Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce’s Post

This article underscores the importance of investing in growth leaders through comprehensive professional development plans. In the insurance sector, strategic hiring and continuous learning are key drivers of success. C-suite leaders should focus on building tailored development initiatives that align with business goals while nurturing the skills necessary for future challenges. If you're looking to refine your succession planning or develop high-performance teams, this read provides valuable insights on creating growth opportunities that can lead to significant organisational impact.

𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 In a world defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), nonprofit leaders must do more than adapt—they must revolutionize. From over 100 revealing interviews on the podcast "Lessons From Leaders," we've distilled five radical insights that will redefine effective leadership in the nonprofit sector. 1. Architecting Change & Transformation The traditional structures are dead. Nonprofit leaders are tearing down old frameworks to build organizations that not only survive but thrive in perpetual change. "Creating ways of working where you have to trust those around you, and they have to trust you as well," shared one leader, emphasizing the need for a culture where innovation and accountability reign supreme. 2. Generative Leadership Practices Forget hierarchical leadership. True power lies in generative leadership, where every individual is empowered to act as a change agent. Leaders are embedding leadership development into every layer of their organizations,  sparking a movement where collective action trumps individual effort. 3. Individual Growth Stagnation is the enemy of progress. Embrace discomfort as the catalyst for personal and professional growth. Leaders are pushing their teams to see challenges as golden opportunities. As one visionary put it, "For me, what fuels and sparks my own creativity is not being comfortable or working towards that comfort." 4. Strategic Team Growth The era of isolated brilliance is over. Strategic team growth focuses on continuous improvement and collaborative learning. Leaders have recounted their success in merging diverse teams to co-create new norms and structures. This alignment of team and individual goals fosters a motivated and cohesive workforce. "You create ways of working, you have to trust those around you, and they have to trust you as well," noted a trailblazing leader. 5. VUCA Navigation In a VUCA world, only the agile and resilient will flourish. Nonprofit leaders are shedding outdated models of leadership and service delivery. Embracing complexity, they foster environments where innovative leadership styles can thrive. "You have to have a real ability to listen and to be empathic... We are there to listen, support, and advise staff so that they can become more effective," one leader reflected. Conclusion These insights challenge the nonprofit sector to shatter its old paradigms and embrace a future of dynamic, inclusive, and growth-oriented leadership. By architecting radical change, adopting generative leadership practices, and fostering individual and team growth, nonprofit leaders can not only navigate but dominate the complexities of a VUCA world. The time for passive adaptation is over. Are you ready to lead the charge toward a revolutionary impact? Join the movement and transform your organization from the inside out.

Boards Need to Own Organizational Success by Carlo Cuesta   What’s your greatest value as a board member? Maybe it’s your ability steer your organization away from pitfalls with thoughtful advice gained from years of experience. Or your financial expertise in mitigating organizational risk. Perhaps it’s your loyalty as you actively work to promote the wellbeing of your organization.   As someone who sits on a board, I've experienced that instinct to give advice, to speak out, to intervene, especially in moments of critical decision-making. It's a natural response for a responsible, engaged board member to voice concerns about potential risks. But this reflexive caution leads me to wonder: Is this my most powerful role — holding myself and others to account?   As nonprofit board members, we have a tendency to focus on what's missing. It's a common practice to seek out gaps and offer advice on how to fill them. Although this is well intentioned, it can undervalue the expertise of the professionals leading the charge. It's akin to second-guessing the very people we've entrusted to steer the ship. There’s a misconception that all feedback is beneficial. In many cases, feedback can do more harm than good, especially when it's rooted in a scarcity mindset.   What if we took a broader view of what it means to be a great board member? Traditional board duties often overshadow an equally important role: nurturing your organization's growth and evolution with a mindset of abundance and possibility.   Imagine if we, as board members, shifted our focus to recognizing progress and fostering learning. By acknowledging the strides we’ve made together and helping leaders to identify and build upon their connections and successes, boards can provide proactive support that cultivates further growth.   When we offer insights that recognize and build upon the strengths and accomplishments of the team, we can bolster morale and open doors to innovative thinking and collaborative problem-solving. It’s about moving away from a deficit-focused mindset to one that sees promise and potential. By redefining our role as board members to encompass a broader, more nurturing form of governance, we can profoundly impact the success of our organizations. Let’s try an experiment. At our next board meetings, let’s focus on progress, learning, and constructive, strength-based feedback. Let’s make the shift from merely overseeing to actively contributing to our organizations’ growth and success. In doing so, we can level up from good, responsible governance to transformative leadership.

