Coaching is catching on faster and faster in the nonprofit world.

Coaching provides a unique form of support.  It’s deeper than a seminar and more personal that a consultant.  And it’s not a one-shot deal.  A coach gives you someone to work with over a period of time and someone you can count on.

Many major companies have embraced executive coaching as a great form of professional development.  It’s viewed as a way to support top producers.  For the Nonprofit Professional, knee-deep in work and starved for resources, hiring a Coach can be a tremendous investment. When you enhance your skill set, time management, and confidence, it ripples through the organization.

But before you hire someone to be your coach, ask them if they have a coach.

If you’re going to invest in yourself in this very personal way, make sure that your coach is also investing in themselves. You want someone who walks their talk and who can being their best ‘A’ game to support you.

Personally, I have several coaches and mentors.  I learn different things from different ones.  This year, I decided to invest in some expensive, high-end coaching and it’s been a wild ride!  The simple decision to do it shifted my thinking and how I look at things.  With the help of my coach, I’ve been able to plan bigger than ever before, and work toward making those plans a reality.  I don’t think I could have accomplished so much without her.

I’m already thinking about who will coach me in 2011.  Are you?  If you’re thinking about having support next year, I’m working on a hybrid coaching/consulting program that will absolutely take your fundraising program to the next level.  There will be LOTS of cool stuff in this program, including retreats, attending the AFP conference in Chicago (I’m paying for you to go!) and learning activities with horses.  If you’re interested, shoot me an email at sandy@sandyrees.com and I’ll send you an application.

Coaching is effective for people who want to make change but aren’t sure how to do it. If you want to make some changes in your nonprofit organization, think about starting with a coach.

I’m a big believer in continuing education.  I encourage my students to take advantage of learning opportunities, and like a good coach, I practice what I preach.

Last week, I went to a 3-hour seminar with a group of my friends.  And it stretched my thinking.  Actually, I’m still processing some of the material nearly a week later.

Four of us piled into the car and drove from Knoxville to Atlanta.  We chatted nonstop on the way down about our challenges.  We shared our goals and supported each other to dream bigger. (Isn’t it great to have people like that in your life?  People you can openly share with and know they’ll give you the honest truth?)

Personally, I had a couple of big “aha” moments that afternoon.  I got really clear that I have some big dreams about the impact I want to make on the world. I saw how BIG my dreams are. I also saw that I have some work to do to make it happen.  And I’m ready!

How about you? Are you working to improve yourself and your skills so that you can reach your dreams?  Or are you “playing it safe” and staying with what’s comfortable for you?

I’d love to hear what you think.  Hit the comment link and share.

Today’s post comes from Skip Weisman of Weisman Success Resources, Inc.   Skip helps business leaders create “Champion Organizations” with improved personnel, productivity and profits.

During a lunch meeting with a new client I learned he was becoming increasingly frustrated with senior team members and frontline employees who:

• Were not taking responsibility for their jobs
• Needed constant prodding to get things done
• Were not responsive to client requests and phone messages
• Were throwing their fellow employees “under the bus”
• Were having shouting matches in the office
• Procrastinated on business opportunities
• Were showing up late or leaving early with no explanation
• Had negative attitudes
• Were not producing results

My project began searching for the underlying cause of these issues through interviews, focus groups and observation. Through this research it was learned that my client was violating virtually every leadership communication mistake.

To simplify the project I categorized them into “The 7 Deadly Sins of Organizational Leadership Communication.”

These behaviors had caused significant damage to my client’s business, estimated at about $5 million over 10 years:

• Communication Sin #1: Lack of Specificity
  This causes people to mind-read or guess as to what is being requested. Details are left out or are ambiguous. The recipient fails to ask for more specifics and has to figure it out on their own.

• Communication Sin #2: Lack of Focus on Desirable Behaviors
  People are great at saying what they don’t want or don’t want others to do, but have trouble identifying the preferred desirable behaviors. Where your focus goes, grows, so people are getting more of what they don’t want because they continue to focus on it.

• Communication Sin #3: Lack of Directness
  This is where people gossip behind the backs of co-workers, peers, bosses and subordinates. Another example is the leader who calls a team meeting and offers a blanket directive to fix a problem better addressed to one offending individual. A third is when an employee tells a manager the mistakes of co-worker hoping to make themselves look good.

• Communication Sin #4: Lack of Immediacy
  This is procrastination. This is when communication is avoided because the conversations are difficult and leaders don’t know how to approach the offending party, so they tolerate poor behavior.

• Communication Sin #5: Lack of Appropriate Tone
  Ever had someone in a professional setting raise his or her voice at you in a condescending or threatening manner? How about responding in a sarcastic manner? These are just two ways inappropriate tone ruins company cultures.

