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You're listening to the Nonprofit Power Podcast.
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In today's episode, we share the top three things to focus on first when crisis strikes.
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So stay tuned.
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If you want to have real and powerful influence over the money and policy decisions that impact your organization and the people you serve, then you're in the right place.
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I'm Cath Patrick, and I've helped dozens of progressive non profit leaders take their organizations to new and higher levels of impact and success by building powerful influence with the decision makers that matter.
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It is possible to get a critical mass of the money and policy decision makers in your world to be as invested in your success as you are, to have them seeking you out as an equal partner, Bringing opportunities and resources to you.
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This podcast will help you do just that.
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Welcome to the Nonprofit Power Podcast.
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Hey there, folks.
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Welcome to another episode of the Nonprofit Power Podcast.
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I'm your host, Kath Patrick.
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I'm so glad you're here for today's episode because it feels like we're having about a crisis every 20 seconds and this week is no exception.
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Just at the beginning of the week we had another chaos inducing announcement from the new administration that they were going to suspend all federal grant money for unspecified things for an unspecified period of time while they decide whether people are sufficiently politically obedient.
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So, if we're paying attention, there's some things to notice right now, right?
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The strategy of Trump is to create chaos as much as possible all the time.
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It is a strategy and it has multiple purposes.
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It's designed to disorient, to demoralize, and to disable the opposition, first and foremost.
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I was interested to notice that a number of non profit leaders started posting to social media almost immediately when this announcement was made, and they used words like panic, terrified, this is doom.
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There's no question that it's bad.
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It is objectively, verifiably terrible.
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And the fear and the panic and the terror and the uncertainty are part of the strategy.
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So I think it's going to be really important for us to understand that this is going to be the daily reality for the foreseeable future.
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The pace of it will probably slow down, but this is the way this guy operates.
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And so, one of the most strategic things we can do, I think, is to stop being surprised by this behavior.
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Expect chaos, expect disorder, expect disruption, expect crazy ass behavior.
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Because that's what he does.
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That's how he rolls.
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And we knew that going in.
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I think the volume of it has been a little more intense than most of us anticipated.
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But the basic behavior is not a surprise.
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It's not new.
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It's who he is.
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understand that fear and panic and worry and stress are the goal.
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Fear is especially the goal, and this is one that I want to just dial in on for a second, because the purpose of fear is two things.
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One is to paralyze, to immobilize.
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So that they can just roll over any would be opposition.
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The second is even worse.
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The second is to generate a desire to obey in advance.
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Say, Oh, well, the actions are so volatile.
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They're so mean spirited.
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The best thing I could do is be the quietest little mouse and stay off his radar and maybe he won't come after me.
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So, we won't say anything bad.
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We won't criticize.
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We won't raise our hand.
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We won't object to anything that he does.
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And we certainly won't call out the behavior in advance, because he might get mad, and he might come after us and make things even worse.
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Now, here's the thing.
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We're committed to serving the people we serve.
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As direct service nonprofit leaders, that is our mission, it's our vision, it's our reason for being.
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And so, we can't roll over.
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Because if we do, the people we serve will be absolutely out of luck.
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The thing is, crisis is kind of going to be weekly, if not daily reality going forward for the foreseeable future.
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At least for the next two years.
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So we got to get really good at crisis, That's really what I want to look at in this episode is how can we become highly effective crisis responders?
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So let's talk about that.
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First of all, nobody wants to be good at crisis.
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We don't want crisis.
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Nobody wants crisis.
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Crisis sucks.
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And it sucks more when there's more of it.
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It's exhausting.
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It's energy depleting.
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It takes our attention away from the work that we really want to be focused on.
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There's all kinds of reasons we don't like crisis.
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But we're going to be served a heaping helping of it on a regular basis.
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So, we don't get to choose.
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As long as we stay in the role of non profit leader, with a responsibility to serve the people we serve, and make sure that the resources are there and the infrastructure is there to be able to do that and to do it really well.
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As long as that's what we're committed to, then our job description just got something added to it, which is we now have to be really good crisis responders.
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So here's the thing about that.
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The things that are the most important to do first, are seldom the ones that are actually done first.
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And that's why I want to raise this.
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There are three main things that come first, and that if we do them well, the rest of the response will be much more likely to go the way we want it to.
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And that if we don't do those first things well, that's when things tend to really go off the rails.
