By Leigh Ann Hubbard
I complimented a friend on what a good leader she is, and her response was thought-provoking.
After fighting for years to “make it work” at a small but impactful nonprofit — with minimal staffing — she finally has a bigger team that’s more in line with the organization’s needs. And she’s jumped into that leadership role like a natural.
But it’s not just natural.
“Years ago,” she said, “I dreamed that if I ever got to a leadership position, I would be the boss I wanted. I would provide the things I craved as an employee.”
She hasn’t gone through a leadership class. She doesn’t have years of experience leading large teams. She has experience with bad leadership — plus a lot of determination and a passion for the mission.
The Boss You Don’t Want
This leader has a history of surviving toxic bosses — to the point that one locked her in a room with him and threw papers at her, and an entire board micromanaged her so much that the work cellphone never left her side — day or night — because she was afraid of missing a call.
She did not learn good leadership from good examples.
She did learn what not to do.
Retention on a Budget
Her team works outdoors in this brutally hot Southern summer for little pay. Here are some things she does that have led to impressive retention:
- Regularly talks about the mission and their importance in it
- Holds them to high standards, and explains the impact it has if they don’t meet those standards
- … At the same time, takes into account differences in personalities, abilities, and training
- Praises them publicly, in the employee group chats, for working hard and impacting the mission
- Watches to learn what they’re good at and enjoy doing — then puts them into positions where they do more of that, and offers training where possible so they get even better
- Taps into the organization’s supporters (board, donors, etc.) to help with employee appreciation and training, because they value the employees too
- Offers small raises and benefits where she can — say, $0.50/hour more, a little paid time off, or early release on holidays (with eight-hour pay)
- Remembers that different people have different “appreciation languages”
About those appreciation languages: While some of them, like “words of affirmation,” are relatively easy to accomplish, how about the “tangible gifts” one? How do you express appreciation that way on a tiny budget?
Here’s one of her solutions: She asked everyone what their favorite snacks and drinks are. Then, with minimal funds, she painstakingly shopped to get what she could from those lists. They all got surprised with a goody box.
The low cost of the gift didn’t matter — the personalized attention and thought that went into it did.
The Journey
While putting into practice the kind of leadership she’d want from a boss, my friend has also sought advice from trusted confidantes. She has supportive leadership above her now as well — people who respect and listen to her, rather than second-guess, undervalue, and micromanage. And she does have natural leadership traits going for her, including assertiveness and confident decision-making skills.
Of course, there’s been some trial and error along the way. But she’s kept learning and growing, and it’s wonderful to watch the results.
She asked her team the other day, “Of all the things you do every day, what’s your favorite?”
They said, “Everything.”
They could make more money at other places, including fast food restaurants. But they choose to work at this organization, to make a difference, to serve. They inspire her, and she inspires them — and things keep looking up for this scrappy nonprofit in small-town Mississippi.