• Communication Sin #6: Lack of Focused Attention
  In this day of technology and multi-tasking too many office conversations occur passing in the hallway, while one person is checking/responding to e-mails, or talking while on hold.

• Communication Sin #7: Lack of Respectful Rebuttals
  This may be the most common, yet subconscious of all leadership communication sins. It’s the conversations when someone agrees or provides positive feedback in the first part of their sentence, only to be followed by “but.” After the “but” comes the other shoe and you end up feeling misled and unfulfilled.

These seven leadership communication habits cause significant damage to an organization’s culture, including low employee morale, motivation and productivity. Long-term toleration of these communication styles creates a low-trust, highly toxic work environment.

The best organizations develop an environment where leaders and their teams agree to communicate at a high level and hold each other accountable to overcoming these communication challenges.

To learn how to fix organizational leadership communication problems like these download a free white paper at www.HowToImproveOrganizationalCommunication.com.

Skip Weisman of Weisman Success Resources, Inc. of Poughkeepsie, NY helps business leaders create “Champion Organizations” with improved personnel, productivity and profits. He can be reached at 845-463-3838.  His latest White Paper is “The 7 Deadly Sins of Organizational Leadership Communication” available free at www.HowToImproveOrganizationalCommunication.com.

I’ve just returned from a short trip to New York and I wanted to share an amazing adventure with you.

Part of my travel required a flight from Philadelphia to Newburgh, NY.  Everything up to Philly was uneventful.  But when I arrived in Philly, I found out they had cancelled my flight to Newburgh and it was going to probably be 9 am the next morning before I could get on another flight.  I needed to be in a meeting with my new business coach at that time, so I said to the woman in line next to me that we should rent a car and drive.  I didn’t know how far it was, but it couldn’t be that far.  Turns out she worked at a college in that area and knew the drive (about 3 hours she said).  After about a half hour of waiting in that line and getting more agitated, we decided to go for it.  Several other passengers decided to jump in with us and our merry band of 5 struck out to find the car rental counter.

Long story short – I made some wonderful new friends including a preacher, an assistant Athletic Director at a college, and 2 pre-med students.  I got to see part of the country I’d never seen before, and I arrived safe and sound at my destination just a couple of hours later than originally planned.

It took a little leadership on my part to suggest the idea and a little leadership on the part of another to rent the car, but we made it happen.  The big lesson I came away with is that sometimes things don’t work out as planned. But if I keep my eyes on my goal and keep my cool, there are always options for reaching the goal.

I’m going to be sharing more about planning over the next couple of weeks and I think this is the perfect time of year for it.  We’re all still thinking about the year in front of us and how we can make the most of it for our fundraising efforts.

So if you need a little help getting your thoughts together for creating a plan, stay tuned!!

I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes.  The good ones make me think.   Here are some of my favorite quotes on leadership.

Shift the emphasis from saying the right things to asking the right questions.  Linda Edgecombe

Not every reader is a leader, but every leader must be a reader.  Harry Truman

If you don’t believe in yourself, you make it challenging for others to believe in you.  Doug Smart

Be the change you want to see in the world.  Ghandi

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.  John Quincy Adams

What about you?  Got a favorite quote on leadership?  Click on the comment link and share!

Today’s post was provided by Sheila Moore, Executive Director for the Center for Nonprofits in Chattanooga, TN.

Born Leaders?

As someone who has made my fair share of mistakes (and done a whole lot of learning and growing!) over these many years since I achieved adulthood, as well as someone who has made her living as a trainer and workshop facilitator, I have come to fervently believe that leaders are not necessarily “born”.  Rather, they are made – honed by experience and practice.

“Transformational” leadership is the concept that if you have the desire and willpower to lead…you can learn to do so, and do so effectively.

It doesn’t mean, however, that leadership skills come naturally to many of us, or that any one leader masters all of the elements of effective leadership:  it takes real work, a little humility, a willingness to grow and learn, and a lot of soul searching.  It is a never ending process of self-examination, education, training, and experience that develops leaders.

Managers are usually put in charge by virtue of their job description or position.  Leaders, on the other hand, can come from anywhere within the organization; power and position do not necessarily make one a leader, they simply make one the boss. 

Warren Bennis, in his book “On Becoming a Leader”, writes “There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important.  To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge or responsibility for, to conduct.  Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course or action.  The distinction is crucial.”  

 In one of my very first jobs, I witnessed firsthand the difference between leadership and management.  I worked for a man, who by virtue of his position was our “boss”.  In truth, he had no real desire to lead, only to manage and control – and he didn’t do either of those very well.  The organization was floundering, and as money grew scarcer, he grew more erratic.  There came a time, in one memorable staff meeting, where he became so angry he actually picked up his stapler from his desk, and heaved it across the room, narrowly missing one of my co-workers!

