Special Olympics Florida’s Post

The changing dynamics in leadership, especially Black Women’s leadership, is influenced by a broader trend of organizations making decisions that appear to be in direct conflict with the leaders giving their time and effort to those organizations. I thought this piece had some great suggestions for leaders, but it's clear that a broader cultural conversation needs to happen here where nonprofit boards reexamine how conflict can impede an organization's core mission. #Nonprofit #Justice #BlackLeadership

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? One of the questions I get a lot from the EDs and CEOs I work with is: "How will I know when it's time for me to leave?" We nonprofit consultants have all been schooled in the dangers of the dreaded "#founderssyndrome"- yes it is REAL- and other pitfalls of stale leadership, and hopefully try to do what we can to prevent this from happening. In this post that introduces Glennda Testone as the new CEO of Nonprofit Leadership Lab, there's a nice "how will I know when the time is right?"- 10 questions that can serve as a starting point for leaders contemplating a move. Check it out! (and welcome Glennda!) Joan Garry #nonprofitleadership #nonprofitmanagement #nonprofits #nonprofitconsulting #intuitionconsulting #leadership

“Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” -Helen Dyer Nerdy Girl Success is proud to be a non-profit organization that works diligently to connect women in the workforce / community leaders with young girls who are just beginning to dive into what their career interests may be. Just like in this video from various Career & Leadership Summits - we love introducing young girls to a plethora of careers and industries so they can see women just like themselves in places of leadership or in industries where women are underrepresented. We need women like yourself to join us by becoming a Nerdy Girl Success Volunteer! Please go to bit.ly/volunteernerd to read about our various volunteer roles or head over to the Nerdy Girl Success website to learn more about our organization. #fyp #explorepage #nerdygirlscuccess #changingthelandscapeofleadership #nonprofit #supportyoungwomen

A great discussion of nonprofit leadership, Sloane Keane!

Our current approach to social change leadership is broken. We focus on finding solutions without addressing the deeper issues of trauma and inequality. Healing Centered Engagement prioritizes empathy, connection, and self-reflection. Healing-centered leaders build trust by being vulnerable, focusing on creating possibilities, and prioritizing well-being over the hustle culture. This article I wrote offers a powerful example of how this approach can transform a tense situation into a more collaborative one. For anyone interested in social change or leadership development, including myself, it offers a valuable new perspective on how we can achieve lasting change. #HealingCenteredEngagement #FlourishAgenda #LeadershipandDevelopment #Healing #Youth https://lnkd.in/g7unx8nk

What does it take to heal a broken society? All those working to create a more just world will benefit from reading this short article by Shawn Ginwright, a leading educator, scholar, activist, and author at Harvard Graduate School of Education. So many well-intentioned people have worked tirelessly to reduce structural impediments and barriers to fairness. These efforts are important, but insufficient when it comes to addressing the root causes of our deep-seated inequities. Thank you for sharing this valuable perspective on the inner work needed to achieve genuine healing and lasting change on a collective level. "Our current approach to social change leadership is broken. We focus on finding solutions without addressing the deeper issues of trauma and inequality. Healing Centered Engagement prioritizes empathy, connection, and self-reflection. Healing-centered leaders build trust by being vulnerable, creating possibilities, and prioritizing well-being over the hustle culture." #Healing #LeadershipDevelopment #Youth #SystemsChange #TransformativeChange #Education #SocialJustice

"A supportive infrastructure, or even a protective one, simply mitigates the [unhealthy] symptoms. It is not enough. The question we must answer is: How do we develop healthy cultures for Black women’s leadership? " BIPOC women leaders need spaces and leadership programs specific to their needs given the historic race and gender dynamics that are always in play. This trend is similar for all BIPOC women leaders with nuances for each one. "Black women leaders do not find adequate leadership programs “addressing the unique needs of Black women in leadership roles” (33). What does exist “relies on within-group, resources support—not a broad set of partners, together identifying the common barriers and solutions to supporting Black women’s leadership” (33). The respondents further stated that the experiences of Black women “deserved a focus, space, and strategy of its own” (33). And “[t]hey want a space that was curated and convened for and by Black women, not others who do not share the same experiences” (34)."

While #BlackWomen leaders are at the forefront of innovation, they “are operating in unprecedented times, with mounting barriers and challenges to their leadership—driven by systemic inequities deeply embedded in sectors and systems” (5). What measures must be taken to provide Black women and Black gender-expansive leaders with the support, resources, and infrastructure they need to thrive as they lead?” Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5cSr3rg #blackwomenlead

TL:DR - as they say in the vernacular, if you can’t say Amen, say ouch. And “[t]hey want a space that was curated and convened for and by Black women, not others who do not share the same experiences” (34). —> Doing THAT work, birthing this kind of space for #Blackwomen is the veritable heart & substance of what would be my absolute dream job (that is, if labor was ever part of my dreams … it isn’t). More significantly, this observation by Dr Gabor Maté underlies the premise of beginning always with clear problem-SETTING (guided by deep listening & a commitment to operating from an ethics of care) before we even begin to think of problem-SOLVING that guides my approach to so much of the work that I do today: if we are to ever foster real life sustaining, future altering change we must first get clear & be honest (not brutally, but lovingly) about the realities that have created & perpetuate the inequities that structure our realities. “Maté observes that illness is not random; it is an expression of one’s experiences, one’s environment. Environments that make us sick are toxic cultures, which Maté defines as ‘unsuitable for the creatures it is meant to support’ (4)… A supportive infrastructure, or even a protective one, simply mitigates the symptoms. It is not enough. The question we must answer is: How do we develop healthy cultures for Black women’s leadership?” All the DEI/DEIB efforts in the world will fall flat & short of their goal if we’re unwilling to set the target beyond the status quo, system sustaining aims these acronyms (which I also use!) uplift. Our hope for transformative change depends on focusing more directly on DECONSTRUCTION - dismantling the systems (to invoke bell hooks) of White supremacist capitalist patriarchy that will continue to create conditions of sickness & harm ‘cause they, by definition, were never developed to support an end where we (all) were ever meant to survive. Developing cultures, systems, institutions of health & thriving for ALL will require both releasing privileges & redistributing resources - there is always a cost. Are we willing to pay the price of the ticket? PS : shout out to Robbin Chapman, PhD & her brilliance & wisdom in spotlighting the significance of problem-setting for me

“However, while they have been able to shatter glass ceilings, the lack of “necessary infrastructure to support their leadership” has left them “teetering on the edge of a glass cliff” (5). The report defines glass cliff as a phenomenon where “Black women are elevated into senior leadership roles with the expectation of addressing organizational deficiencies that their predecessors were unable to overcome without added support or resources” (5). This has led to the current trend of Black women leaving leadership roles across the public and private sectors, citing “unsupportive work environments, overwhelming workloads, and experiences of microaggressions—circumstances uniquely created at the intersection of racism, patriarchy, and anti-Blackness in the workplace” (5). Some “have been portrayed negatively in the media” (5). These leaders report “overwhelming exhaustion, chronic stress, and burnout as they navigate their roles” (6).”