TLS Transforms, Author at Transformative Leadership Strategies

Basic Boundary Setting with Staff

Setting healthy boundaries is one of the most important tasks for any leader – and it’s also one of the most challeging. Join us as we dig into some practical ways we can set better boundaries, for ourself and with our teams!

[Alicia Davis] So if you are a nonprofit leader, you have probably at some point dealt with having to set boundaries. And sometimes setting boundaries and maintaining boundaries – both with yourself as well as with your team – can be difficult, and we sure have been, you know, hearing that and talking about that lately, haven’t we, Stacie?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, you know, it is one of the most common topics. I feel like that comes up when we work with leaders. And it makes sense, you know, we all, I think, have great intentions when it comes to both setting our own personal boundaries about how often I work at home versus not, and also sort of setting boundaries with staff. You know, what does an open-door policy actually mean? Does that mean you can come in any moment or at some moments? And so, you know, we have put together a session on this very topic that really is designed to give very meaningful and very immediately applicable strategies on how I can set healthy boundaries for myself and with my staff as a leader.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. Basic boundary setting, right? Basic boundary setting. I mean, it actually starts in our mental and emotional space. You know, boundary setting can, can very much be about, you know, I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious. I can’t have a really deep conversation about this now, or a very detailed conversation about this right now. Or, you know, you’re seeing other people kind of reacting to things, right? So we can have emotional boundaries, right? We can have boundaries and, you know, I think you and I talk about this, they’re all very interconnected, like time management, how we manage our projects, and then, how are we communicating that, right?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, right. I think that so much of boundary setting is bringing intentionality to the boundary setting. So being really clear about, how do I want to try to manage my time differently? How do I want to, you know, establish expectations with my team, about availability, about work/life balance, about all of those things, you know. Being really conscious, because I think often when we’re unconscious about it, it all gets very squishy, and all of a sudden we find ourselves working 60,70 hours a week, sometimes, right? And we didn’t really mean to it just kind of evolved or happened that way. So basic boundary setting, in some ways, is about getting really clear on what is needed, and then coming up with some really clear strategies of how I’m going to build those expectations for myself again and also with my staff.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. And if this feels like an area that you might want to have some more kind of practice in, or even kind of brainstorming about, we’ve got a session coming up in our Learning Academy on May 21 on Basic Boundary Setting with Staff. So feel free to check that out. Just go to our Academy.TLSTransforms.com web page, and you can see the Academy right there. And we’d love to have you join us. I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] And I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And thanks so much. We’ll talk to you soon.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

Building Trust – Part One

Trust is one of the most foundational qualities of effective teams. Figuring out how to build (or repair) trust is a topic that is on the minds of many nonprofit leaders. This week we offer part 1 of our thoughts on this important topic, focusing on how we can examine our own ‘trustworthiness’ and what we can do to ensure we are ‘showing up’ in a way to serves to build trust. We invite you to join us!

[Alicia Davis] Trust. Trust is a big word. Trust matters tremendously, and we have been hearing from our nonprofit leaders. There is a depth and breadth to being trustworthy, as well as building trust on teams that people need support around.

[Stacie Watson] Yes, absolutely. You know, I often feel, as a person that works with leaders and teams all the time as you do, that trust is maybe the most foundational thing that matters to teams…

[Alicia Davis] Yes…

[Stacie Watson] And it is really easy, I think, for all of us, when we’re not feeling like the trust on the team or within the organization is where we want it, to automatically focus on others. It’s just a very human inclination that we do that. And so what we thought we would do is kind of maybe talk about trust in a couple of parts, and today, we want to focus on really starting with ourselves. Because guess what, the only person we have really any control over at all is ourselves. And so it’s really thinking about, how can I show up in a way that is quote-unquote trustworthy, right?

[Alicia Davis] Right. And some of this was inspired by Steven M.R. Covey’s book on the Speed of Trust. So it’s a great resource if you’re interested in learning more, and it’s very much about our character and our competence. And our character is all about – what do I stand for? What are my values? Do I have the integrity to stand behind them? And what is my intention, in my words, in my actions, and in my follow-through? So, how do we show up in the way that we would want others to, maybe model, at least to be inspired by, right?