Ah, the stories we can tell.  We can talk for hours about examples of poor leadership skills displayed by those we have known, or worked for, and some of those stories can be downright entertaining!

But ask yourself, who have you known that you would consider a true leader – one that you would work for or follow again?  What traits or skills did they possess that made them an effective leader?   Make a list of those traits.  Then ask yourself – do I model those behaviors?

The “experts” are predicting a “dearth of leadership” in the nonprofit sector over the coming decade. (http://www.meyerfoundation.org/downloads/ready_to_lead/ReadytoLead2008.pdf).    I would argue that the current economic challenges, as well as the rapid changes in our society, create a need for true leadership in our nonprofit organizations now.  There are, and will continue to be opportunities a-plenty for those that are willing to not just manage – but lead.  The question is, however, not if we need leadership, but what are we doing today to develop not only ourselves, but others, as leaders?

I recently spoke with a President of a large nonprofit, who told me that training and development was a luxury they simply could no longer afford.  I would argue that they can’t afford not to invest in their employees.  With a little creativity, training and development costs can be minimized; but the long term cost to the nonprofit community if it fails to develop effective leadership is another matter.

This is an old advertisement, but I think it’s appropriate for our series on leadership.

Today’s post is provided by Karla Kurtz, nonprofit consultant.

Are you overwhelmed? Phone calls, emails, grants, meetings, budgets…and that’s just for today!

The solution is delegation, but it’s a dirty word and seen almost as a sign of weakness.  Leaders are putting in tons of overtime, sacrificing family and friends, and putting their own health at risk rather than delegating.  If you’re working 50 hours or more a week on a regular basis, you need to delegate and/or hire more staff.

An internet search quickly yields countless studies on work-related stress and health issues.  I’m no doctor, but do suffer from hypertension, weight gain, sleep apnea, and depression all from being a recovering workaholic and Type-A personality.

Why fear delegation?  There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but two of the most common responses I hear and think are often “code” for some unhealthy choices are:

1. It’s easier to just do it myself.  Translation:  I’m the only one who has this information.
2. This is so important it has to be done a certain way.  Translation:  No one can do it like me or to my satisfaction.

It’s hard, but delegation can be learned and it’s a choice.  What are we losing by not delegating?  Sharing information with your staff and allowing them to complete “higher level” tasks is a professional development opportunity which can pay huge short- and long-term dividends in terms of job satisfaction and performance.  What if you’re out sick, go on vacation, move onto a better position, or retire?  Grooming a temporary or permanent replacement allows you to be away from the office without constant interruptions.

Will it be done exactly the way you would do it?  No and that’s ok.  Give a previous or similar document to work from (if possible) and if something has to be changed, explain why and allow them to do it.  Invest in and trust your staff.  There’s only one you, but remember your staff also brings unique perspectives and skills.  Utilize those to your and the organization’s advantage by allowing them to take on more responsibility and ownership.  So shed some weight in 2010 by delegating tasks.

Karla S. Kurtz, MPA, CFRE – Empowerment Consulting kskurtz@nonprofitempowerment.com

Today’s post is provided by Lynda Lysakowski, ACFRE, President of Capital Venture.

As a consultant to nonprofits, my blood just boils when I am asked by executive directors or board members, “So, we are thinking about hiring a development officer, how long it will take before this person is raising more money than the salary we pay them?” This question indicates that these leaders really do not understand development or the role of a development officer in their organization.

I recently asked a group of fundraising professionals about their biggest challenge. Contrary to what I had expected, it wasn’t raising money in a challenging economic climate, or finding new donors, or even getting donors to give at higher level. It was “getting the rest of my organization (board, CEO and program staff) to understand what development staff people actually do, and getting them to support development efforts.”

This is a huge area of concern for many organizations. But, think about it, what is usually the last position filled in an emerging nonprofit organization? The program people were there first; after all, if you don’t have program, you don’t need a nonprofit. Then, as the organization grows, an executive director is appointed and a finance director hired. Often a PR or marketing person comes next, and then one day the organization grows to maturity and says it itself, we need more money to expand program, move to a larger facility, hire more program people, or whatever. So, let’s hire a fundraising staff person.

The result? Most of the people in the organization have no idea what “development” actually means. Nonprofit leaders must understand that it is called “development” for a very good reason—it often takes years to develop relationships with major donors. These donors can be a tremendous source of support for the organization once they understand its mission and are ready to become investors in its vision. The organization’s leadership must understand that it needs to invest not just time, but money, in its development office. A good software program, professional development opportunities for the development staff, and an investment in things such as research tools and consulting and training help for the development office can reap huge rewards.

