Breaking Free from Limiting Leadership Patterns

Leadership development is a primary concern for the sustainability and growth of all organizations, but especially in the nonprofit sector.

Most, not all, nonprofit leaders are “home grown” meaning you have grown up in the organization or field you now work in. And because of your resiliency, tenacity, hard work, and commitment, at some point you will likely be tapped to lead the organization or your team.

In the process of promotion, what is frequently missing is support for developing these new leaders in the art of leading humans.

This development is essential because the skills, habits, patterns, and strengths that raised you to do the work well are not the same ones that will serve the organization well from a leadership and sustainability standpoint.

Here are some of the patterns I see that are tripping leaders up:

  • Being so busy putting out fires that they can no longer see the big picture

  • Not setting appropriate boundaries between themselves, staff, volunteers, and clients

  • Not empowering others to use their skills and talents effectively

  • A lack of strategic thinking and planning to achieve the mission of the organization

  • Building a board made up of allies and friends rather than people who will measurably help the organization be better

  • Forgetting that they don’t “own” the nonprofit

  • Inability to have difficult conversations, engage in healthy conflict, and give and receive feedback

  • Being resistant to change

  • Being protective and competitive rather than collaborative

  • Not making a priority of culture and trust within the workplace

  • Forgetting to find the joy in the work and the people doing the work with you

Do any of these sound familiar to you?

The work of leading is hard enough. And when you don’t take the time to look at your patterns of behavior and communication to determine what no longer serves you can burn out and get frustrated.

My question is “Why work harder than you have too?”

If you are an emerging or existing nonprofit leader and would like your leadership to be effective, enjoyable, and to be a contributing factor to the sustainability of your organization, I can help.

The work you do is too important to the world to be held back by old patterns of behavior!

Navigating Challenging Dialogue® Workshops for Nonprofit Leaders

This October 2024, in partnership with Impact Foundry, I will be facilitating two workshops in Sacramento, CA. Both workshops are specifically for strengthening the skills and increasing the capacity of nonprofit leaders.This is the first time my workshops are being offered in Sacramento County.

These two workshops are for nonprofit leaders like you who are looking to:

  • be inspired

  • take leadership to the next level

  • learn with and from other nonprofit leaders

Reserve your seat and take advantage of the special nonprofit pricing.

Beth Wonson