3 Ways to Reignite Your Why When Facing Leadership Fatigue

On any given day, part of being a nonprofit leader means facing and working to overcome challenges. Whether it be budgetary, staffing, or customer related, it is often considered ‘part of the job’ and, in turn, strategies are developed to help manage the stress while maintaining continued progress.  

As nonprofit consultants, we have had the opportunity to observe and support leaders as they overcome challenges on their path to designing and implementing strategy to achieve long term sustainability.  While this has always been the case, the last several years have brought additional unprecedented challenges that few were adequately prepared to face.

Today, having pushed so hard for so long to get their organizations through the crisis, many leaders are finding themselves experiencing leadership fatigue. Given the pace of change is not slowing down and that focus must remain on ensuring organizational viability, sustainability, and relevance, it is more important than ever for leaders to find ways to get re-energized. 

Reconnect with your staff

With so much of your focus placed on how to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape and on maintaining the viability of your organization, it’s important to remember that your staff & teams are facing that same level of uncertainty as they continue working to provide seamless service delivery to their clients. 

Take the time to reconnect with your team to better understand their current experience and what they may need as employees. You may not be able to immediately address larger-scale issues such as staffing shortages, but there are other ways to build morale and support their mental health. 

Employee recognition, mental health days, or hosting social events to celebrate dedication and achievements, are all ways to support your staff and to reinvigorate your organization’s culture. Surprise your staff with in-person or virtual visits and acts of gratitude to acknowledge that they are an integral part of your organization and that they are valued. 

Connecting with your staff and fostering positive professional relationships can serve as a great reminder to you of your ‘why’ and offer a balance to constant decision making that can often feel isolating.

Make decisions in a timely manner

Making decisions in a timely manner is one of the single most important things a leader can do to maintain staff morale, confidence in you as their leader, and to preserve your own strategic clarity. When decisions need to be made, be ready to make them quickly and effectively after doing your due diligence. 

Decision making is more about probabilities than certainties, so take the time to understand the risk involved, to gain staff feedback, and to properly forecast the desired outcomes. Once you have all the information you need, maintain momentum by making and sharing your decision with the appropriate stakeholders. 

If momentum and production are the basis of morale, then timely decision-making on things both small and large becomes vital. This will have a positive impact on organizational culture and help avoid creating a backlog of decision-making for you. 

Plan for the future

Strategic planning can often serve as an opportunity to engage your team in positive and optimistic discussions about the future. As a leader, it offers you the chance to provide your team with insight into how your organization can evolve from where you are today to where you want to be in the future. 

As mindsets shift from immediate crisis management towards purposeful planning for the future, many organizations are turning to strategic planning to determine next steps and to set the tone for the future. The uniting of the organization to determine a path forward can be invigorating for all those involved and can also help keep you focused on your vision for the organization. 

Your ability to lead and inspire others begins with you doing what it takes to stay connected and maintain your own motivation and inspiration. When possible, let your team see your process so you can lead by example. Let your actions exemplify the value you place on addressing issues as they arise and allow your attitude to reflect the importance of maintaining a positive organizational culture during challenging times.

The inspiration for the future starts with leadership.