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When crisis arrives, the number one thing that we have to do as leaders is decide how we want to show up in this moment.
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How do you want to be?
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How do you want to operate?
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What kind of a leader do you want to be?
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I know that covers a lot of territory, but it's so fundamental.
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It's who and how do you want to be with your team?
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Because you've got to lead them through this crisis.
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It's who and how do you want to be with your own integrity in terms of staying aligned with your values.
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And also whether you remain centered and reasonably calm and focused on solving the problem, versus expending a lot of emotional energy that doesn't help solve the problem.
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Because think about it, if our initial reaction to a crisis is to say, Oh my God, Oh my God, I don't know what we're going to do.
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This is terrible.
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Ah, we're doomed.
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We're screwed.
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This is awful.
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I don't know.
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If we don't have our federal money, then we're going to have to close.
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There's so many things embedded in that, that send 100 percent the wrong message to your team, to the people who depend on your services.
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It sends the wrong message to everybody on multiple levels.
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It says, one, the problem is so bad it's not solvable.
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Two, therefore it really is a reason to panic and be paralyzed.
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How much problem solving do you think is likely to happen, how much rallying to make sure that no matter what, those services happen.
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How much of that is going to happen if that's the mood permeating the organization?
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The answer to that is probably pretty obvious.
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as a leader, how you show up and who you are, how you are being as a leader in those moments of extreme crisis, is everything.
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Of course there's still work to be done.
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But you can see how, how you show up sets the tone for everything and it sets your team's expectations for what's possible, or what's not.
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And the last thing you need is for your whole team to be panicked and paralyzed, and looking for the exits going, well, I got to pay my rent.
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I better look for another job right away.
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Maybe something in the private sector that's more secure.
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If you're accustomed to having conversations with yourself about, how do I want to show up?
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Who do I want to be in this moment?
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How do I want to lead?
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If you're accustomed to having those conversations with yourself regularly, then this will be much easier.
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But if this is new to you, I want to break this down just a little bit more.
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And one of the things that can be very helpful in getting to clarity about how you want to be, is first to understand sort of what your default mode is in a crisis.
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Everybody's got one.
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And it varies all over the map.
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Some people get really calm and really still.
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Some people get very reactive and impulsive.
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and start taking action before they've really thought about anything, but they've just got to act because action feels better.
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Some people get upset, get angry and yell a lot because they got to do something with the stress and the pressure.
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Some people just go straight into stress.
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They're not yelling, they're not carrying on, they're just internalizing all that stress and worry and they just stay there a ball of stress.
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Some people go straight to, what's the problem?
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I gotta solve the problem.
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What's the answer?
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So, if you can kind of investigate that, Preferably in a calm moment when you're not actually in the middle of a crisis.
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But knowing what we know, knowing that crises will be visiting us on a regular basis.
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They'll be knocking at the door every few days, at least initially.
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This is a very worthy exercise to just investigate for yourself in a quiet moment.
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Let me think about the crises that I have faced in my life, and it doesn't have to be work related.
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Think about those different crises that you've faced and say, where do I tend to go with that?
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What's my reaction tend to be?
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And is it different in different settings?
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Might be.
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Might be that if it's a crisis that's affecting, say, your kids, that you go into protective mode and that you're very much focused and on the case.
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But if it's happening to you, you might be more volatile in your response.
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Any number of possibilities.
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\So just kind of think about that.
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Get tuned to that and make some notes for yourself.
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This is a great thing to journal about if that's a practice for you.
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And to just observe and run the little mental movie reel of the various crises that you've experienced and think about where your default reactions tend to go.
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So then that's just useful information.
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There's no need to judge it.
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Just say, okay, I see that.
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Duly noted.
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So then, is that going to serve me in leading my team when a crisis comes to the organization that threatens some aspect of our work or our very existence?
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Is that default mode going to be what the team and the organization and the people we serve really need from me?
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Because one of the things about being a leader is that we have to be really attentive to what the people and organizations were responsible for, what they need from us in order for them to be at their best.
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And then the next question to ask yourself is, well what would be the best way to show up?
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For the organization and for the team to be at their best, how would I need to show up?
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How would I need to be operating to be able to facilitate that?
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What would that look like?
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And get really present to that.
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The thing that's important to know about this is that how we operate, how we are being, is a choice.
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It's always a choice.
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We all have our default modes.
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Totally understand.
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That is the human condition.
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But the wonderful thing about being a human is that we also have choice.