[Stacie Watson] Right! Yeah, and I think, you know, then we think about competence, and, you know, really making sure that, you know, we’re walking the talk right that the work that we’re doing is in alignment with what we are supposed to be doing, and that we’re really doing to the best of our ability, the work that is ours to do, and we’re doing it in a reliable and dependable way, again, without being able to control everyone else around us, but starting with ourselves. And it’s an interesting idea. This idea of competence is in terms of how we can build trust. Because if people know that, if Stacie says she’s going to do something, she’ll do it… That’s trust building, right?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. It’s the follow-through. It’s the walking. It’s not just talking the talk. It’s walking the walk, right? You’re going to follow through. I mean, it’s, it’s all the little things. One of the people in a session yesterday was like, you’re putting in the little deposits in the “trust bank,” right? Like, everything that you do that engenders trust in another person, it matters; the little things matter. And so we would just invite you to – both for yourself, like, what feels really trust-building within you? Like, how do you want to show up? And then one little action that you can take for yourself or with another person to build that trust, right?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah.

[Alicia Davis] So thank you so much. I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] Feel free to reach out to us at info@TLStransforms.com, and we’ll have a part two on this in terms of building team trust. Stay tuned… thanks.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

Giving Difficult Feedback

Many nonprofit leaders feel anxious and/or dread about the constructive feedback process. It can be challenging to offer input to someone you know they may not want to hear. Join us for this week’s video, where we discuss how to prepare for these conversations and offer a couple of supportive strategies to bring into the conversations themselves.

[Alicia Davis] If you are a nonprofit leader in the middle of doing performance evaluations or any kind of evaluations with staff… we feel you. We have been hearing a lot from our leaders, especially this last couple of weeks, about how hard it is to give feedback that we know people may not want to hear. Right, Stacie?

[Stacie Watson] Yes, you know, I think next to public speaking, one of the real challenges that we as human beings face from a communication perspective, is the need to give constructive feedback. And of course, often we get promoted into leadership roles without a whole lot of training or support on how to do that. And it can be intimidating. It really can be a very difficult sort of skill set to develop. And you know, we have a training session on this, which I know we’ll talk about in a moment. You know, some of the things that we really try to highlight is the importance, first of all, of really understanding your own level of comfort or discomfort going into the conversation – before you ever even sit down with the person or get onto the Zoom screen or Teams screen to really say, what do I need to do to help myself feel a little bit more centered, a little bit more calm, a little bit more present, so I’m ready to have this conversation without my own anxiety sort of getting in the way.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. And it’s, it’s also, it’s that preparation. There’s also a fair amount of emotional intelligence involved, right? I think it’s, you know, it’s, it’s being clear, right? It’s being able to use as objective statements as possible. And, you know, I think it, it is often very much related to being clear about what you expect from that person on your team, so that it is translated to the clearest behavior or outcome possible. Because I think that can be so easily misinterpreted or misunderstood.

[Stacie Watson] For sure.

[Alicia Davis] You know. And once you do that, then you also want to have some kind of an ongoing check in, feedback loop, because it’s a process to be able to help someone grow and develop their own skills, both as a person and part of a team, right? Yeah,

[Stacie Watson] 100% right. And you know, these small things that we as leaders can be mindful of as we enter into these evaluation times, these feedback opportunities, makes a huge difference, both in building trust between yourself and the person on the team, as well as just overall sense of alignment on the team. We all know what we’re doing here, and we all know sort of what it’s all about, so it can have some really positive ripple effects as we’re able to sort of maybe get a little more comfortable with the practice of feedback.

[Alicia Davis] Mm hmm, mm hmm. And if you or someone you know, could benefit from exploring some of those skills, we’ve got a session coming up in the end of the month, Communicate to Drive Action on April 30th in our Learning Academy. So you can check that out. You can go to TLS transforms.com, and right on the top of the screen there, you can click on Academy, and I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] … and we really appreciate you listening and being in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks so much.

[Stacie Watson]
Thank you.

Managing During Uncertainty

Right now, many nonprofit organizations are facing incredible uncertainty. For those leaders, it can be difficult to know how to support the team – particularly when there are no clear answers to give. Listen to our video for some ideas as to how you might provide meaningful support even in times of uncertainty.

[Alicia Davis] So if you are a nonprofit leader who manages a team that has been coming to you with a lot of questions, and perhaps you don’t feel like you know all the answers to them, we have a couple of thoughts about that… because we have been having conversations the last couple of weeks with leaders just like you. And Stacie, I know that you’ve had some of these conversations for sure.

