Joan Garry, an executive coach who has been described as a guru, superhero and Jedi Master, visited Mercer County this fall to talk to nonprofit staff and community partners about “The Power, Responsibility and Joy of Nonprofit Leadership.”
The Princeton Area Community Foundation contributed to the event, in partnership with NonProfitConnect, the Center for Modern Aging Princeton, and Your Part-Time Controller.
Joan, who hosts the Nonprofits Are Messy podcast, and runs the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, offered inspiring advice. Here are a few of our take-aways:
- Nonprofit jobs can be lonely and difficult, so think of yourselves as part of a movement to make the world more just, fair and beautiful. “You’re in this lovely business of restoring people’s souls.”
- Each one of you is capable of magic: why do you forget how inspiring you are?
- Nonprofit work is all about change – change that makes something better. Yet, nonprofits are riddled with risk aversion. Change your mindset – instead of thinking about the status quo, think about innovation.
- Every board meeting should: Inform, enrich and engage. If you can do that at board meetings, then you enlighten your board members, who must be the champions and ambassadors of your organization.
- Joan’s five strategies to ignite innovation:
-
- Focus on the fundamentals.
- Market your success.
- Think big. Embrace innovation and pilot programs.
- Build your army of the engaged. If nobody knows about you, you have no power. Everyone in your organization should be a gatherer.
- Rally your posse around a bold vision.
- Her bonus strategy: collaboration, because communities that convene do better than communities that do not.
- A last bit of advice from Joan: Don’t forget that you are the champions. You are leaders and you are the hope.
