Becoming boss

by Leah Lundquist
follow me on Twitter: @leahlundquist

No millennial I know particularly wants to end up like Michael Scott, beloved by his employees in a pitiful way. No, we all want to be Tony Hsieh of Zappos, crushing organizational hierarchy in the name of productivity and passion. Or Liz Lemon, somehow getting a show on the air even while managing crazy, egocentric actors and immature, oftentimes lazy writers. But making the leap from the very lowest of the food chain to having people to supervise isn’t easy. We talk a lot about “managing up” as Millennials - what about when we start managing “down”? 

I recently made this leap myself. This past fall, I went from managing the work of no one to managing a single person and then to managing 5 within a matter of a couple months. Now – disclaimer here – I work in an academic environment where my supervisees are students, so none of them are FTEs. I’d argue, however, that supervising individuals on their second priority (school being #1) and close in age to me or older adds to the supervision challenge and provides even more qualification for what I’m about to share.  

Most of our organizations probably wouldn’t buck the organizational titles and chart for a Zappos-esque holacracy anytime soon,- so we might as well work with the hierarchies we’ve got and be the best, most empowering supervisors we can be.

Take that collaborative Millennial spirit and use it to your advantage!

As a supervisor, I’ve found that making sure everyone feels a part of something bigger than his or her contributions is essential.  I started the position meeting 1-on-1 with each of my supervisees.  I quickly realized that the students I supervise are interested in the initiative they are working on broadly but had no grasp of the big picture. As soon as I started bringing them together as a team more often, new strategies and approaches were being thrown around left and right. Having a broader perspective around the project allowed my supervisees to bring their broader skill sets to our work together as a team. Plus, it created a more fun weekly meeting! 

Team meetings can also be a great place to take the entire accountability burden off of your shoulders alone. There are many ways to have supervisees share a “public to-do list.” If they voice their responsibility and you’ve done a good job building relationships as a team and providing resources, they’ll get it done.

If the team spirit is getting in the way of making productive work happen or you don’t feel it’s clear enough who is ultimately responsible for what, the RASCI responsibility matrix can be a useful thing to have at your fingertips. It has helped me think about the multiple roles an individual might play in a particular project: Are they: Responsible for managing work? Accountable for the final result? Providing Support? Need to be Consulted or Informed? Most successful projects are more of a team effort than you expect up front.

Be a colleague and set those expectations high

I’ve always been lucky to have incredible supervisors who have expected a lot out of me. And I’ve always found myself motivated to deliver. Why? Because they’ve called me a colleague and made it clear that they were about my professional development, pulling me into meetings where I clearly wasn’t a huge contributor yet, inviting me to co-facilitate meetings that felt well-beyond my league. Be that door-opener for the people you supervise. Pay it forward. 

One time, I distinctly remember telling a supervisor I didn’t know how to handle a series of organizational partnership conversations. She responded as if she’d been to the best supervisor training in the world: “Leah, I trust you. If you fail, I’ll take the blame and if you absolutely need me to intervene, I will, but I believe in your capacity.”

And did anything bad happen to the organization because I handled this partnership? No, of course not. On the other hand, did anything awesome happen because she encouraged me to handle this one solo? YES: a huge confidence boost in her supervisee while she doubled the organization’s capacity.

For those times that expectations are not met, having conversation helps.  I recently had to have this type of tough conversation with a supervisee who did not meet core responsibilities of the position. I really wanted to stay in denial, blaming it on my poor supervision. Instead, we both had to get better. I needed to improve at documentation and deadline-setting. The supervisee needed to get better at reliability and self-initiative.

I’m happy to report that we’re on quite collegial terms now, and that he’s following through 100% with the deadlines we set together. Let’s face it. Everyone works better with deadlines, even made-up ones.

Be a friend-with-boundaries and know the person you’re supervising

It seems so simple, but being a friend-with-boundaries at work is as time-intensive as being a friend-with or without-benefits outside work.  What motivates your supervisees? What topics do they love to chat about before you dive into work talk? 

The few minutes my bosses have spent stopping by my door or cube to ask about life or share something authentic about themselves have, no doubt, increased my motivation and loyalty. The times they have clued me into their shortcomings or asked for feedback have doubled it!

Perhaps your supervisee doesn’t like talking about life outside of work. Just make sure you still get that person’s birthday on your calendar and celebrate it publicly in the office. They’ll appreciate it. I promise.

Get better at facilitating meetings

Whether over conference call, in person or online, you’re going to need to be good at facilitating meetings as a supervisor.  I find even brief check-in and check-out questions key to setting the tone on both ends. Invite everyone to speak up early and they’ll be more likely to speak up throughout. If you’ve been in the weeds during the conversation, help people zoom back out at the end to why they’re excited about the initiative.

We move in the direction of our questions, so plan compelling or creative questions for the meeting. Make room for introverts and people who like to provide more thoughtful responses by allowing everyone the chance to write or think about a big or strategic question for a minute before opening the floor for responses.

So there’s just a few things I’ve learned in my few months of supervising. What recommendations do you have from supervising or being supervised?

Mark your calendar! Join us at the Friday, May 16^th Emerging Leaders Network Lunch at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits from 12 – 1 pm to chat more about “Becoming Boss.”

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Logic models, KPIs, goals, oh my!

by Kate Borman
Follow me on Twitter: @k8borman

We’re approaching the third month of the year, about the time when most New Year’s resolutions start to look a lot less shiny and promising. We’ve all been there, where we set these amazing, lofty goals to accomplish in the next year. Starting in the early 2000s, I started setting the number of goals or resolutions based off the year. For example, I would set 14 goals for 2014. But last year I stopped using this method because it simply wasn’t working. I would set these lofty goals without any true ways of measuring progress.

