[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.