Is your organization consciously practicing two-way communication? Do your employees feel truly seen and valued? Do they trust that leadership is listening, and do they believe leadership is worth listening to? If the answer is no, or you’re unsure, staff support and engagement may be seriously faltering.
Healthy communication breeds mutual respect. In an organization where both are present, toxic behaviors do not easily take root. Staff can trust that their feedback will be appropriately acted upon and leadership can rely on staff to focus on mission fulfillment. No workplace culture can sustain toxicity when all parties feel supported.
No nonprofit can thrive without a supportive, competent board of directors, and no such board is likely to hire an unqualified executive director, leave bylaws unexamined, or omit appropriate training. Nonprofit success may be reflected primarily in the work carried out by staff, but it’s the board of directors that sets the direction of the organization, stewards its resources, and ensures its overall health.
The executive leadership team plays an equally important role in day-to-day operations, and it is here, in the organization’s circle of top supervisors, that staff support is often made or broken. While ELT members may have joined the organization to share their professional expertise, their often-inadvertent contributions to culture, relationships, and communication are far more impactful than their background.
It kills organizations, that is, by driving away talent, disrupting effective communication, and distracting from mission fulfillment.
It also kills passion, innovation, and communication. Show us a nonprofit where those things are absent and we’ll show you a struggling, stagnant one.
Finally, it kills confidence for the people most important to your organization’s success: staff, obviously, but also the board of directors and your donor base.
We believe that nothing is a more accurate predictor of a nonprofit’s success that its ability and willingness to identify and address toxicity. The scariest part? It exists in virtually all organizations.
However, we believe that toxicity, while prevalent, is not inevitable. It must be carefully and consistently guarded against with clear, honest communication, self-awareness, and mission prioritization.
We also believe that no organization is beyond redemption. By sincerely committing to the principles we teach, your nonprofit will eventually reap the invaluable benefits of happy staff, effective leadership, and dramatically improved culture and morale.
It kills organizations, that is, by driving away talent, disrupting effective communication, and distracting from mission fulfillment.
It also kills passion, innovation, and communication. Show us a nonprofit where those things are absent and we’ll show you a struggling, stagnant one.
Finally, it kills confidence for the people most important to your organization’s success: staff, obviously, but also the board of directors and your donor base.
We believe that nothing is a more accurate predictor of a nonprofit’s success that its ability and willingness to identify and address toxicity. The scariest part? It exists in virtually all organizations.
However, we believe that toxicity, while prevalent, is not inevitable. It must be carefully and consistently guarded against with clear, honest communication, self-awareness, and mission prioritization.
We also believe that no organization is beyond redemption. By sincerely committing to the principles we teach, your nonprofit will eventually reap the invaluable benefits of happy staff, effective leadership, and dramatically improved culture and morale.
Employees gossip when they don’t feel heard. They work hard when they know their managers will listen and, most importantly, advocate on their behalf.
Resentment takes root when staff members feel that their working environment is fundamentally unfair or unreasonable and can manifest in virtually limitless ways.
It’s not a buzzword; it’s the reason some of your staff may dread coming in. The cure? Respect, self-awareness, and a commitment to understanding without the need to agree.
Wonder why good people keep leaving? They probably don’t think it’s worth staying in an environment where they don’t feel valued, heard, or respected.
The us-versus-them mentality between individuals or departments frequently sounds a death knell for organizational effectiveness. Root it out.