[Stacie Watson] Yes, I mean, it’s a difficult time to be a nonprofit leader. There’s no question about it. There’s so much uncertainty, whether it’s funding sources or directives that are coming from above, right? Just all the things…

[Alicia Davis] All the things!

[Stacie Watson] And it’s creating, I think it just creates a sense of uncertainty and sort of a lack of clarity that under the best of circumstances, can be challenging. And so for leaders, I think it’s a real opportunity – how can I show up and support my team without having all the answers, right?

[Alicia Davis] Right!

[Stacie Watson] Right! And and so, you know, I think one way that we might start that process is just trying to slow down a bit, which is hard in these very urgent feeling moments, but even just taking a breath here or there, so that we can really understand what is the question that’s being asked or what is the concern that’s being shared, and being really clear on that, so that we know we can gather our thoughts to think about what the next step might be, or what might be the thing to say, right?

[Alicia Davis] Right. And to really slow down enough to really like you said, kind of really hear what the question is, or even what is the concern underneath it. To reflect back, like to ask questions, to validate people’s feelings in that, and then to engage them in the in the problem solving, or in the approach right? And that’s we talk about this in Coach-like Leading, right, that it is really needing to both really be present and listen and then ask the questions. And even though you are responsible for leading the team, the organization, you don’t have to do it alone, right? You’ve got the team there, and you’ve got an incredible amount of wisdom, and that’s it, right?

[Stacie Watson] Absolutely. Yeah, you know, I think it is hard to operate with imperfect or incomplete information…

[Alicia Davis] For sure.

[Stacie Watson] And I think that is what all leaders are faced with right now. And so you know, our nonprofit community, to be able to just acknowledge that that is true, and to be able to identify those things we can control, and really engage the team to kind of step into their talents and their brilliance and the reason that they’re in the roles that they have, so that we don’t feel like we’re doing this alone. I think right now, maybe more than ever, that’s an important goal for all of us, as nonprofit leaders, as staff members, as anybody, to feel like we’re in this together, right? So…

[Alicia Davis] That’s right…

[Stacie Watson] Yeah.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. And if you’d like to be part of a community talking about Coach-like Leading and really, how do we develop these skills of really having this presence and these deeper conversations? Feel free to join us on April 22 in our Learning Academy, and you can check that out in the link. And I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And we, of course, always love to hear from you. You can email us info@TLStransforms.com. Thank you so much.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

Communicate with Confidence

How do you build confidence in situations where you simply don’t feel that confident? It’s a challenge that many of us can relate to, and in this week’s video, we share some ideas and approaches that can be helpful whether you are in a new role, an ‘only’ (person of color, woman, etc) in a particular group, or in any other situation where you feel not-so-confident.

[Alicia Davis] So Stacie, you know, we work with a lot of newer leaders, right? And we hear often that sometimes when we’re promoted into new roles, new management roles, or just new roles in general, sometimes it can affect our confidence a little bit, right?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, it definitely can, and there are so many other factors that can come into play. You know, perhaps you’re the only person of color or the only female or male or what have you, right? There can be lots of reasons that we find ourselves in a situation at work where we maybe are a little reluctant to use our voice or to share our thoughts and you know…

[Alicia Davis] Right. Or where we doubt ourselves right?

[Stacie Watson]
Yeah, 100% right. And it comes back to a sense of confidence. And I think sometimes, when people are hardwired to focus on others, they aren’t always sure if it’s okay to feel a lot of confidence, you know? Like we don’t focus on ourselves so much, we tend to focus on other people?

[Alicia Davis] Sure.

[Stacie Watson] And the truth of the matter is, every organization needs each of you who are watching this video to be your very best self as much as possible, and that includes sharing your thoughts and, you know, giving your opinions, or what have you, when it’s appropriate. And so we want to talk a little bit about a couple of ways that, in an upcoming session, we we talk about how we can build on our confidence, right?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right, you know and it really all starts with the mind and the body, like, you know, first and foremost, just putting ourselves in positions of sitting taller, standing stronger, you know, projecting our voice like sometimes it’s like you have to kind of “fake it till you make it” almost…

[Stacie Watson] Right.