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And so we can say, okay, yeah, I recognize that is my default mode.
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But my default mode is not going to be helpful to my team.
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It is not going to serve the needs of my team and my organization if I show up that way when a crisis arrives at this organization.
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Instead, I'm going to choose to show up in the ways that are going to serve everybody being able to do their very best, so that we can make this be the best possible outcome.
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In this unwanted situation that we did not ask for, but that has been deposited on our doorstep, that we got to deal with now.
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We choose how we want to lead.
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Now, ideally that whole thought process, that whole analysis happens well before the crisis ever shows up.
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So that when the crisis arrives, all you need to do is to reground for a moment.
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Especially if your default is not so helpful.
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If you feel yourself sliding into that default, which you probably will because that's your default.
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And when we get blindsided especially, and blindsided by something big and awful and scary, we go to the familiar.
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So, if you haven't already done that analysis and understanding and the thinking through how do I want to show up as a leader in these moments, it's really hard to do all that when the crisis is right in your face.
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I won't say it's impossible, but it's a whole lot harder, as you can imagine.
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So, best time to do it is way beforehand.
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Like, start now.
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Because then when the crisis comes, and you've already done that work, you can simply re ground yourself in those ways of being that you already concluded are the ways you want to be, the ways you want to show up as a leader for your team, for your organization, and for the people you serve.
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And then you can live into that.
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It also makes a really nice little yes no binary check on any potential actions.
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Anything you might say or do in engaging your team around this.
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Quick check is, does that live into those ways of being or doesn't it?
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And if it doesn't, then shelve it.
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We talk a lot about how energy is contagious, and this is a scenario in which that is so true.
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And be mindful that members of your team all have their own defaults too.
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So there will be some crises that show up that maybe only the top one or two leaders in the organization are initially aware that the crisis has arrived.
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There may be other things where everybody in the place immediately understands.
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That a crisis has arrived.
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In either case, remind yourself that your team is always looking to you for guidance and for modeling of what are we doing here?
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How are we responding to this?
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How should we be feeling about this?
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So if you need a minute when you get information that really rocks your world, take those minutes.
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Close your door, or take a walk, do something to give yourself a little space to get yourself together and to focus first on how do I want to show up?
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How do I want to lead?
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Who do I want to be as a leader in this moment?
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Because the first thing I have to do is get my team together and get them ready to face this and work together to solve it.
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To figure out what we're going to do and get working on it, whatever that is.
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So what do they need from me, right now, to make that possible?
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And get clear about that.
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Do whatever de stressing work you need to do, deep breathing.
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I actually really recommend the walk because it will force you to take deeper breaths, it will force you to regulate your nervous system in a way that is less effectively done sitting in a chair somewhere.
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Get yourself centered, get your vagus nerve right.
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Get clear again, reground in how you want to be, how you want to show up.
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And then talk to your team about what's going on.
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And give them a little room.
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Because, understand, there's going to be two things happening here.
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One, they're going to each have their own reaction, and they all each have their own default responses to crisis.
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Just like the rest of us.
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So they're going to need a few minutes to catch up to where you are.
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One of the fastest ways to help them catch up is to show up as the leader and modeling the behavior that you want to see from them.
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So if you're being calm and saying, this is what we got to deal with.
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We're going to figure it out together.
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We're going to get clear on the problem.
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We're going to figure out a solution together, and we're going to take action.
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We're going to be strategic.
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We're going to be focused.
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We're going to roll up our sleeves, and we're going to get it done, because that's the only choice we've got.
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Because people depend on us, and we're not letting them down.
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In that process, you're refocusing and regrounding people in the mission, in the vision, in the commitment to service, which is a powerful, powerful driver.
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And it gives people something to focus on to which they feel a deep emotional connection, which can help mitigate the other deep emotional stuff that's probably going on if where they're headed is slightly toward panic.
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The other thing that's really important to understand is that, yeah, they're paying attention to what you're saying, sort of.
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But mostly what they're paying attention to is your tone, and your actions, your body language.
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If you pulll your team together and you're hyperventilating, and sweating, and visibly shaken, and are trying to say calm, reassuring things, they're not going to buy that.
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They are going to see right through it, and they're going to say, don't listen to what she says, look at her.
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She's freaking out.
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That's why getting ourselves right first is so critical and so fundamental.
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Because our team will see right through if we're not right.
