#GOLDILOCKS RULE HOW TO#

A strong, collaborative culture begins in the corner offices at the nonprofit. Yet some leaders pay scant attention to employee needs. Never Leave Your Most Valuable Assets UnattendedВ вЂ“ Most nonprofit employers describe employees as their most valuable assets.Resolve to be honest with all staff about necessary changes in structure and staffing and encourage questions about whatвЂ™s taking place as well as why it is necessary to sustain your mission. Worse, they may feel that the nonprofit has abandoned its commitment to staff. If downsizing is necessary due to changes in your business model or available funding, recognize that remaining staff may have survivorвЂ™s guilt or fear that they will be next.

#GOLDILOCKS RULE HOW TO#

Convene a task group to brainstorm how to keep a connected, mission-focused culture alive and well during a growth spurt. DonвЂ™t ignore the risk of your culture becoming watered down as you grow. Thoughtful orientation programs become rushed meetings where packets are distributed. Growing nonprofits often find it hard to sustain a family or small nonprofit atmosphere when new staff members arrive on a weekly basis. Pay Attention to Size if You Want a Perfect FitВ вЂ“ Your culture is in greatest jeopardy when your organization is growing or shrinking.Managers and supervisors should model the values of candor and respect by being candid and respectful with one another as well as their direct reports. Discuss ways to support one another and live up to commitments the next time. Explain what didnвЂ™t happen, the consequences of a dropped commitment, and listen with empathy to understand why. True accountability requires candid conversations when a co-worker lets you down. When nonprofit staff let each other down they also let the mission of the nonprofit down. Answer the Door, Accountability is Knocking!В вЂ“ Accountability means living up to the commitments you make.When employees are boxed into the same way of accomplishing every task, boredom sets in along with rote focus on inputs, rather than real results. Ask: do our supervisors and managers allow staff to experiment, make decisions, and sometimes fail? When your culture allows staff to try new things and explore different ways of getting the job done, some of those new ways might wind up saving financial and other resources. No one likes to be told what to do and how to do it every minute of the day. DonвЂ™t Spoon Feed Your Employees вЂ“В All nonprofit staff share the desire for some degree of autonomy.To reduce the likelihood that an ineffective workplace culture will weaken your mission, consider the five risk tips below. Frequent crisis events caused by poor communication or lack of coordinationД¬hanging the culture in a nonprofit is no easy task and you donвЂ™t have the option of casting a magic spell to turn bad to good.High turnover and frequent use of sick leave.Ineffective, nonexistent or insincere teamwork.The consequences of inattention to culture are serious. If any of those circumstances sound familiar, youвЂ™ve worked for a manager or organization that cared very little about workplace culture. New hires were interviewed in secret and their identities unknown until their first day of work?.Employees openly sabotaged one another?.The perks, pay raises and privileges were limited to staff with corner offices?.The boss grumbled when employees socialized after work?.Have you ever worked for an organization where:

The tone of written communication, from short text or instant messages to announcements of changes in policy sent to large groups via email.

The tone of spoken communication, from one-on-one conversations to group discussions at staff meetings.

How staff define good enough versus going the extra mile.

Whether and how employees hold one another accountable.Although culture is something you canвЂ™t see, it influences productivity and the willingness of team members to persevere and pull together to overcome the inevitable challenges in a nonprofit workplace. Essentially, it is your nonprofitвЂ™s personality. What is Workplace Culture?Д¬ulture is the sum of the values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of a shared group of people. One area that requires special attention anytime the makeup of the workforce is changing, is workplace culture. But if your mission is to make a difference in your community or in the world, youвЂ™ll want to make wise hiring choices and invest in any new staff to help them succeed. But is it simply time to fill the open chair with a warm body? If your expectations for performance are low, then almost any applicant will do.

One of your best employees just left the organization and you feel a sense of urgency to replace her. By Melanie Lockwood Herman and Alexandra Ricketts

Goldilocks rule