[Alicia Davis] Right? But as soon as you do that, you can feel a difference even in your energy, right? And so when you’re doing that’s certainly one thing that we talk about. And another thing is, you know, how do we like in in real world scenarios, right? How do we maybe practice or really consider, what are the kinds of things that we want to say, or how do we want to say them in important situations? Right?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, definitely. I think it can be really helpful to think about those specific moments when we notice our confidence isn’t as strong as it is in other moments, right? It may be is on a particular committee meeting, or maybe it’s with a particular person in the room, or on a particular topic, you know… Just beginning to notice that, and noticing what kind of internal beliefs do I have that may get in the way of me feeling confident about that. And then I think also really being able to think about, okay, I know I’m going to be going into a situation where I might not feel confident. So what can I do to either practice or maybe talk to a colleague, like, how can I help myself begin to feel a bit more confident? What are some practices that I could try?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. And if this sounds like something that would be helpful for you to have a little bit of time or space or connection with other folks in the room, we’ve got a session coming up on March 27th in our Learning Academy on how to Communicate with Confidence. So you can always get more information on our website, Academy.TLStransforms.com. And I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] And I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And thanks so much for listening today.

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, thank you.

Lessening Emotional Reactivity

How do you stay focused and/or feel productive when there are so many distractions coming at you from every direction? In this week’s video, we share some strategies that leaders in our community are finding helpful. We also share how these approaches can help you lessen reactivity, particularly to things that are out of our control.

[Alicia Davis] So Stacie, we’ve been talking to a lot of leaders over these last few weeks, and there’s a lot – so much – change going on, and it’s causing so much angst, so much just upset, sometimes overwhelm… Like there’s a lot that’s happening, and we’ve been really trying to do our best to support our leaders, and we’ve had some great ideas that have come out of these sessions, haven’t we?

[Stacie Watson] We really have, you know, we thought we would just share two or three of them in the hopes that it can be helpful for you. You know, the first one that seems to be a pretty consistent idea is this idea of focusing on mission, right? Like it is so easy to become distracted and for us as leaders, and then to be able to support our teams and just kind of coming back to what is it that we do each and every day? Who are the people that we serve? How do we go about doing that? Helping people stay focused on that, which we recognize is easier said than done sometimes, and we know that it can be really helpful and steadying to the team, right?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right.

[Stacie Watson] Yeah.

[Alicia Davis] Staying focused on, you know, appreciating the impact that you make. Every person, every situation. And I think the other thing is, there’s so much information out there right now, misinformation, like, sometimes we don’t even know what’s going to be true sometimes.

[Stacie Watson] For sure.

[Alicia Davis] So I think part of it is like, how do we decrease the noise, right? How do we make decisions about, you know? Like, let’s focus on what we know we have control over what we know to be true, and just really try to let go of the rest.

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, for sure. And then the third idea that has come up in these sessions we’ve had with leaders is the idea of just the importance of networking with leaders, right? Like finding your group of people that you feel the most connected to, the most supported by, where you can go and exchange information, exchange support, you know, just really feel seen, heard, and valued for the work that you do. We get to experience that as facilitators of these groups all the time. And we just, I think, really understand the value of that, and we invite you to lean into those groups.

[Alicia Davis] Yeah, for sure. And we’ve got a couple of opportunities where, if you’d like to join us, we’ve got a session in our Learning Academy coming up on March 20th, around Emotional Intelligence: Leading with Your Head and Heart, which is right along this, you know this topic, and we also have created Meditation Moments in the month of March. We just want to offer 15 minutes of respite, recharge, refocus. They’re going to be on Mondays, 1pm Eastern. You can check all of it out on our on our website. You can go to our events page. You can also go to Academytransforms.com and please always feel free to email us info@TLS transforms.com. So, I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And thanks so much.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

Be Intentional about Team Alignment

As a leader, how do you ensure that you team members are all in the same boat AND rowing in the same direction? If you aren’t sure of the answer, listen to this week’s video as we talk about one of the simplest – yet most powerful – approaches we have found!

[Alicia Davis] So Stacie, we have been having conversations with lots of leaders who are trying to get their teams in alignment. And there’s so much going on right now. It can be a little bit like herding cats. And we wanted to talk about that a little bit, right?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, you know, it’s so interesting, this idea of alignment, in some ways, it seems like the most fundamental, easy thing to put in place as a team, right? What are we doing here, and how are we going to do it? And yet, I think to the point you’re making it is so complicated, and there are so many changes. I mean, every day it feels like there are massive changes sort of coming down the pike. And so trying to ensure that everyone on the team is remaining clear on exactly what is it that we are trying to accomplish. You know, what does success look like? Like? Whatever the words are that we want to use. And we sort of call this this idea of alignment, right, making sure that we’re all in the boat pointed in the right direction, and hopefully rowing our boat in a similar cadence. And as simple as it sounds, it can be complicated, right?