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They're going to pick up on the actual vibe, not the words that are trying to paper over a vibe that we haven't dealt with.
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And, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that if the team sees the boss freaking out, they're going to freak out too.
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Right?
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Why wouldn't they?
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Oh my god, he's panicked.
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We better panic too.
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Because he's in charge, and if he doesn't know what to do, then we're screwed.
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We better just like jump for the exits right now.
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We have to be hyper aware that, especially in times of crisis, your team is laser focused on you and they are taking all their cues from you.
00:19:26.012 --> 00:19:29.742
So we want to make sure that you're giving the cues you want them to be taking.
00:19:30.460 --> 00:19:34.093
It doesn't mean you deny the seriousness of the crisis at all.
00:19:35.242 --> 00:19:37.752
In fact, you acknowledge it fully.
00:19:38.306 --> 00:19:41.556
And particularly if that crisis is around funding.
00:19:42.019 --> 00:19:43.319
You hired an A team.
00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:44.420
They're no dummies.
00:19:44.910 --> 00:19:48.289
They know that if there's a funding crisis, it could be their jobs on the line.
00:19:48.795 --> 00:19:52.355
That they could be in a financial crisis of their own very soon.
00:19:52.827 --> 00:19:59.795
And it's only human for part of their brain to go there and to worry about the impact it will have on themselves and their families.
00:20:00.375 --> 00:20:06.424
So it's equally important that you are open and honest and have a conversation about that, too.
00:20:07.045 --> 00:20:10.901
And answer questions and let people express their fears.
00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:12.839
Because they're there anyway.
00:20:13.329 --> 00:20:16.339
And if you try to pretend, oh, no, no, nothing to see here.
00:20:16.390 --> 00:20:18.250
We'll figure it out, it'll be fine.
00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:20.650
And they're thinking, yeah, but what if it's not?
00:20:20.970 --> 00:20:22.019
What if it's not fine?
00:20:22.423 --> 00:20:24.532
What if we're not able to fight this off?
00:20:24.553 --> 00:20:26.742
Then oh my God, I won't be able to pay my rent.
00:20:27.343 --> 00:20:36.990
If they're busy worrying about that and you haven't given room for them to kind of deal with it in a group and talk about it a little bit, they're going to be focused on that.
00:20:37.675 --> 00:20:43.395
And they're going to be saying to one another in whispers in the hallway that the boss is out of touch.
00:20:43.948 --> 00:20:47.008
Or, the boss will be fine, because the boss is the last one to get fired.
00:20:47.008 --> 00:20:48.587
But we all might be out of a job.
00:20:48.984 --> 00:20:51.144
The boss doesn't have to worry, but we do.
00:20:51.325 --> 00:20:54.718
And, you know, screw that, we gotta take care of ourselves here.
00:20:55.367 --> 00:20:59.355
So, absolutely deal with that stuff openly, up front.
00:20:59.365 --> 00:21:05.404
Be honest and clear with people, and say, that is part of the problem we have on our plate here.
00:21:05.840 --> 00:21:08.286
That is one of the things we have to solve for.
00:21:08.810 --> 00:21:13.458
Yes, our number one mission is the service and to serve the people that we're committed to.
00:21:14.038 --> 00:21:15.758
But we also take care of our team here.
00:21:16.028 --> 00:21:18.327
So that's part of the problem that is on our plate.
00:21:18.647 --> 00:21:21.317
And we are going to work together to find solutions for that.
00:21:21.914 --> 00:21:23.755
But you got to have that out in the open.
00:21:24.198 --> 00:21:27.228
Because it's front and center in their head, whether they say it or not.
00:21:28.121 --> 00:21:29.887
So then, the next thing.
00:21:30.355 --> 00:21:31.724
All that was thing one.
00:21:32.298 --> 00:21:33.984
That was get yourself right.
00:21:34.224 --> 00:21:37.704
Operate from the kind of leader you want to be in this situation.
00:21:38.144 --> 00:21:40.183
And pull your team in on that.
00:21:41.374 --> 00:21:46.624
Thing two is to identify what the priorities are in this situation.
00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:50.980
And, Corollary to that is of course that you're defining what the problem is.
00:21:51.467 --> 00:21:59.707
Define the problem clearly If there's unknown information, or well it could happen this way, it could happen that way, we don't know.
00:22:00.223 --> 00:22:03.913
Then okay, that's part of the situation you're dealing with.