Nonprofit leadership must understand the ethics of fundraising and not expect that they can pay a development officer or a consultant on a commission basis. Furthermore, one of the most critical aspects of engaging a development officer is that this person should not be expected to “raise their salary.” Does any nonprofit ask its CFO to “cut the budget by an amount greater than his or her salary,” or tell program directors that they need to “bring in program fees equal to or more than their salary?” I have never hear anyone expect this from anyone else in the organization, and yet, so often they think in these terms when engaging a development officer. They need to, instead, look at the ROI (Return on Investment) that a professional development officer can bring to the organization.

And, finally, leaders must understand that donors will expect the organization’s leadership to be involved in the fundraising efforts, both with their own financial commitment and in the process of identifying, cultivating, and soliciting donors. The development officer is there to coordinate the effort, create the development plan, and prepare the leaders for success, but leaders must get involved in the process themselves if the organization is to succeed in its fundraising program.

A few tips I’ve found helpful for nonprofit leaders:

• Make sure the development person reports directly to the CEO and is part of the management team.
• The development officer needs to have a good working relationship with the CFO and the CFO must understand the role of the development officer.
• The development officer should be given time at departmental staff meetings to talk about the role of development, how it helps the organization fulfill its mission, and how the rest of the staff can help development efforts.
• CEOs and board chairs must support attendance of development staff at board meetings and assure that the chief development person is the liaison to the development committee of the board.
• Boards and organization leadership should seek guidance from an expert if they are not certain of their role in the fundraising program.

For more tips on how the executive director and board can support development efforts, including a Philanthropic Assessment Form to evaluate our organization’s philanthropic profile, visit www.cvfundraising.com.

Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE

Linda is President/CEO of Capital Venture, a full service consulting firm with offices throughout the United States.  Linda is one of fewer than 100 professionals worldwide to hold the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive designation. In her seventeen years as a philanthropic consultant, Linda has managed capital campaigns ranging from $250,000 to over $30 million; helped dozens of nonprofit organizations achieve their development goals, and has trained more than 16,000 professionals in all aspects of development.

Linda is also a prolific writer and Wiley Press has published her books, Recruiting and Training Fundraising Volunteers in 2005, The Development Plan in early 2007. Linda is a contributing author to The Fundraising Feasibility Study—It’s Not About the Money, also published by Wiley in early 2007 and her latest book, The Essential Nonprofit Fundraising Handbook, was published in July 2009 by Career Press. Linda’s first eBook, Everything You Wanted to Know about Capital Campaigns is available on her website and she is currently working on several more books.

Thanks to Pamela Grow for today’s blog post.

1. The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.

RALPH NADER

In other words, let your leaders lead.

I worked as part of a five-person development team for a large organization for twelve looooong months. During that time period three development directors came and went, not to mention program staff, membership staff, the CFO and more.

The problem? A CEO with a brilliant knack for finding and hiring talent …coupled with an utter inability to let loose of the reins and let her people do their jobs.

2.   You learn far more from negative leadership than from positive leadership. Because you learn how not to do it. And, therefore, you learn how to do it.

NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF

Learn from bad leadership (see above). But don’t forget the lessons learned by observing a genuinely good leader either.

We’ve all heard the horrible board stories, yet how many “good board” stories have you heard?

I worked with one ED who was nothing short of brilliant at putting together a remarkably cohesive board (and this for a tiny nonprofit agency with a yearly budget of $500,000) of remarkably diverse individuals. Every member of that board brought their own unique gifts to the table, whether it was in terms of connections, education, creative thinking or – let’s be blunt here – plenty of money.

3.   Leadership is an active role; ‘lead’ is a verb. But the leader who tries to do it all is headed for burnout, and in a powerful hurry.

BILL OWENS

Learn how to delegate. Given half a chance, people will rise to meet the level of your expectations of them.

4.        Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.

BILL BRADLEY

Allocate for training.

One of my all time favorite employers mandated that every employee take a minimum of two enrichment courses per year. Thanks to her leadership, staff was always up to date on the latest software and business techniques.

By the same token, in nearly every nonprofit position that I have held, I have paid out of pocket for books and training (for shame!). Next to your donors, your employees are your greatest resource.

5.  No man ever listened himself out of a job.

CALVIN COOLIDGE

Listening involves more than sitting down with your board members and staff.  Real leaders aren’t stuck in hierarchal notions. Real leaders will do occasional receptionist duties to take stock of the public’s perception of them.

6.  If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Respect creativity and give it a chance. It may work … then again, it may not.

I once proposed setting up an eBay account for a nonprofit organization I was working with. Board members and donors donated items and I photographed, listed them, sold them and shipped them. It netted over $8,000, but was, in the long run, a disappointing venture in terms of the time and effort involved.

7.  You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Prepare for the future by acknowledging that, like fine wine, outstanding development takes time.

Pamela Grow is a nonprofit consultant and writes “Pamela’s Grantwriting Blog” (www.pamelasgrantwritingblog.com).