Author: Beth Wonson
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NCD Mantras Help Support Healthy Political Discussions
No matter where you sit politically, it can be a challenge to have open, heartfelt discussions while still maintaining connection and trust. Navigating Challenging Dialogue® (NCD) is a proven tool for having tough conversations while maintaining connection. Connection is essential for our existence and sustainability as a species. See here how the NCD Mantras serve as…
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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. In the process of promotion, what is frequently missing is support for developing…
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Don’t Leave Your Teammates Hanging
After I’d worked with a leadership team for several hours, a participant very courageously spoke up. “I’m not convinced that when we are working together, we are all rowing in the same direction.” If I let the that statement drop, with no acknowledgment or further engagement from their peers, the lesson of the day would…
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Generating Funds While Furthering Your Mission
Social enterprise is a sustainable financial growth model that promotes philanthropy through profit generation. Possibly the biggest challenge to launching this type of model is that it requires is a shift in nonprofit thinking. The first step is to begin with …
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Finding Joy in Our Work
Often the work we do is hard, sometimes even heartbreaking. The ability to solve complex social issues and to make change, in both public and private organizations, can take time and patience. Sometimes that leads to feeling overwhelmed, which can lead to focusing only on the hard parts, and having less space for joy. Here…
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How to Integrate into an Existing Team
Being invited into an existing team is an acknowledgement of your skills and potential. It is one step forward as you develop your leadership presence. But not all teams know how to effectively integrate someone new. Here are some steps you can take to facilitate your own smooth entry to an existing team.
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How skillful and intentional are you at building trust?
Building sustainable long-term trust is essential for anyone who manages, leads, or hopes to lead people. Building that trust begins not with others, but with our own actions and behaviors. In times of uncertainty and rapid change, it is critical that leaders are aware of the ways in which they demonstrate their trustworthiness. And it’s…
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Taking a Moment to Be Uplifted
The world is hard to take right now, so I seek out ways to find joy, laugh, and be inspired. One way I do this is by turning off the news and listening to something uplifting that releases oxytocin, known as the bonding or love hormone. Lately, I’ve been listening to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ podcast “Wiser…
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Authentic Collaboration in the Non-Profit Domain
There is a big gap in the nonprofit world, and it revolves around the skillfulness and desire for authentic collaboration. Nonprofits often feel they need to be territorial and competitive to survive. Collaboration isn’t always easy, but it is worth it. It reduces isolation in nonprofit work and creates better services and safety nets for…
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The Leader Who Never Says No
I see authentic community as one of the most effective tools for engagement, retention, innovation, and making sure goals are being hit. In an authentic community employees feel they are contributing to solving challenges. They feel valued, and experience intrinsic satisfaction from their work. When the people in the workplace have the opportunity to be…