[Alicia Davis] Right. And, you know, it’s really interesting because it ties into culture, ties into culture that you’re creating, right? It’s not just about setting goals, right? It’s about what is this environment that we are creating together as a team, you know? And we have an upcoming session in our TLA – Leadership 101 – and we talk about that in this session, right? We talk about how, whether we’re newer in our manager roles or whether maybe we just haven’t had lots of experience with this yet, like simple things like getting really clear on values, really understanding what behaviors look like in living those values every day on the team, how that ties into team goals, organizational goals, right? It’s, it is really important, and it can be relatively simple, right? Just takes a little bit of intentionality to create.

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, I think intention is exactly the word I was going to use as well. You know, if you’re listening to this and you’re thinking that perhaps the team doesn’t feel like it’s quite working in full alignment, a simple thing to do is to just ask each person on the team. You can ask them as a group or ask them individually, “What do you believe our top two or three priorities are?” And if you’re getting different answers among the team members or different answers than what your thought is, then that’s, that’s your clue, right? There’s an opportunity there to really talk about, okay, what is it that we want to be focusing on, and how do we want to make sure that we are prioritizing in a way that’s consistent across the team? And we find when teams take the time to do that, and it doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time, but when you take the moment to do that with intention, it can really make a big difference.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. So I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And we’d love to hear your experiences. Email us info@TLStransforms.com or check out Academy.TLStransforms.com for upcoming Leadership 101 session in February on the 18th. Thank you so much.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

Expressing Kindness … to Ourselves

It’s easy to find yourself feeling anxious and overwhelmed these days, given everything from the demands of the organization to the news cycle. Join us as we share an approach based in kindness and self-compassion – no matter what else may be going on!

[Alicia Davis] If you have been feeling any kind of difficult feelings over the last month as we’ve been coming into this new year, we really want to support you in a possible way to handle those, don’t we? Stacie?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, I know that for both of us, as well as for so many of the leaders that we’ve been talking to since the first of the year, there’s just a lot going on. People are very preoccupied with things, both kind of very local and national, that are very top of mind. And there’s a lot that feels out of control, and it’s showing up for people in lots of different ways. And I think often we can get in our heads about what’s going on, and that causes us to kind of move out of the present moment, because we’re all sort of up in our heads worried about the future or, you know, frustrated by the past events. And so you have sort of found a practice that has been really helpful, and we thought it might be something to share, right?

[Alicia Davis] Yeah, you know, it’s, I follow Tara Brock as you do, and it’s this practice that she’s done forever. It’s called RAIN. The acronym for it is RAIN, and it stands for recognize… and the R is recognize, recognize that, oh, I’m feeling really anxious right now, and name it, right? And then the A stands for allow. And allow means, oh, you know what? I’m feeling really anxious right now. I’m just going to allow myself to feel that for a moment. Because, you know, a lot of times we don’t want to feel the feelings that are hard…

[Stacie Watson] Right.

[Alicia Davis] Right? We kind of resist. We push them away. Or sometimes we react instead of, like, dealing with it. So the allow is, I’m just going to make a little bit of space for it. And then the I is investigate. And investigate means I’m going to notice where I’m feeling it in my body. Because, like you just said, when we get out of our heads and into our bodies, it brings us into the present moment. So if I’m feeling anxious, Oh, where do I feel that? Well, it feels a little fluttery in my heart right now, or I’m having a little bit of a hard time breathing. Okay, I’m going to notice that. And then the N is for nurture, and nurture means, you know what? It’s okay. It’s like giving ourselves the support that a friend would give us, right? Like, it’s okay that I’m feeling anxious right now, you know, like we just heard about a budget cut, or I just had three people call in sick, or whatever it is… the way she describes it is it’s bringing mindfulness together with compassion. And so I found…

[Stacie Watson] Self-compassion, right?