Are you searching for a new approach to educating the next generation of business leaders? Companies spend heavily on executive education but often get a small return on their investment. Companies of all sorts realize that to survive in today’s VUCA environment, they need leadership skills different from those that helped them succeed in the past. There is also a growing recognition that leadership development should not be restricted to traditional executive education. Here, I want to share a fresh approach to educating the next generation of leaders, which differs from traditional executive education.  THIS APPROACH IS TO ASSIGN BUSINESS LEADERS TO LEAD A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION OR SOCIAL PROJECT.    What business leaders can learn from leading a volunteer organization? Here are two observations to share. 1.     When you work as a department leader within a business organization, you generally enjoy significant power and authority over those around you. You are not getting paid as the volunteer group's leader, nor are the people who report to you.  In a business organization, you can hire or fire a person. You can promote a person or transfer someone out. You can grant a salary increase or a nice title.  However, these traditional tools and incentives we use in business do not exist in the volunteer organization game. Instead, leaders must appeal to the intrinsic wants and needs of the people they lead. 2.     Traditional executive education focuses on technical expertise but often neglects the essential soft skills required for success. The metrics are clear in a business organization, linked to personal bonus checks. However, the measurables are very different with a volunteer organization because there are often no real financial goals. Their metrics are softer, fuzzy, uncertain, and less intuitive than traditional business targets like dollars and cents.   In other words, a new mindset and skills are required to balance economic and social value, which is crucial to business organizations focus on a new agenda – corporate social responsibility.   Leading a volunteer organization or a social charter is a good place to begin a new approach to educating future leadership in today’s dynamic and unpredictable business landscape.  Please call for a discussion if you want to discover why and how to use this approach.

Not-for-profit leaders, your soft skills matter! Mastering things like storytelling and conflict resolution matter just as much as grant writing or budgeting in the not-for-profit space. Want to know why? This article details how soft skills allow leaders to build better relationships and differentiate their organization. We also have key strategies to help you develop your skills! ⬇️ #Softskills #NotforProfit #leadershipdevelopment

Not-for-profit leaders, your soft skills matter! Mastering things like storytelling and conflict resolution matter just as much as grant writing or budgeting in the not-for-profit space. Want to know why? This article details how soft skills allow leaders to build better relationships and differentiate their organization. We also have key strategies to help you develop your skills! ⬇️ #Softskills #NotforProfit #leadershipdevelopment

Not-for-profit leaders, your soft skills matter! Mastering things like storytelling and conflict resolution matter just as much as grant writing or budgeting in the not-for-profit space. Want to know why? This article details how soft skills allow leaders to build better relationships and differentiate their organization. We also have key strategies to help you develop your skills! ⬇️ #Softskills #NotforProfit #leadershipdevelopment

Not-for-profit leaders, your soft skills matter! Mastering things like storytelling and conflict resolution matter just as much as grant writing or budgeting in the not-for-profit space. Want to know why? This article details how soft skills allow leaders to build better relationships and differentiate their organization. We also have key strategies to help you develop your skills! ⬇️ #Softskills #NotforProfit #leadershipdevelopment

I post frequently about nonprofit development and the many obstacles that new development directors face. It does not match, though, the volume of conversations I have with new development leaders about their frustrations. These are exceptional people who at the most need some guidance in a new role – but often executives with little or no fundraising experience inadvertently (or otherwise) place mountain-sized barriers to their success. As a result, many directors are contemplating leaving their role or the industry altogether. Considering the massive leadership transition we saw during the pandemic, the possibility of losing so many of the next generation of development directors is alarming. Executive directors, chances are good that the next development director you hire will be new to leading a department. They likely have all the raw skills to be a great leader, but need someone to guide them through their first year. My recommendation to many of the executive directors I’ve spoken with is to hire a coach for staff in their first leadership role. In the “Ultimate Guide to Nonprofit Executive Leadership Coaching,” Sean Kosofsky from Mind The Gap Consulting offers an overview of how to find a coach, key questions to ask, what to expect and more. While this article is geared towards executive coaching, the tips can apply for all leadership levels. Please note: I am not personally affiliated with Mind the Gap or its Nonprofit Fixer blog. If you need recommendations for Phoenix-based consultants, please leave a comment or message me. #nonprofitleadership #developmentdirector #coaching https://lnkd.in/gQAtTjJg

Not-for-profit leaders, your soft skills matter! Mastering things like storytelling and conflict resolution matter just as much as grant writing or budgeting in the not-for-profit space. Want to know why? This article details how soft skills allow leaders to build better relationships and differentiate their organization. We also have key strategies to help you develop your skills! ⬇️ #Softskills #NotforProfit #leadershipdevelopment