Leading Change in Challenging Times

Though executive directors are well known for carrying superhuman burdens, this is no time for single-handed heroics. If a nonprofit is facing a crisis of any magnitude, the executive director’s most urgent task is to accurately communicate the size and scope of the crisis to the organization’s board of directors. That open and honest communication will enable the executive director and board of directors to tackle the organization’s challenges strategically and as a team. Their first task will be to communicate the urgency of the problem to those others who need to know. A well-conceived call to action that appropriately expresses a sense of urgency and a vision for change will lead the organization in the direction of proactive, transformative change.

We are certainly in an historical period of change. For that reason, it is more important than ever for nonprofit leaders–executive directors and board members alike–to be prepared to demonstrate strong and strategic leadership. Not all nonprofit organizations will survive the current economic challenges. Those nonprofit organizations that will come out of these challenging times even stronger than they went in will be those whose leadership engages their organizations in critical analysis of both the challenges and the opportunities they face, develop a realistic plan for addressing both, and are best able to lead them through a throughtful and strategic process for making the changes necessary to enhance their organizational effectiveness.

Suggested Action Items

1. Assess Your Situation - Take stock of all your available resources–and I’m talking about more than money here, folks. Sure, your cash on hand and cash flow are important, but I’m suggesting you identify the other organizational assets. On whom can the organization count at this time? Staff, board, members and donors, other external stakeholders and allies, and the press? What lists does the organization own that it might leverage? Scan your entire environment. Leave no stone unturned.
2. Determine the Size and Scope of the Challenge - How large is the problem? How old is the problem? What is its cause? Is there another way to look at it? Until you get a realistic handle on the nature and extent of the problem, you won’t be communicate about it confidently and thus to enlist all the people you’ll need to solve it.
3. Communicate a Sense of Urgency and a Vision To Your Stakeholders: Call Them To Action! Once the executive director and board of directors has collaborated on the creation of a positive, proactive vision for how to move the organization forward beyond its challenge, it’s time to enlist the troops! Getting first the staff, then donors, then others on board takes the following: a positive attitude; patience and persistence (because change often does not come quickly or easily); and a commitment to being focused on the organization’s greatest asset — it’s people.

 As New Chapter Coaching’s tagline suggests, in order to transform your organization’s future, it’s necessary to take the time to fully explore its present.