Every January I feel a renewed energy to look at how I am approaching my work. So whether you are new to your position, or an ED looking ahead to a new year, this is a good reminder of where to start.
Welcome to the PEOPLE business!!
(You are thinking….”wait, what does she mean by “people business”? I am in the business of changing the world! I am going to run a nonprofit! I am in the fundraising , marketing, logistics management, run my nonprofit like a business-business. Yes, you are in all of those businesses too….but without concentrating on the people business….nothing else is going to matter.)
Your business is now people. The people you serve. The people who volunteer for you. The people who serve on your board. The people who work for you. The people who live with you (you know…..the ones who will help you lick envelopes closed at your dining room table at 1 o’clock in the morning and come to all of your events and help carry heavy stuff). The people in your community. The people who will try and tell you how to do your job. The people who have done your job before you. The people who don’t approve of you, or your organization, or of the work you do. The people who give you money. The people who don’t. Your friends. Your family.
ALL. THE. PEOPLE.
You are now responsible for balancing all of them. They all play a critical role in the success of your organization. How you nurture each of those relationships will be different (we will talk more about that later). Each relationship will be beneficial (Even ones with the people who don’t like you. Yes….people will not like you. Your skin will get thicker, I promise). You will spend a majority of your time on these relationships. The sooner you come to grips with this and build it into your daily routine and time management plan, the better off you will be.
Even with all of these people surrounding you every day, there will be times when you will be lonely. No one is going to know, or have empathy for, the one million tabs open in your brain at 2 a.m., or the weight you carry 24/7 from that budget deficit. No one else is going to think about your organization as much as you do. No one**. (That’s why they pay you the big bucks. It’s okay to laugh, or maybe cry, at that). It will be so important to find other executive directors in your community.
TIP: we all flock to coffee shops. Find the best shop in town, and I guarantee you will find a gaggle of unicorn EDs caffeinating and commiserating….I mean “networking”. *wink*
So, get that giant hat rack set up (you can’t wear all the hats all the time). Unpack those stacks of post-it notes, pens, highlighters, calendars, notepads, and coffee cups. Charge up that phone. Write down your new passwords. Find where they keep the lightbulbs and the Kleenex. Take a deep breath and look around. I promise you will remember today. The day that you started the job that will change you for good.
Much FUN awaits,
Jen
P.S: My next post for you will be a 30 day calendar that will help you get to know your organization and your “people”.
**This is also why I felt so strongly about starting this blog. A community of support for new, and experienced, executive directors is so important. Connecting with people that “get it” will be your soft place to land.
FUNdED 