Episodes

Confidence is one of those things that so many people struggle with, and others seem to have no problem with. And neither group understands the other one very well. So I want to get into where does confidence come from, and how do we get more of it, more consistently? Where do you feel least confident? Is it public speaking? Is it in front of a powerful decision maker? Is it when the stakes are especially high and the consequences of error seem kind of terrifying? Is it when you're worried that ...

There's a really big problem out there that chances are you're experiencing: Too many money and policy decisionmakers just aren't getting your core message. What I want to help you do today is shift what you're doing just a little bit, so that you can start to change that. You probably already know from painful experience that getting the attention of, and engaging and building a relationship with a money or policy decisionmaker that's new to you or relatively new, is tougher than ever. And ther...

What makes intention setting so powerful is that it is more about the being than about the doing. If we fail to attend to our intentions, we risk not only missing our goals, but missing out on the experience we want to have while we pursue them. I'm sure that your organization has plans and goals for the year. And I expect you to have some for yourself as well. We need those things. We need goals. We need plans. Or stuff would have trouble getting done. But the piece that we often overlook or do...

Between the waning light and the kind of tucking in that happens around the solstice, and the anticipation of closing one year and opening a new one. It's the perfect time to do some reflection on how the year has gone for us, what it's meant for us. And to think about ways that we can carry our most valuable lessons into the new year. This year, maybe more than most, there's a lot to reflect on. For most of us in the progressive world, it's been a pretty mixed bag. You know, we had this electio...

One of the most problematic tropes that gets emphasized over and over again for nonprofit leaders can wind up absolutely wrecking your ability to really connect with decision makers. That’s the belief that you must be ultra-professional in your approach when dealing with decision-makers, especially the higher up ones. The more powerful and influential the decision maker, the more you're supposed to show up in your super-professional approach. There's a big problem with that. Because what that do...

As nonprofit leaders, one of the many roles we have is that we are marketers. And if that's not part of the way you think about your role, or if that creates a little resistance for you, hang in there for a minute. Because this is a secret to success in engaging decisionmakers that is absolutely a critical core skill. It doesn't matter what context we're in. We're always marketing something when we're engaging a decision maker. Whether we're talking to funders or foundations, to contracting part...

It's Thanksgiving time and we're all reflecting on things that we're thankful for. I think that can be particularly challenging at this moment in time when we're dealing with a lot of challenges in terms of the political environment, and what that's going to mean for nonprofits, and for nonprofit leaders and the work ahead. And I think actually that it's during these times when things look most challenging and most worrisome, that the practice of gratitude, and finding gratitude, is more importa...

Let me ask you this: When you’re in meetings with decisionmakers, what are you most focused on? If you’re like most advocates, you got a lot going on in your head. You’re thinking about your framing, and making sure it resonates with that decisionmaker. You're wanting to make sure you get your messaging delivered, that you cover the things you want to cover. All of that’s important. But it carries the potential danger of creating a huge blind spot that can cost you. We can get so busy in our he...

We have a lot to talk about in this time following the elections. I understand that everyone is still processing, myself included. And yet, it is time to begin turning our attention to: What do we do now? There is some clarity that is beginning to emerge around that. And I wanted to share three things that I see emerging as top imperatives for nonprofit leaders as we enter a new threat environment. As it becomes clear that there will now be complete Republican control of the White House, the Hou...

This is a really tough time for all of us in the progressive nonprofit world. And I wanted to share a few early thoughts, even as we don't have complete answers on all of the election results. But we have some very important information and it's not good. Many of us, including me, thought this election was going to turn out a lot better than it did. And given the results, we have a lot of challenges facing us in the next couple of years at the very least. There's going to be a lot to say in the ...

In this week’s episode we're taking a look at two of the most common decisionmaker behaviors that frequently throw advocates off their game. It definitely doesn't have to be that way, but I see it all the time. So I want to give you a few concrete things you can do to put yourself in a position where you're just rock solid and it doesn't matter what they throw at you. You're ready. And because you know you're ready, you're able to stay in your groove and be fully present. Which is where real eng...

The 2024 elections are less than two weeks away. And if your world is anything like mine, you and just about everybody in it are stressing out right now. There's a lot of anxiety. There's a lot of worry. There's a lot of fear. And those are very understandable states of emotion. There is so much at stake. And so yes, everybody is kind of scared spitless right now. But here's the thing. And I know you know this. All that anxiety and worry not only isn't helpful, it's actually pretty bad for you. ...