[Alicia Davis] Self-compassion, right. And of course, when we do it for ourselves, then we can also then do it with others as well, right? Right? So if this is helpful, we hope it is, it’s it’s been helpful for me. We’ll put links in the newsletter, and you can go check it out for yourself. So thank you very much. I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And you can reach us info@TLStransforms.com, thank you so much.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

The Role of Staff-Care in Effective Leadership

We know it’s important to encourage our team members to care for themselves, but how do we build this focus into our culture? Join us as we share some ideas on the important topic of ‘staff care’!

[Alicia Davis] So if you are a leader who really prioritizes or cares about self-care, right, and you know that it’s really important to do with your staff, and yet, maybe you’re just not quite sure how to make that happen effectively in your organization. That’s what we want to talk about today. Right Stacie?

[Stacie Watson] Yes, you know one of the things that, as you know, everyone knows, I think by now we do a lot of work in the nonprofit world, and of course, people who find themselves working in that space are very “other” oriented, you know, mission oriented, wanting to support other people. And so I think there is this intuitive understanding that, you know, how we support ourselves and how we support the people we work with is important. We often find, I think, that sometimes the leaders of those organizations get a little stuck, like, I know it’s important, and I’m trying some things and I’m not sure if what I’m trying is working or is it enough. And so many years ago, we developed kind of the first generation of this topic of “staff-serve.” You know, how do we really support meaningful staff care, which is this idea of taking the self care and applying it to the team. And this session is a really powerful one, because it gives each participant an opportunity to explore, perhaps what they’re already doing, and they get really specific about some ideas of what they might do as you enter 2025, thinking about, you know, how do I want to promote this? Right?

[Alicia Davis] Yeah, you know, it’s just so important. I think part of the first part of it is to recognize what you and your staff and teams might already be doing,

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, for sure.

[Alicia Davis] Right? And sometimes it can feel like we’re not doing enough, and the little things matter, right? The recognizing people, you know, just checking in with them, right? The making space for maybe people’s feelings and reactions to things, the celebrating successes like there are so many little things that can really make a difference in how people feel cared for and supported.

[Stacie Watson] Yes.

[Alicia Davis] Right. We start out with that right, really looking at what are the ways that that we are implementing care for ourselves as a team, and then really, just really considering, so how am I modeling that?

[Stacie Watson] Right.

[Alicia Davis] Right? And we always talk about really specific practices and applications and very simple things, right? Like, it’s things that you can do in a minute, two minutes, five minutes, right? And so as we’re exploring this topic, The Role of Staff Care in Effective Leadership, and it is coming up in our Learning Academy in January. It’s very much about, what are we doing? What might we want to try doing a little bit more of or a little bit less of? And really actionable well being practices.

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, if this is a topic that resonates for you, and I know it does resonate for so many leaders that we work with each and every day, we invite you to join this conversation, join the session, send someone from your team to join the session and come back with ideas. One of the things that we will offer is a really kind of fun and specific assessment that you can bring back to your team to kind of talk about – well, what does well being look like for each person individually? And that’s kind of an interesting conversation too. So we’d love to, love to have you.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right, check us out academy.tlstransforms.com, and it’s January 22nd. Thank you so much.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

Word for the Year

Happy New Year! Join us this week as we ring in the new year with a different kind of reflection. We promise – no need for crazy diets or other ‘resolutions’!

[Alicia Davis] Happy New Year!

[Stacie Watson] Happy New Year!

[Alicia Davis] Welcome to 2025.

[Stacie Watson] Can’t believe it, right? The holidays were a blur!

[Alicia Davis] They really were and we’re happy to be back. We took a little time off. And you know Stacie, we’ve had this tradition now for a number of years of choosing a word of the year as a way of staying connected to ourselves, and you know, something that helps us be a little bit more intentional and focused. And we wanted to share that and and perhaps be inspiring about that, right?

[Stacie Watson] Absolutely, yeah. It was interesting. When we were talking about doing this video, I sort of was on the fence about a couple of words, and in that conversation, I became clear about my word. So it’s never too late, right, to sort of have the clarity.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right.

[Stacie Watson] And of course, you can always switch. There’s nothing that means that you can’t.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right.

[Stacie Watson] Should we? Should we share our words?

[Alicia Davis] Do it. So what’s your word for this year Stacie?

