Leaders Know When it is Time to Let Others Take Over

This is Practice 15 of 80

A good leader knows when it is time to move on. They have a capacity to sense the right timing.

They are not threatened by moving. They sense when it is time for fresh energy and vision to be brought into the organization.

They are always ready for fresh challenges and never content to fall into a 'let's keep the status quo' role.

Succession needs to be planned well ahead of time. This is where coaching may be critical. Thinking it through and putting in place a strategy that brings growth to the organization is essential.

If We Were Coaching Together I Would Ask This

• In what way does your organization provide a climate where someone could be sensitive to it being time to go?

• How is the topic of succession raised with your leadership? What, if anything, needs to be adjusted?

Why This Practice is Important

Every organization reaches a time where it needs fresh vision and energy. Sometimes only additional or new leadership can provide that.

The Key Concept, Attitude or Action That Drives This Practice

COMPLETION

There is a time for bringing one phase of work to completion. There is a time for letting go.

An Expansive Thought

Perhaps the greatest test of good leadership is knowing how to replace itself with potentially better leadership.

An Action Point

Ask yourself what climate needs to be established to allow your leaders to be sensitive to when it is time to go. Is it time for you to move on?

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16. There are Smooth Transitions in Leadership

This is Practice 16 of 80

Leadership transition happens in a way that the organization can truly celebrate.

New people are trained. Those leaving are appropriately and generously thanked for their contribution.

If you have a history of poor changeover in leadership, it reflects something being wrong in a number of other areas, long before their leaving was announced.

If We Were Coaching Together I Would Ask This

• How much time would be appropriate to ‘overlap’ leadership for a smooth changeover at your organization?

• How does this apply at all the various levels of leadership?

• What has traditionally led up to having to make this change?

• Has it been positive or negative, and what does that tell you?

Why This Practice is Important

Smooth evolution in leadership provides times of celebration for the organization. It is here where past successes and future possibilities merge for the continued health of the work.

The Key Concept, Attitude or Action That Drives This Practice

TRANSITION

Changeover is successful when people feel confident in what is taking place and in the fact that it hasn't come about because of conflict or confusion.

An Expansive Thought

Organizations that transition without conflict or confusion tend to be stronger organizations and maintain greater loyalty.

An Action Point

Prepare now for the future transition of leadership at every level of responsibility.

This ends, Develop Leadership Best Practices for Your Small Nonprofit.

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Now that You Have Thought About How You Develop Leadership Best Practices for Your Small Nonprofit, What Will You Do?

Having spent time thinking about how you develop leadership best practices for your small nonprofit (or not,) what will you do next? 

You've looked at another four good practices of strong organizations. How will you incorporate your learning into your organization? 

If you wish to explore working with an Executive and Leadership Performance Coach, use this form to reach out to me. We can explore your concerns and see if we might be able to do some work together.