00:22:03.993 --> 00:22:09.769
So clarify the problem in the situation, including knowledge gaps.
00:22:10.332 --> 00:22:16.251
And I'll just use this most recent example that a lot of nonprofits are dealing with this week, which is they're suspending federal grants.
00:22:16.251 --> 00:22:17.122
Does that mean us?
00:22:17.122 --> 00:22:19.571
Does that mean that we won't have any funding?
00:22:19.571 --> 00:22:21.882
Does that mean we can't meet payroll next week?
00:22:22.231 --> 00:22:23.122
I don't know.
00:22:23.699 --> 00:22:25.398
Does that mean we have to close our doors?
00:22:25.398 --> 00:22:26.878
Does that mean blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:22:26.878 --> 00:22:28.295
It could mean all these terrible things.
00:22:28.575 --> 00:22:30.078
Could mean people don't get served.
00:22:30.308 --> 00:22:31.388
We have to close.
00:22:31.419 --> 00:22:32.598
It's a disaster.
00:22:33.172 --> 00:22:35.271
That's not defining the problem.
00:22:35.842 --> 00:22:41.565
Defining the problem is saying, Okay, there are these possible things here.
00:22:41.694 --> 00:22:43.164
There's a lot we don't know.
00:22:43.904 --> 00:22:47.134
Part of the problem in front of us is we lack information.
00:22:47.144 --> 00:22:48.275
We lack clarity.
00:22:48.801 --> 00:22:54.102
And we have a number of possible scenarios, but we don't actually know what's happening completely.
00:22:54.342 --> 00:22:56.311
So number one, we need information.
00:22:56.920 --> 00:23:00.109
And then whatever the other aspects of the problem are, you get those clear.
00:23:00.849 --> 00:23:11.920
And I think particularly when people are stressed out and on the edge of panic, this is a time when it's a good idea to go old school.
00:23:12.493 --> 00:23:17.771
And put this up on something that everybody can see and work on together.
00:23:18.092 --> 00:23:30.422
Whether it's a bunch of newsprint on the wall, or a whiteboard, or if you've got cool fancy screens then you can do it on a tablet or a laptop and project it on the wall, whatever.
00:23:31.011 --> 00:23:33.882
But something that everybody can see at once.
00:23:34.368 --> 00:23:39.325
So that as stuff is fleshed out it's clear, it's visually clear.
00:23:39.751 --> 00:23:51.545
That visual clarity is one more touch point, one more feeling of concreteness that helps people stay grounded and not fly off into speculation.
00:23:52.092 --> 00:23:52.912
Like, well, what about this?
00:23:52.912 --> 00:23:53.571
And what about that?
00:23:53.571 --> 00:24:07.243
And if it's all just kind of words in the air, and there's nothing concrete somewhere on the wall, that tends to lead to people staying in that state of uncertainty and cloudy thinking.
00:24:07.663 --> 00:24:13.525
And you really want people to become as concrete as possible for a little bit while you clarify the problem.
00:24:14.163 --> 00:24:17.880
It also has a calming effect, which is useful in a crisis.
00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:23.759
So you get clear on as much as you can, and that includes flagging pieces of information you don't have.
00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:25.829
That's part of your problem scenario.
00:24:26.859 --> 00:24:30.059
And then identify what are the priorities now.
00:24:30.693 --> 00:24:32.359
We've got this situation.
00:24:32.430 --> 00:24:33.210
It's mapped out.
00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:36.237
What are our priorities in this situation?
00:24:36.794 --> 00:24:41.606
Obviously a big priority is making sure that people are able to continue to get the services.
00:24:42.126 --> 00:24:43.017
That's your mission.
00:24:43.146 --> 00:24:44.136
That's your focus.
00:24:44.537 --> 00:24:45.176
That's a given.
00:24:45.727 --> 00:24:47.567
But there are other priorities as well.
00:24:48.074 --> 00:24:54.594
And those are going to be around your team, around the health and well being of your team, around the health and well being of the organization.
00:24:55.250 --> 00:25:00.596
So it's important to consider all of those aspects as you talk about priorities.
00:25:01.297 --> 00:25:07.935
It's very easy to get focused in on, okay, well the priorities are this, this, and this about the services and about the people we serve.
00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:11.519
That's incredibly important and that should be there.
00:25:11.769 --> 00:25:13.569
And that may be where people go first.
