I have been working in non-profit organizations for 30 years, beginning my career in my early 20\u2019s as a Youth Employment Coordinator in Oakland, California. I have served as a Homeless Employment Specialist, a Program Coordinator, a Director, a Senior Director, and an Executive Director for organizations with operating budgets ranging from $1 million to $220 million. I have survived many different leadership styles and the experience of leading teams with complex compositions. My breadth and depth of experience has prepared me for a successful consulting career where I am honored to work with non-profit organizations as they move towards comprehensive organizational effectiveness. I have worked with and in organizations at various stages of growth and wellness. I have worked with teams that have been fairly healthy and some that have been really toxic. Some of them have been focused on best practices while others have been focused on keeping the doors open. Over the years, I have seen many things and experienced many staff transitions and organizational shifts. What I have learned is that having staff that are passionate about the mission and excited about the direction of the organization can greatly impact the effectiveness of the organization.<\/p>\n
Leadership and the New Science<\/strong><\/p>\n It was challenging reading two books in the same week by the same author. Instinctively I looked for a common thread to tie them together. I was not able to do that. I found it difficult to connect to Leadership and the New Science. <\/em>I was expecting innovative practices and lessons, and it did not offer that. While describing how organizations struggle with critical skills, Wheatley says, \u201cMany organizations are struggling with how to use information to become more intelligent. Thinking has been acknowledged as a critical skill, and not just a higher level of management. [1]<\/a> I have experienced the opposite in the organizations that I work with. Staff, especially Gen Z, are overflowing with critical skills. They have entered the workforce with an attitude of improvement, almost to the point that they question anything put into place before they arrived. The more common challenge is learning to value their ideas and still implement the best practices for the organization. They expect change to happen quickly and have very little patience to wait for change to happen over time. They think and move at a very high level. In my experience, they are constantly working to streamline and implement innovative ways to improve their workstreams.<\/p>\n Finding Our Way<\/strong><\/p>\n It was easier for me to connect with Finding Our Way,<\/em> which offered a collection of leadership lessons. I found the most impactful to be \u201cThe Paradox and Promise of Community\u201d. Wheatley and Rogers discuss the longing for community and working together. I also found a glimpse of hope from this book. Many times, leadership books are so instructive that it\u2019s difficult to envision the actual application of the lessons presented. I found Finding Our Way, <\/em>to be useful for organizations and leaders that are seeking to bring teams, communities, and constituents together. \u00a0The authors share, \u201cIn my experience, people everywhere are longing for new ways of working together, and for more harmonious relationships. We know we need to work together, because daily we are overwhelmed by problems that we can\u2019t solve alone. People want to help. We want to contribute.\u201d[2]<\/a> I have seen this work in organizations. Organizations that connect with the stakeholders (community, clients, board, funders) can effectively impact change. When all stakeholders are invested and contributing, positive outcomes are not far behind. The authors say, \u201cAs leaders, as neighbors, as colleagues, it is time to turn to one another, to engage in the intentional search for human goodness.\u201d[3]<\/a>. I believe this and hold a hopeful faith that it can happen. It is this intentional action that will build bridges and break down walls that exist not only in organizations but in the community. We must move beyond the comfort of our boxes. They authors put it so beautifully, \u201cWe can act from the certainty that most people want to care about others and invite them to step forward with their compassion. We realize that \u201cyou can\u2019t hate someone whose story you know.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n [1] <\/a>Margaret J. Wheatley, Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World<\/em>, 3rd ed. (San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, 2006), 110.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Margaret J. Wheatley,\u00a0Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time<\/em>, (San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, 2005), 57.<\/p>\n