Five years ago, Susan,* armed with a Masters degree in Social work, began leading a three-person program to address the mental and emotional well-being of older adults in a western city. 

Soon she discovered that older adults in the USA have the highest suicide rates of any age group.

Passionate about meeting the need, she began applying for grants. After eight rejections, her ninth grant application landed her a three-year grant for $300,000 a year. 

She began to hire additional staff and soon she was supervising a staff of twelve. A couple months after hiring additional staff she went on maternity leave, leaving a new coordinator in charge of the grant program. 

Shortly before Susan's maternity leave was to end, she discovered the new coordinator had not only taken the project off course but was actively undermining Susan with the new staff. 

That's when Susan called me for the first of several leadership coaching sessions. Like countless nonprofit leaders and managers, she had no training in leadership, management, or supervision. It was as if she had suddenly been thrown into a leadership position to see if she would sink, swim or lead. 

Overwhelmed with facing the possibility of firing the coordinator, as well as questions of how to hire the right people, how to organize the new staff to fulfill the requirements of the grant, and how to manage the other programs in her department at the same time, she felt like she was sinking, not leading. 

When I coach, I not only look at the crisis that led the person to call me, but also use the 7 Paths to look for opportunities to get their department or organization back to thriving. 

It quickly became apparent that Susan did need to address the immediate issue-having hired a coordinator whose strengths did not fit the role. The day after she returned from maternity leave, she and the executive director gave the coordinator the option of resigning or being let go. 

Then, with my coaching, she took three steps. 

First, given the fact that she had just fired a colleague, she needed to begin to rebuild trust with the rest of the people who worked with her. In the next department meeting, she focused on the mission of her department, describing her own commitment to the mission and her commitment to each person on the team. Then she invited each person in the department to recommit, in the next few weeks, and in their own unique way, to the mission and to working as a team. 

Second, she realized that the department had gotten off track because she hadn't communicated expectations clearly. Using the criteria from the grant, she created a scorecard to be reviewed weekly at the department meeting. Each staff member could see how she or he was contributing to the goals of the project. 

Third, to rebuild trust and to support each staff person in their work, she began taking a staff member to Starbucks each week for conversation and coaching. 

Six weeks after her maternity leave, she's relieved and excited. She can see staff members deeply engaged in carrying out the mission of her department.

Wisdom for the day: When you feel overwhelmed by waves of leadership challenges, a leadership coach or mentor can help you use those challenges to grow your department. 

Fare thee well!

Rich Foss

* · Name and identifying details changed.

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Event: Exploring Consensus Decision-Making
October 4, 2008, Richmond, IN

Participatory decision-making is a humble hierarchy practice, recognizing the treasure and insight from every voice.