00:25:14.001 --> 00:25:14.761
That's totally fine.
00:25:15.349 --> 00:25:23.170
But we also have to look at what are the priorities for health and well being of the people who work here and the health and well being of the organization overall.
00:25:23.763 --> 00:25:25.344
Because those matter too, a lot.
00:25:26.258 --> 00:25:27.718
So then you've got that.
00:25:28.228 --> 00:25:30.971
You've got clarity about how you're showing up as a leader.
00:25:31.473 --> 00:25:32.713
The model you're creating.
00:25:33.171 --> 00:25:36.340
The kind of leader you are being, the kind of leadership you are offering to your team.
00:25:36.961 --> 00:25:43.548
You've helped them center themselves and get to a place where they can focus and be a good problem solving team.
00:25:44.095 --> 00:25:47.080
You've clarified the problem, you've mapped it out.
00:25:47.740 --> 00:25:50.500
Now you've identified the priorities in the situation.
00:25:51.621 --> 00:25:57.750
Once you've done that, you've done all the hardest part of this work of crisis management.
00:25:58.387 --> 00:26:16.577
After that, with that all in hand, the stage is set for you to then work with your team to say, okay, now let's figure out our strategies to get those priority outcomes that we What are our options and what do we want to do?.
00:26:17.191 --> 00:26:20.840
Let's first explore the strategies and then make a plan based on the strategies.
00:26:21.121 --> 00:26:23.101
Generally speaking, you're going to have options.
00:26:23.111 --> 00:26:25.111
There's going to be not just one strategy.
00:26:25.111 --> 00:26:28.691
There'll probably be several possible strategies for any given situation.
00:26:29.111 --> 00:26:32.530
And those will be dependent on a lot of different things.
00:26:33.131 --> 00:26:38.990
They'll depend on where you have the strongest relationships with what kinds of decision makers, and who you can access quickly.
00:26:39.330 --> 00:26:42.050
Where you can go to fill in your information gaps.
00:26:42.250 --> 00:26:47.060
And what's the fastest, most efficient way to do that, to get good, reliable information.
00:26:47.701 --> 00:26:49.060
So you're going to want to do that.
00:26:49.080 --> 00:26:54.211
You're going to want to clearly map out as part of your strategy which allies you're going to engage.
00:26:54.718 --> 00:27:03.075
And then absolutely, you're going to have a messaging strategy that is going to roll into your engagement process with your allies.
00:27:03.887 --> 00:27:12.397
Creating the strategy is a whole lot easier if you've done those three critical things up front before you jump into trying to solve the problem.
00:27:13.317 --> 00:27:20.030
Now the one exception to that is if you get word of something that your team is unlikely to have gotten word of.
00:27:20.090 --> 00:27:23.861
You're the only one who knows it, and you know that you need more information.
00:27:24.381 --> 00:27:27.351
Then obviously you're going to go try to get that information first.
00:27:28.185 --> 00:27:42.976
But even then, even as you do that, in that very beginning stage, the first thing you do is center yourself, check yourself out of any unhelpful default modes that you have in crisis times.
00:27:43.509 --> 00:27:54.580
And check in to, ground yourself in, and operate from, the leader identity that you want to have in this moment and the ways of being that go with that leader identity.
00:27:55.153 --> 00:28:04.391
And approach everything that you do, reaching out for more information, checking in with perhaps other nonprofit leaders to say, Hey, have you heard this too?
00:28:04.391 --> 00:28:05.765
Is this affecting you?
00:28:05.765 --> 00:28:15.692
Whatever you might do, but you're doing it all from that centered, focused leader who is showing up the way they intend to throughout the entire process.
00:28:16.642 --> 00:28:23.392
Our way of being is so profoundly important for almost everything we do in every aspect of life.
00:28:23.393 --> 00:28:26.811
And it is absolutely a choice.
00:28:27.439 --> 00:28:35.915
But we are able to make better choices when we have first cultivated awareness of what's our default MO in a particular setting.
00:28:36.489 --> 00:28:38.568
And then we can say, do we like that default?
00:28:38.568 --> 00:28:39.469
Is that serving us?
00:28:39.469 --> 00:28:53.471
Is it serving the other people that we're responsible to and for And if not, then what would be some better ways of operating that would serve yourself, that would serve the other people that are in your world, your team, your organization, the people you serve?
00:28:54.092 --> 00:28:54.791
We can choose.
