“Uncertainty is chronic; instability is permanent; disruption is common; and we can neither predict nor govern events. There will be no ‘new normal’; there will only be a continuous series of ‘not normal’ episodes, defying prediction and unforeseen by most of us until they happen.”
-Jim Collins
We are living in a time of rapid transformation. There are changes in how we work, how we connect, and how we make the world a better place. This change has been amplified by the pandemic, but it is not fully caused by it. We are living in a time of exponential change, where change gets faster and faster on a predictable scale. There isn’t going to be a time where things go “back to normal”.
The nonprofit sector is not immune to these challenges. When I talk to nonprofit leaders, I am hearing that you are facing staff and board members that are resistant to change. There are huge changes in your tried and true financial models (even the organizations that received a magical MacKenzie Scott gift are rethinking their financial path forward). In addition, you are facing some of the greatest staffing challenges that the sector has seen in recent history (hello Great Resignation). This is enough to send the most experienced nonprofit executive under their desks in the fetal position.
I know all of this can be completely overwhelming but in the Jim Collins quote at the beginning of this post he said these changes are “unforeseen by most of us until they happen.” Most…MOST…MOST! You aren’t most people. You have dedicated your career to making the world a better place. You have a vested interest in disruption because it is the only way to make things better. Ending inequality? Disruption! Making sure everyone has a home? Disruption! Rebuilding our education system? Disruption! You were made for this.
This is a critical time for nonprofit leaders to learn a new set of skills to harness this time of volatility to create the best results in your organization’s history. This is the time for us to build a new future.
A recent study from BetterUp Labs found that the most important skill for leaders today is future-thinking skills. These skills help you thrive and stay resilient in the face of uncertainty. BetterUp Labs launched a survey of over 1,500 US workers and found that people who harness future-mindedness can improve their personal and professional lives, even in spite of uncertainty and unpredictability. Those high in future-minded leadership reported 34% less anxiety and 35% less depression than their peers. They’re more optimistic about the future, more productive, and have greater life satisfaction. There has not been a more important time in your career to learn how to build these future-thinking skills to harness uncertainty into positive change.
5 Key Skills You Need to Navigate Change
1. Visualize your ideal future – If you’d like to create a better future, first you have to have a really clear, shared picture of what better looks like. What does the problem you are working on look like if it is actually fixed? For instance, what does your community look like if every child has equal access to education or if everyone has a home? Visualizing a problem that is fully fixed can give you insight into new solutions to get there.
2. Stop Loving the Problem- The easiest place for us to get stuck is when we are loving the problem. Loving the problem is when you use up your energy describing how terrible things are (in meetings, annual reports, and grant applications). When you spend all of your time describing how terrible everything is, you no mental space left to actually imagine ways to solve those problems or they may feel too big so you give up.
3. Get Future Focused – It is critical that you make time for the future in your present. Spending just 5% of your time thinking about the future exposes you to new ways of solving existing problems. Reading up on organizations that have an innovative way of solving the problems you are working on or new strategies in other sectors that might be applicable to your work can super charge your efforts.
4. Activate Your Network - Your network is one of the most critical pieces to making your ideal future a reality. No one can solve hard problems alone. It is only when we align our efforts does big change happen. Who is also working on the ideal future that you imagined? Reach out and find ways to learn from each other.
5. Make Your Ideal Future a Reality – We can’t just sit back and wait to see what the future will bring us, we have to do the hard work today to build a better future. You have to be willing to try new things and to build your skills as a future thinker to help your organization harness this volatility and create a more beautiful and equitable future.
Building these skills will help you begin to navigate this change and create a better future. You have an opportunity right in front of you to move your staff and board forward in the same direction, inspire funders and supporters with an exciting picture of what is possible, and be a leader that can help your organization and your community navigate change. It is a big task but you don’t have to do it alone.
We are creating a community of changemakers who are strengthening their future-thinking muscles. If you are really ready to commit to your own development as a future-focused leader, join our FutureGood Studio ‘s Beta cohort, which is a 12-week learning journey with a community of visionary leaders who are transforming their communities.
FutureGood has created a process for building future-thinking skills that has helped our clients garner huge legislative wins, secure their biggest grants ever, and identify partnering organizations that can help move your impact from incremental to exponential.
During our time together in FutureGood Studio you will learn how to create a clear roadmap and develop the set of skills necessary to become a future proof leader. We help you visualize your ideal future, know who in your network can help you create your ideal future and outline action steps to do just that.
This time is hard for all of us but you’ve got this!