As an advocate, one of your main goals is to get to the money and policy decision makers that have the power to make decisions that are going to affect your organization and the people you serve. And one of the things I hear a lot from nonprofit leaders is that especially with contracting and some agencies, it's not that easy to find who's really in charge and what's going on in there. It’s not always clear who has the power to make that decision. And what I notice is that a lot of folks spend w...

We're less than 30 days out from the 2024 elections. And I don't have to tell you there's a lot at stake up and down the ballot. From the presidential race to congressional and Senate races, to state legislatures. And on down to city council, county board, mayoral and school board races. All of them matter. And all of them have the potential to have a big impact on the wellbeing of our clients and their families. And as you're no doubt very aware, the polling is really tight in many of these rac...

Today we're talking about something that I hear so often from nonprofit leaders just freaks them the heck out, and that's negotiating. The truth is, nonprofit leaders are negotiating all the time. But many leaders tell me it is definitely not their favorite thing. For some it's super stressful. It can be really uncomfortable. But it can also be exhilarating and exciting and rewarding. So how do we get from stressful and uncomfortable to exhilarating, exciting and rewarding? We're going to talk a...

The frustration I hear most often from the nonprofit leaders I work with, is that the money and policy decision makers in their world don't seem to get the value of what they do. And that comes In a lot of forms and flavors. One that can be especially frustrating is the decisionmakers not understanding the full scope of the problem. Or why the ways that the problems manifest for your clients are as difficult to solve as they are. Part of the issue is that money and policy decisionmakers are alwa...

Has this ever happened to you? You go to engage a decision-maker. There's something specific you want from them. And you start laying out your case and you can tell you're losing them. They're not engaging. They're kind of glazing over and you're struggling to figure out what the problem is. You're giving them your very best stuff, telling them all the key details of your work. And the more you talk, the more they glaze over. Or they pay polite attention, but when you're done, they don't have an...

There is no question about the significance of the 2024 elections from the presidential race on down to every single local race. I'm pretty sure I don't have to convince you on that front. Nor do I have to convince you how much your clients' votes matter. Both in the larger sense, but also in terms of ensuring that we have elected officials who support policies and the allocation of resources that will in concrete ways help make your clients' lives better. The simple fact is you can't vote if yo...

Opportunity is everywhere. But too often, we miss those opportunities because we didn't know about them at all, or we didn't find out about them in time to capitalize on them. The truth is most nonprofit CEOs are pretty good at constantly scanning for opportunities. And your opportunity radar is always switched on even when you're not at work. But if there are just one or two people in your organization who are doing this. By definition, you're going to miss a lot. What if you could expand your ...

What if one or two changes in your leadership behavior could transform the way you feel about the work, inspire your team, and achieve new levels of success? I spend a lot of time with nonprofit leaders of all different sizes of organizations in all different niches. And what I've noticed is that there are very specific leadership behaviors that tend to produce extraordinary results. And then there are other leadership behaviors that tend to hold organizations back. And what's fascinating is tha...

None of us has gotten where we are alone. And none of us are going to get where we're going alone. We always have others who are helping and supporting us, whether we realize and acknowledge it or not. Whether it's a formal arrangement or not. We all just had the wonderful experience of watching the Paris summer Olympics. If you've ever wanted clear convincing evidence of the power of coaching, all you have to do is look at and listen to these extraordinary athletes. Who will be the very first t...

The energy you bring to an encounter with a decisionmaker has a huge impact on your ability to engage and influence them. You can be as prepared as you want to be with all your facts and messaging. But if you don't bring an energy that engages, you're likely to be disappointed in the outcome. The problem most of us face is that our energetic frequency fluctuates throughout the day. And often we find ourselves in an energetic state that does not serve us. If something happens that pulls us into a...

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You have some key pieces of data that you know should speak to your decision maker. It's obvious to you that these data points basically scream, our stuff solves your problem, and it solves it in a big way with a big impact. But then you share it with the decision maker and they don't really see those connections. They don't see the significance. They don't connect it to their problems and concerns. And you're left wondering why they can't see the obvious. Maybe ...

One of the frustrations I often hear from nonprofit leaders is, yeah, we got a handful of great allies and champions, but we can't seem to grow the bench. We'd love to build even more of those powerfully influential relationships, but we simply haven't got the bandwidth. I'm already devoting 60% of my time to this, and I still have to run the organization, and there's only so much of me to go around. I hired a policy person or a contracting person, and between the two of us, we're able to get a ...