00:28:55.665 --> 00:29:09.951
And I would submit that the choices we make around our identity as leaders and how we choose to operate in the next couple of years, are going to matter far more than we can probably even imagine right now.
00:29:10.800 --> 00:29:19.723
It might be that the future of the services we deliver and the organizations we lead may depend on our ability to do that.
00:29:20.351 --> 00:29:26.084
Because it would appear that there are going to be a lot of attacks coming our way.
00:29:26.523 --> 00:29:27.683
It won't just be one.
00:29:27.804 --> 00:29:32.144
It won't be, Whew we got through that, oh good, everything's fine now.
00:29:32.728 --> 00:29:40.318
At least for the next couple of years, it's unlikely that we're going to hit a moment or we're going to hit a period where we can say, thank goodness that's over.
00:29:40.558 --> 00:29:41.749
We've solved it.
00:29:42.058 --> 00:29:43.568
Now we don't have to worry anymore.
00:29:44.212 --> 00:29:55.653
Now, my hope for you is that each time a crisis arrives, that you're well equipped to handle it, to address it, to rally your team to be their absolute best selves in response to it.
00:29:56.438 --> 00:29:59.867
And to find strategies that'll work as well as possible for you.
00:30:00.768 --> 00:30:03.820
So you'll get to that place with each successive crisis.
00:30:04.351 --> 00:30:05.980
You will get to a place of resolution.
00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:09.780
You will get to where you have done the best possible job to address it.
00:30:10.290 --> 00:30:12.901
And then another one will probably come along.
00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:18.413
And, I say that not to demoralize and depress you, but to say you've got this.
00:30:19.094 --> 00:30:23.356
If you stay grounded in the way of being, that you've got this.
00:30:23.386 --> 00:30:25.186
You and your team have got this.
00:30:25.517 --> 00:30:28.146
You are strong, you're capable, you can handle it.
00:30:28.747 --> 00:30:31.366
As long as you stay grounded and centered.
00:30:31.871 --> 00:30:36.810
And operating from the identity that you really want to be operating from.
00:30:37.423 --> 00:30:40.493
And that you're then setting your team up to be able to do that as well.
00:30:41.413 --> 00:30:47.282
The other thing that's very important in all of this is that We send a message by doing that.
00:30:47.747 --> 00:30:49.037
By standing strong.
00:30:49.086 --> 00:30:51.290
By being the leaders we want to be.
00:30:51.693 --> 00:30:56.201
And that our teams and organizations and the people we serve need us to be.
00:30:56.824 --> 00:30:58.023
We stand strong.
00:30:58.034 --> 00:30:59.384
We don't roll over.
00:30:59.878 --> 00:31:01.709
We don't obey in advance.
00:31:01.739 --> 00:31:03.348
We don't cower in fear.
00:31:03.348 --> 00:31:07.588
We don't say, Oh no, they might try to come after us.
00:31:07.588 --> 00:31:11.058
Let's hide and hope they don't see us and maybe we'll be okay.
00:31:11.739 --> 00:31:14.219
That strategy has worked approximately never.
00:31:15.118 --> 00:31:18.038
So the alternative then is to stand up and fight.
00:31:18.108 --> 00:31:25.898
To stand up and be strategic as hell and get out there and lead and say we are going to stay where we are.
00:31:25.898 --> 00:31:27.788
You're not moving us off of this.
00:31:27.979 --> 00:31:29.528
This work is too important.
00:31:30.078 --> 00:31:36.635
You will not move us off this work and you will not take away the support for this work because it's too important.
00:31:37.105 --> 00:31:38.066
We won't let it happen.
00:31:38.663 --> 00:31:44.213
You lobbed your chaos grenade in there, and we're just going to toss it right back and say no, thank you.
00:31:44.666 --> 00:31:45.547
Not having it.
00:31:46.146 --> 00:31:54.527
We'll just be over here rallying support, and engaging the public, and engaging our allies, and saying, uh uh, not on our watch.
00:31:55.626 --> 00:32:00.258
But we can't do any of that if we're operating from our less helpful default modes.
00:32:00.747 --> 00:32:14.861
We can only do that if we are operating from the strongest possible leader identity that we can summon from our core, and to show up that way every day for our team and for the people we serve.
00:32:15.621 --> 00:32:21.111
Thanks for listening and I'll see you in the next episode right here on the Nonprofit Power Podcast.
