Stepping into a new leadership role is exciting—and more complex than it often appears from the outside. New leaders aren’t just learning a job. They’re learning people, history, culture and expectations. And when that role includes working with a board, they’re often learning two teams at the same time : the staff they lead day-to-day and the board that governs the organization. Early on, new leaders are balancing multiple dynamics at once—building trust with staff, understa

Think about the first couple of months of a new relationship. There’s a warm glow, everyone is on their best behavior and it’s easier to overlook minor annoyances—or downplay parts of yourself—because you really want things to work. Those early months feel good, but they also quietly set the stage for what comes next. Patterns form. Expectations take shape. Assumptions settle in. The first 90 days in a leadership role are like that. The difference? In leadership, there’s no s

Ownership, Leadership and What Board-Staff Roles Really Look Like When association boards start talking about hiring staff, one concern comes up again and again: “If we bring on an executive director or staff person… what exactly happens to the our  role?” Sometimes that fear shows up as: Are we giving up control? What if staff takes over? What happens to our sense of ownership? Those concerns are understandable — especially in organizations built by committed volunteer leade

Are you stepping into a new leadership role in the new year—maybe your first time leading a team… or your first time leading this  team? Are you ready? And I don’t mean: Are you good at your job? Are you hardworking? Are you the “go-to” person? I mean this: Are you ready for the fact that leading requires a completely different skill set than doing ? Too many people step into leadership thinking it’s just being a stronger, faster, more capable version of who they already were

You’ve just had the best idea in the world. So you call your team together and lay out your plan, knowing they’ll catch on to just how exciting this is and get just as fired up as you. Except, they don’t. They listen politely and smile, but avoid eye contact or any comment, hoping you won’t call on them. Worse, you see them exchanging that look—the one that says, um…why exactly is this supposed to be so great? How can they be indifferent to your idea? Why can’t they see just

This is the time of year when it feels like everyone  starts drafting their gratitude lists, even in the workplace. Teams. Partners. Colleagues. Communities. All the people who help us do the work. And leaders should  appreciate those people — deeply. But here’s something we don’t talk about enough: Leaders almost never show gratitude to the person they expect the most from. The one who’s supposed to stay steady, stay strong and keep showing up no matter what. Themselves. We’

As we head into the holiday season, we’re reminded of something we often overlook: We bring our full selves into every interaction — at home, in our friendships and absolutely in our leadership. The holidays give us a front-row seat to that truth, offering an easy example of how our emotions and reactions show up in familiar ways — like that one  question your mom always asks that instantly sets your teeth on edge, or your brother’s belief that a single word is a perfectly ac

We talk a lot about how to give  good feedback as leaders. But we don’t spend nearly as much time learning how to take  it — especially when it stings a little. Feedback can be gold or it can be noise — and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. Our instinct might be to defend, explain or quietly ignore it. But the truth is, how we receive  feedback, and what we do with it, says as much about our leadership as how we give it. This week, as we're reading through membershi

“My boss micromanages everything.” Most of us have probably said it at some point — or had it said about us. But somewhere along the way, we started using micromanagement  as a catch-all for any  kind of accountability. In fact, accountability is what turns goals into results and teams into organizations that actually deliver. It’s what keeps standards high, vision clear and work meaningful. When we confuse accountability with micromanagement, we risk lowering the bar — and o

You can have the best plan in the world — but plans don’t get in the car and drive. People do. And when one of those people has to step out of the driver’s seat — for a week, a few months or for good — what happens next tells you a lot about how ready your organization really is. Readiness and resilience aren’t just nice-to-have HR exercises. They’re leadership in motion — knowing your people, developing them intentionally and preparing them not only to handle today’s road bu

You probably think you’re objective when coaching, giving feedback, or writing a performance review. You listen. You ask curious questions. You balance challenge with support and you’re willing to have the tough conversation when it’s needed. Good. And yet — we all bring subliminal tendencies that color what we hear, remember and evaluate. Stepping back can help you spot those thinking traps before they shape outcomes. Some common thinking traps, why they matter, and practica

Establishing a vision — for your team or organization — should feel energizing. But once the excitement fades, you might find yourself wondering, Okay, now what? Good news: building a road map doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The trick is to keep it simple, focused, and collaborative. Here’s how to keep moving forward. Step 1: Get the Right People in the Room Strategic planning only works when everyone understands how their part connects to the whole. You don’t need a cast of

Last week, we talked about why  strategic planning matters . Let’s assume you’re convinced (yay!). But before you’re ready to charge...

“We’re just a small organization.” "We’re not that formal — we just go with the flow.” “It’s not like we’re trying to become some sort of...

You came prepared. You had your case laid out with facts and figures, and you’d practiced until you could deliver it flawlessly. You...

Early on when we first started this blog, we asked the question: “What does leadership mean to you?”  At the time, we talked about how...

We talk about employee engagement all the time. It gets tossed around like the latest buzzword—but it matters. Gallup’s research makes it...

If you throw enough stuff at the wall, some of it has to stick. Right? Theoretically, yes. But is it the 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 ...

We’ve all walked into a lobby or clicked onto a website, seen the requisite mission and vision statement — only to wonder if anyone who...

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺—𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦—𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦. That...