[Stacie Watson] Well, I think that there were many moments in 2024 where I was really struck by how little I can control, you know, and we always talk about this in our sessions, that really the only thing we have any control over is ourselves. Which can be very depressing sometimes, because we really want to be able to control other people, other factors in the world. And you know, we certainly can try to influence, but it’s not the same as control. And so as I was thinking about 2025 it really became clear to me that I want to be really focused on not just what I do have some control over, but trying to intentionally put things in my life that really align with what’s important to me, my values, who I am. I want to place my time, my energy, my focus, in ways where it really feels again kind of aligned to me. And that was sort of how I came up with my word align. So, you know, I like to think about my word of the year as sort of a North Star, as you mentioned, just something that helps to kind of set direction and intention. And so my intention with a line this year is to just to really be cognizant of my practices, my habits, the way that I’m living my life, and try to ensure that it’s in alignment with what’s important to me.

[Alicia Davis] Mm, hmm, I love that so powerful. Thank you. So my word for the year is compassion, and I’ve been very inspired over these last few months, the end of 2024, by Kristen Neff’s work and Tara Brock’s work. And, you know, as you said, we’ve had so much, just so much change, so much, you know, in our world, in in the United States, you know, there was so much with the election and just so much, just disconnection and, yeah, just people not being kind to one another. And so I really want to first start with myself, because part of Kristin Neff’s work is about self compassion, but compassion for me is about how can I, in a really deep way, be kind and gentle and really listening to my own heart. And then compassion with others is, how can I be really present with them, with an open heart, and especially with with people that have different thoughts and opinions and approaches, and how can I bring more of that into my day to day? And it can be in the little things you know, in really seeing someone that I don’t know and smiling at them, or, you know, an acquaintance. It can also be in the much bigger things, in all of my relationships, you know, with you, with my loved ones and so self compassion and compassion with others. So compassion, that essence of being very kind hearted.

[Stacie Watson] I love that. That also very powerful. And so if you’re listening today, we would just be interested to hear if you’ve selected a word for the year, or if either of the words we’ve shared have given you any inspiration. We’re excited about 2025, we’re excited about the work we get to do to support our clients and the missions that they all hold dear. And so, yeah, I’m ready. You ready to go?

[Alicia Davis] Let’s do it. So I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And feel free to reach out to us at info@tlstransforms.com. Happy New Year.

[Stacie Watson] Happy New Year. Thank you.

End-of-Year Reflections

What kind of reflection do you find yourself doing at the end of the year? Join us today as Alicia and Stacie share some of the end-of-year reflecting that’s been going on at TLS!

[Alicia Davis] So we’re coming to the end of 2024, and this is a natural time when we reflect. And we thought that we would share today a little bit about our reflections at TLS and maybe encourage you to reflect a little bit, too.

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, we just had a really inspiring – it was actually day one of what will be a two-day sort of reflection, planning experience – Alicia and you know, one of the ways that we started that, which I just thought set us up for a really powerful first day, as we just kind of reflected on our successes and really tried to recognize, you know, we have new clients this year; we’ve continued to work with some clients year-over-year, which we’re so grateful for; we put some great new processes in place. So, you know, just to be able to slow down and reflect can be so powerful as we think about all we have to feel good about, right?

[Alicia Davis] Well, you know, that’s it. And I think the mind can always naturally go to, well, I didn’t do this, and I didn’t accomplish that project, or I didn’t…

[Stacie Watson] Right.

[Alicia Davis] …you know, I didn’t, you know, figure out that system, right? And I think that it’s good to acknowledge what we perhaps want to continue focusing on or maybe, what can we learn from the year, right? To put it in a in a way that’s really a supportive kind of focus as opposed to a judgy kind of focus, right?

[Stacie Watson] Definitely.

[Alicia Davis] So focusing on successes, focus on what did we learn… And I think it’s not only about the externals, right? It’s also about focusing on how you are feeling, right? What’s your energy level? What’s your mental state? I mean, for me, you know, really focusing on my physical health and well-being. I had back surgery a couple of weeks ago, and that’s going to be a really continued area of intention for me. So I think it really is important for us as leaders to really consider our whole selves…

[Stacie Watson] Yeah.

[Alicia Davis] … and how we’re how we’re leading and running our organizations. It is from the inside out. And how do we do that in a really motivational, positive, supportive way for us and for our teams, right?

