Jani’s Journal Issue 32: Celebrating Bold & Brilliant Bosses
10/15/2024
As we approach National Boss’s Day on October 16th, it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on the unique challenges and rewards of leadership within the nonprofit sector. Effective leadership is more than just managing day-to-day operations—it's about inspiring teams, building trust, and driving mission-focused impact. Nonprofit leaders must navigate limited resources, diverse stakeholders, and evolving community needs while fostering a culture of inclusion and accountability. All too often, they do this with limited leadership or management training because, according to a Bridgespan Group study, boards and existing executive leaders continue to ignore homegrown leaders despite reporting succession planning as their #1 concern.
In this edition of Jani’s Journal, we explore strategies to strengthen leadership skills, cultivate team engagement, and effectively navigating the leadership life cycle. Join us as we celebrate the nonprofit leaders who empower change and shape the future of their communities!
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🔗 Nonprofit Leadership Development Toolkit 🔗
Not sure where to start becoming the best boss you can be? This toolkit developed by the Bridgespan Group provides a structured approach to developing nonprofit leaders by focusing on aligning leadership competencies with organizational goals, creating personalized professional development plans, and embedding these practices into the organization’s culture. With practical templates and resources, the toolkit offers nonprofits a no- to low-cost, effective way to grow current and future leaders. The graphic below outlines key activities:
Align on competencies by defining organizational goals, then the essential competencies required to achieve them paying special attention to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Co-create development plans with managers using the 70-20-10 Model—70% experiential learning, 20% mentoring/coaching, and 10% formal education.
Facilitate development conversations through regular check-ins between managers and staff to review development progress. Equip managers with coaching skills to foster equitable and productive development that integrates ongoing feedback on milestones to maintain momentum.
Embed development tools and processes into systems for recruitment, performance management, and succession planning.
Leadership Competencies
While it’s critical to identify the specialized competencies for a leader’s success in each particular organization, there are common leadership competencies contributing to success across the board. Check out these articles for some ideas for self-development or development of the leaders-in-the-making you supervise.
🔗 Learning From Japan: A New Leadership Model 🔗
This Wharton Executive Education article explores how Japanese organizations successfully blend global practices with their cultural values to develop sustainable leadership strategies. It emphasizes moving beyond a "not invented here" mindset to learn from external practices and embracing a longer-term horizon. The key practices outlined align well with many nonprofit organizations’ mission-focused culture:
Accelerate the Flywheel: Build success through consistent, cumulative efforts that create long-term momentum, focusing on mutual benefits for employees, customers, and shareholders.
Focus on the Long Term: Prioritize future gains by executing with discipline today, even when immediate results are not visible.
Embrace Personal Appeal (Ningenryoku): Lead with humility, trust, and emotional intelligence to foster loyalty, moving away from hierarchical, charisma-based leadership.
Hybrid Leadership Models: Blend traditional and global practices, like Sumitomo Mitsui’s focus on international experience and leadership development programs to build future leaders.
Mission-Driven Vision: Leaders like Hideki Kobori emphasize long-term, purpose-driven goals to position their organizations for success in this century and the next.
🔗 Effective Leadership: What Makes a Great Leader 🔗
This Gallup article emphasizes that effective leadership starts with leveraging personal strengths and aligning them with seven key leadership expectations:
Build Relationships: Develop meaningful connections that foster trust and collaboration.
Develop People: Invest in team members’ growth through mentoring, feedback, and development opportunities.
Lead Change: Drive organizational transformation by embracing innovation and adaptability.
Inspire Others: Motivate and energize your team with a compelling vision and shared purpose.
Think Critically: Analyze complex situations and make informed, strategic decisions.
Communicate Clearly: Ensure transparency and alignment by delivering clear, concise messages.
Create Accountability: Set performance standards and follow through with consistent feedback and accountability measures.
Gallup notes that every leader fulfills these expectations differently depending on their individual strengths. Knowing and capitalizing on your strengths shapes how you work in Gallup’s four domains of leadership:
🔗 Are You a Good Boss—or a Great One? 🔗
This Harvard Business Review article emphasizes that becoming a great boss requires continuous personal development. Leadership is not static. Great leaders, especially in nonprofits, must continually reassess their progress through reflection and feedback, ensuring their personal development aligns with the evolving needs of their teams and mission. HBR’s three imperatives for great leaders:
Manage Yourself: Cultivate self-awareness and build trust by aligning values and actions.
