Supporting social sector leaders who want to go from surviving to thriving at work
Overcome obstacles and achieve career milestones — without burnout
Trust — The Coin of the Realm
“Trust is the coin of the realm,” former Secretary of State George Schultz said on his 100th birthday. “When trust was in the room … good things happened. When it wasn't, good things didn't happen. Everything else was details.”
One of my clients told me that the chance to move up in her career had been a key reason for taking a job a few
Photo: RDNE-Stock-Project, Pexels
Set a Healthy Tone
I led a session recently on preventing workplace burnout. Participants -- nonprofit executives -- understood the famous Peter Drucker quote: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Knowing it’s on them to set the tone of their workplace, they shared some of the ways they are promoting their employees' well-being:
Invite the whole person to show up by including personal checkins at staff meetings
Educate yourself so you’ll recognize signs of overwhelm and burnout in your team
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What Makes You Feel Unsafe at Work?
You may not have a boss who yells, bangs on tables or insults you. But you likely had one -- at some point -- who occasionally made you feel unsafe in other ways.
Photo: Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels
Reframe Failure & Grow Your Grit
We’ve all been there. Something we’d hoped and worked hard for didn’t pan out. We fell short.
“What went wrong? Was it my fault—or was it due to a weird wrinkle in the universe?”
Photo: Christina-WOCintech, Unsplash
Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Hold You Back
Do you sometimes feel like a fraud? Or fear being outed for lacking the abilities, experience or qualities needed to properly do your work or shift to something new?
Photo by Prateek Katyal
Say No to Too Much Work & "Non-Promotable Tasks"
What do you do when your supervisor asks you to take on more work than you can manage without overwhelm? What if the work isn’t related to your core work—or is "uncompensated cognitive labor”?
Photo: Yan Krukaw, Pexels
Clarify What Matters Most Before Your Next Job
When you’ve made the tough decision to leave your job, what lessons about yourself and what matters to you will you take with you to ensure success at your next situation?
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Manage Up for Greater Well-being at Work
How do you respond when your boss asks you to take on more work than you can manage? How risky does it feel to ask for what you need?
Photo: Kampus Production
Action Brings Clarity & Confidence
How cautious are you when learning something new? Do you prefer to feel 100% competent before trying it out in the real world or do you like to wing it and see what happens?
Photo: Maja Kochanowska, Unsplash
Always Chasing Your Tail?
What does burnout look and feel like? And what can be done to address it in ourselves and our teams?
Photo: SeventyFour, iStock
Pssst…Can We Talk About Our Overwhelm?
Many of us risk our health and wellbeing by not paying attention to our work-related stress and overwhelm. Even when we are aware of these feelings, it can be tough to admit we need help, as it might reflect poorly on us.
Photo: Roy Reyna, Pexels
Release the Illusion of Control at Work
What do you do when people don’t behave the way you’d like them to? Or when a situation turns out differently than you would’ve preferred?
Put on Your Oxygen Mask First: Self Care for Leaders
Is Self-Care at the Bottom of Your To-Do List?
What are you likely to do when you get a last-minute funder request about a pending grant application just before heading to the airport for a much-needed vacation?
Let’s Rest & Resist Grind Culture
The new book Rest Is Resistance really spoke to me. Author Tricia Hersey, Founder of the Nap Ministry, takes on the social norms exaggerating the value of work and contributing to social media addiction. She attributes our high levels of burnout, anxiety, depression and poor health…
Whose Job is it to Prevent Burnout?
I've been thinking a lot about the challenges my coaching clients share with me. Among them are unreasonable expectations, long hours and competition over scarce resources, real or perceived.
The Trouble with Giving and Getting Unsolicited Advice
“Most of us are experts at solving other people’s problems, but we generally solve them in terms of our own, and the advice we give is seldom for other people but for ourselves.” –Nan Fairbrother, The House in the Country