[Stacie Watson] It really is, you know, the second part of our day, and we’ll continue some of this in our day two, was almost like a whiteboarding exercise, just sort of thinking about all that we’ve heard from our clients and some of the things that we’re interested in, and just thinking about what 2025 might bring. And so for those watching, you know, we would invite you to perhaps consider this approach as well. Take a few moments to reflect on yourself and how you feel things have gone for the year, and how I felt kind of going through this year, and then also sort of envision what you might be excited about for the coming year, right?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right, that’s right. We’re going to talk a little bit about that more in January. So, we just wanted to invite you to really appreciate yourself, who you are, and all that you have contributed, both to your organization and to your families, friends, and communities. And just really celebrate that, celebrate yourself, and celebrate your accomplishments as we, yeah, move that 2024 – close that year – and move into 2025.

[Stacie Watson] Crazy.

[Alicia Davis] It is crazy, and here we are, so we’ll embrace it.

[Stacie Watson] Yup.

[Alicia Davis] So take care, everyone. I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] And you can always reach out to us – info@tlstransforms.com – thanks so much.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

Managing End-of-Year Burnout

This time of year can be exhausting – even for those of us who are already exhausted! High levels of exhaustion can lead to feelings of burnout and this week, we are talking about specific ways we can support ourselves in these moments. Join us to hear more!

[Alicia Davis] So as we come to the end of this year Stacie, I know we probably have some folks that are watching us that might be feeling some stress and maybe even some burnout. And we wanted to talk about that, didn’t we?

[Stacie Watson] Yes, you know, we had the great privilege of being able to present a workshop at the recent Connecticut Nonprofit Alliance Annual Conference. It’s a huge conference – I think there were over 700 participants, and we had over 100 people – I think 120 people or something in our session. And the topic was burnout and compassion fatigue.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right and how to address them…

[Stacie Watson] And, yeah, I don’t think it’s an accident that that topic resonated with so many people at the conference. You know, these are all professionals in nonprofit work, and that, in and of itself, can be exhausting, and then if you layer on top of that, some of the, you know, busyness and demands of the season that we’re entering, it can be a lot. And, you know, one of the things we talked about during the conference was just interesting ways that burnout and compassion fatigue could sort of show up. You know, people talked about having very cynical colleagues, or just not having any patience, or feeling just this level of exhaustion that is not normal, doesn’t feel right or normal. And so today, we wanted to share just a quick thought about a way that we can support ourselves when we might be experiencing those things just as we kind of enter into what, for many of us, will be a very busy season, right?

[Alicia Davis] Well, right? And you know, it’s already begun, right? We just had the holiday last week. And you know, I think part of what we always talk about is, how do we begin with ourselves, right? And I think the really important theme, especially around burnout and compassion fatigue, is about how we reestablish or really focus on connection. And connection is both an internal experience as well as an external practice, right? And so I think in terms of connecting with self, you know, I think first and foremost, we want to just offer that – I guess it’s kind of the unfortunate thing – is that there are many people that are experiencing levels of burnout right now. If that is happening for you, especially if you are in the nonprofit sector, it’s, happening a lot, and give yourself a little bit of just kindness and compassion. Like it’s okay, it’s okay if you’re feeling that… it’s okay if you know you maybe don’t feel as maybe compassionate as you might normally. Like, I think the first and foremost thing is, like, just, how can you be just a little bit more easy, be a little bit do, do things for yourself that might feel a little bit more restorative, whatever those are for you. And then the other part of that is, how do you spend time with people that support you, right, in the ways that you know, that they care about your self-care and want to support you, you know, in a way that really matters to you, right?

[Stacie Watson] Yeah, you know, if you’re watching the video right now, we would invite you just to hit the pause button and just think about who are those people. Maybe it’s one person, it could be your partner, it could be a family member, it could be a friend, a faith leader, a coach, or a therapist. It doesn’t really matter who it is; just knowing that person is as invested in my well-being as I am invested in their well-being. You know that we have this very, you know, mutual relationship and concern for each other that can be a really helpful point of connection – back to your word, in these moments where we feel a little bit like not ourselves,

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. That’s right. And if this is a topic that’s resonating with you, or you’ve if you see this happening with your staff, we do have a session coming up next week, next Tuesday, the 10th in our Learning Academy, on Recognizing and Addressing Compassion, Fatigue, and Burnout that we’re going to explore this a little bit more. So I’m Alicia Davis…

[Stacie Watson] I’m Stacie Watson…

[Alicia Davis] Thank you so much for watching. You can follow us or email us at info@TLStransforms.com. Thanks so much.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you.

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