To successfully lead a nonprofit you must cultivate a culture of trust and respect. Trust is born of respect, and it is the foundation of all good management.
To successfully lead a nonprofit you must paint a vision of where your organization is headed and the behaviors and attitudes you will value on the journey. A culture of trust and respect is vital.
The character of your organization will never exceed your own. Cultivate a supportive organizational culture that moves your nonprofit toward its goals while promoting a respectful workplace where people can contribute their best. Your tone and behavior should show regard for every employee's strengths, contributions, and cultural background, as well as their health, workplace comfort, and psychological safety. Trust is born of respect.
An organization committed to excellence deliberately focuses on building strong teams. It’s critical to identify and recruit a diversity of people who share a commitment to your mission and are willing to learn and adapt as your nonprofit’s needs change.
Respecting and trusting your people is the foundation of all good management.
— Jim Morgan
Respecting and trusting your people is the foundation of all good management.
— Jim Morgan
Conversation Starter
A complete set of conversation starters to accompany the chapter.
Download NowToolkit
A complete set of tools to accompany the chapter.
Download Now
You will never change an organization's culture just by telling employees that the culture needs to change. You must take deliberate action to create and nurture the culture you want.
02To successfully lead a nonprofit you must cultivate a culture of trust and respect. Trust is born of respect, and it is the foundation of all good management.
03Always listen for and seek out signs of trouble. Use porpoising to gather information at all levels of your organization. Bad news is good news if you do something about it.
04In the nonprofit sector, court sense means understanding the environment that impacts your organization. Look up, look forward, and look around to anticipate problems and adjust your strategy.
05Your nonprofit has specific functions and processes, as well as regulations it must follow. A weakness in any operational area can negate successes in others.
06Nonprofit boards and staff teams must prioritize and focus on the most important decisions and tasks. Taking time to plan creates a useful rhythm and routine.
07Planning is essential, but success comes from implementation. Book It and Ship It means making a decision, putting it in motion, and managing the consequences.
08To create a culture of accountability, reinforce individual ownership of problems. Make sure responsibility stays clear and always ask who's got the monkey.