Manage Your Network: Proactively engage with internal and external stakeholders to foster collaboration.
Manage Your Team: Empower individuals within a cohesive team focused on shared goals and purpose.
Leadership Life Cycle
Leaders evolve through distinct stages, each with its own challenges and opportunities. From stepping into a new role to navigating the complexities of middle management, dealing with a difficult boss, or preparing for a smooth leadership transition, these moments shape both personal growth and organizational success. The following articles explore key strategies for thriving at every stage of your leadership journey.
🔗 Are You Haunted by the Old Boss? 🔗
“In this short video, MIT Sloan Management Review columnist Sanyin Siang offers three straightforward tips on what you can do to step out of a former leader’s shadow and make your new position your own.”
🔗 Middle Level Managers Are the Heart of Your Company 🔗
This McKinsey & Company article emphasizes the importance of valuing middle management as a career destination rather than a temporary stop. Organizations often make the mistake of promoting high-performing managers into roles that do not align with their strengths, leading to dissatisfaction, poor performance, and loss of talent. Instead, companies should reward and retain exceptional middle managers by recognizing their critical role in connecting people and tasks. Here are key strategies organizations can use to retain superstar middle managers:
Competitive Compensation: Pay top middle managers commensurate with their value, even more than some senior leaders, if warranted.
Monetary Opportunities: While for-profit organizations can offer stock options or equity to middle managers to reflect their contribution to the company’s success, nonprofits can offer other monetary rewards such as incentives, bonuses, and retirement account contributions.
Expanded Scope: Increase the size or complexity of the team or project they manage without changing the nature of their work.
Title Enhancements: Provide meaningful title changes with accompanying rewards and responsibilities.
Challenging Assignments: Engage managers with special projects or new initiatives that leverage their ideas and expertise.
Flexible Working Arrangements: Tailor working conditions to individual manager preferences, including time off or remote work options.
By embracing these strategies, organizations can create an environment where top-performing middle managers thrive, leading to higher engagement, retention, and organizational success.
🔗 What to Do When You Have a Bad Boss 🔗
Sometimes it’s the terrible toxic boss that helps us appreciate the truly great bosses! Despite substantial investment in leadership development, toxic bosses are common—even in well-performing nonprofits with compelling missions and strong community impact. Emotional exhaustion, loss aversion, and engagement with meaningful work often keep employees stuck in toxic environments, but staying can have severe health risks. This Harvard Business Review article explores the challenges of working under a bad boss and offers the following strategies to manage or exit the situation gracefully:
Make Specific Requests Instead of Offering Feedback: Focus on asking for what you need to succeed, ensuring requests are clear and beneficial for both your boss and the organization.
Engage Your Support Network: Lean on friends, family, or professional support to maintain emotional well-being.
Prioritize Self-Care: Exercise, sleep, and relaxation techniques help manage stress; consider taking breaks from work when feasible.
Explore Internal Opportunities: Seek other roles or departments within the organization where your skills may fit.
Consult HR Carefully: Gauge the HR department’s responsiveness before reporting concerns and seek solutions they might suggest.
Recognize the Signs: If work-related stress affects your health, self-esteem, or life outside of work, it may be time to move on. Minimize professional damage by:
Planning Your Exit: Line up a new job, provide professional notice, and leave on good terms to avoid burning bridges.
Being Ready to Leave Immediately: Toxic bosses may retaliate, so organize your personal belongings and ensure all company property is returned.
🔗 Succession Planning for Nonprofits 🔗
Time to pursue your next leadership opportunity? This National Council of Nonprofits article highlights the critical importance of succession planning for nonprofit sustainability and the success of incoming leaders. A smooth transition ensures organizational stability, minimizes disruptions, and helps retain institutional knowledge. With only 29% of nonprofits having written succession plans, nonprofits must be intentional in preparing for both planned and unexpected leadership changes to safeguard their mission and future. Below are ten key tips for effective leadership transitions:
Engage board and staff in a commitment to proactively manage transitions.
Identify challenges and required leadership qualities to navigate them.
Consider interim leadership as a temporary solution during transitions.
Develop a timeline for planned leadership successions.
Adopt an Emergency Transition Plan for unexpected departures.
Invest in leadership development to build a pipeline of future leaders.
Cross-train staff to minimize disruptions during transitions.
Support newly placed leaders with mentoring, coaching, and goal setting.
Communicate effectively with stakeholders before, during, and after transitions.
Onboard leaders intentionally to help them find confidence and their voice.
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