Compassion and Strength (Guest Article)
For-profit mentality in a non-profit world
Today I’m sharing with you a guest article written by my good friend Beth Fisher.
Beth is a best-selling author, an advisor to dozens of Fortune 500 and 100 companies, and a leadership coach focused on helping ministries, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations develop leadership teams that lead with authenticity, transparency, compassion, and tenacity.
I hope you enjoy her contribution!
I’ll never forget when I met my husband one of his first questions was, “How can you be such a strong believer in Jesus and be so ‘cutthroat’ in business?” I laughed because after many decades in business, I understood what he was really asking.
One of the core principles I remind teams in the non-profit space is this: It is okay—and in fact highly encouraged—to be both compassionate and strong. If we truly want to affect change in the world, we must get comfortable with not settling for “we’re just a nonprofit” mentality.
Strength, in this example, comes in the form of persistent, unwavering leadership undergirded by a quest for change. And not change simply for change’s sake—rather, in answer to the question, “Is better an option?”
We should be showing up in the workplace daily on a mission to change people’s lives. Why, then, should we show up every day and NOT endeavor to change the way we go about it?
If your organization is not internally advocating to work “smarter, not harder,” you have tremendous opportunity for process improvement within both your programming and staff. Often when I speak to organizations, one of the resounding themes around frustrated operations is, “I’m not sure why it’s like that—we’ve always just done it this way.”
Is “this way” truly working? For-profit organizations, in general, have no problem with abandoning outdated systems and processes. And, as harsh as it may sound, they also do not have qualms about exiting employees who are not doing their jobs.
That is the question my husband was truly asking me. How can you love God and people so much and still hold them accountable and, in some cases, even let them go?
While there are countless verses in Scripture about the greatest leader of all time—Jesus—one of the best reminders comes from Proverbs (11:14): “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”
How are you showing up as a leader to advise?
Areas of people and process improvement opportunities include:
1. Collaboration. Good leadership requires lifting others up through active coaching with a team of the right advisers. Take an honest look at your staff—including yourself. Make changes where necessary. If you aren’t capitalizing on the unique giftings and skillsets of people, it’s not only a wasted opportunity, but a wrong organizational structure that will lead to ongoing turnover and unhappy humans.
2. Don’t settle. If your processes, software, or framework is outdated—update them. Missional work is hard enough, and the wrong tools make it harder.
3. Ask strategic questions. What can be immediately automated? Outsourced? Eliminated? Going granular isn’t necessarily everyone’s favorite way to pass time during the day, however, it is a necessary step to stop the bleeding and ensure long-term profitability.
Working alongside trusted (read: authentic) leaders who are both compassionate and strong is the only way to go. It’s a win-win for the organization and the people within it.
If you want to connect directly with Beth (I recommend it!), you can do so here.