A Critical Tool for Avoiding Burnout

If you're managing important changes at your organization, here's a question you need to ask (and answer).

"What can wait?"

When we're adopting new innovations, launching new programs, or integrating new technology, there's a lot of additional, unfamiliar work to be done.

Some of that work is momentary - 6 months of implementation for a longer-term gain.

But some of that work will be ongoing, creating new ways of working. It's work that we need to learn well - and eventually do well - for us to realize the promise of that innovation, program, or technology.

Here's the thing.

It's really hard to have the time and space to learn and do new things well when we already have a workload full of "must do" items like:
→ Managing a year-end giving campaign
→ Ensuring risk-management and compliance tasks are handled
→ Hosting our annual conference
→ Advocating for our community with policymakers
→ Providing high-quality programs and services
→ Planning a beloved annual community event

So as a leader, you have to ask yourself - and answer for your team - "what can wait?"

Sector-wide, our nonprofit team members are experiencing high levels of burnout, and nonprofit organizations are continuing to experience high turnover.

"We have to do it all" or "everything's important" aren't acceptable answers - they're just a way of avoiding making tough, but important tradeoffs.

Because people aren't robots, and something's gonna give.

As a CEO or Department Head, the choice you get to make is to have the courage to say what project or activity can take a backseat, be postponed for a bit, or be skipped for this year.

Failing to make that choice sets your new change initiative, your team, and your organization up to fail.

So, let's start today. What's something that can wait or be paused on your team this year? Join the conversation on LinkedIn.