Last fall I participated in a number of professional development opportunities. I helped plan logic models at my nonprofit. I took a Fundamentals of Project Management course. I co-presented a session on using KPIs to set analytic goals. All three of these professional development opportunities use different methods. Yet, not so surprising, all three methodologies have similar objectives: to meet the end goal.

After learning about these methodologies, I realized they are not only applicable to my 9-to-5. I often find when I set personal goals, I do so without clear direction. I rarely set milestones or benchmarks – which really is only a recipe for disaster. So I write this blog post with the intent of sharing my knowledge so that when we set goals, any type of goal, we don’t do so blindly.

Creating long-term change with logic models

Logic models categorize goals based on length of time: short-term outcomes (the act of learning), medium-term outcomes (actionable goals) and long-term outcomes (creating conditions, or long-term change). Using this method, you work backwards by identifying your long-term outcomes and setting milestones along the way. You weigh in external factors, and your assumptions and resources. This method is ideal for goals that extend over a longer duration of time. For example, logic models models may be applicable for nonprofits in the midst of a strategic planning process or any big organizational change.

So how can you use a logic model in your personal goal setting? Example: Establishing a healthier lifestyle. Short or medium term goals might include learning how to cook your own meals and establishing an exercise schedule. Activities might include working out, going grocery shopping, attending classes, and going to bed earlier. Resources might include a gym membership, access to a grocery store, and proper cooking supplies, and so on. All of these components will factor into the success of accomplishing the end goal.

Laddering up with KPIs

 

Similar to logic models, using Kristine Remer’s ladder up formula, you identify your goal and then you establish Key Performance Indicators (otherwise known as benchmarks) and tactics. Your KPIs incorporate SMART business objectives: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Your tactics are the activities you complete in order to reach your benchmarks. In the workplace, KPIs may be used to help set programmatic goals that have SMART objectives, such as gaining a certain number of clients by a specific time.

Goals that incorporate numerical benchmarks make great candidates for this method. Example: Read 10 new books in 2014. A KPI may be to read five books by June, and tactics might be to join a book club, read 30 minutes a day, or keep a book in your purse. Tactics are the activities that you test, try out, and adapt based on what works best for you. 

Prepping with project management

While project management is a method used for a goal that has a specific timeline, budget, and scope, it is also the best method to use when a project involves several people. For example, a nonprofit could use project management methodologies when it is planning a big fundraising gala or preparing for a new software launch.  

Similar to a fundraising event, you might use this method when you are planning your own personal event, such as a family reunion. The event will require demands on time, budgets, and resources from you and all your relatives. Additionally, you will have to please and meet everyone’s expectations, especially Grandma Penny’s. You may need to assign roles and duties. Applying the knowledge you learn in project management could prove to be very fruitful in these types of personal goals and achievements.

While all three of these methodologies tend to be used in the professional world - who says the application needs to end there? How can you adapt what you learn in your professional career to accomplish goals in your personal life? By incorporating measurements of success, you will have new milestones to help motivate and keep you on track. Sometimes having a system in place with clear outcomes and measurements are all you need to turn those unattainable goals into reality.

I admit I haven’t tried this out for myself. But it sounds like a great starting point. In fact, let me go dust off a lofty goal and put one of these into practice.

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From herding cats to busy bees: Effective committee management

by Katie Tharp
Follow me on Twitter: @DangerKate

“Another committee?!” Ever hear that? Committees can be plagued with problems: lack of focus, talking without doing anything, or meetings that waste time. They must be well managed in order to be an effective, as well as fun, way to get work done.

Here are a few types of committees:

• Staff committees
• Volunteer committees
• Volunteer committees with staff support (i.e. a small number of staff attends and participates in meetings)

Committees may be ongoing, like a finance committee, or have a defined shelf life, like an event planning task force.

My experience includes being staff coordinator for a lot of committees, as well as being a member and chair of various volunteer committees (with or without staff support). I’m also the 2014 chair of YNPN-TC’s programming committee, which plans all our great events and programs! (Sign up here for more info on volunteering!) In my experience, the goal of managing a committee is to empower its members to feel ownership and responsibility so they will work together to take action.

With this goal in mind, here are some things you can focus on to help your committee run more effectively:

Defined purpose: People need to know their committee’s goals. Are you determining strategy or executing it? What milestones will show progress toward goals? Is there a workplan or calendar for the year?

Good communications: This the bedrock of good committee work and the job of the chair, with staff support if applicable.

• Provide a roster with contact information so committee members can get in touch.
• Check in regularly with sub-committees. Know their timelines and see if they’re on schedule. Lend support if they are struggling.
• Make it easy to access tools. Be clear how agendas, minutes, and other information are distributed. Share things like policies and procedures in an online space or in an orientation binder.

Healthy group dynamics:

• Social time: With volunteers, allow some mingling time in the meeting – perhaps 15 minutes at the start or end. People often join committees to meet people and feel a sense of belonging, so create opportunities for relationships to develop. Even at staff committees, have an icebreaker to allow people to learn about each other. During the meeting, break people into small groups to allow for deeper connections.
• Celebrate: Recognizing the group’s accomplishments builds morale and shared pride. It’s also important to recognize the contributions of individual members. Try to give a shout-out at each meeting to those who have recently managed a project or helped out in a particular way. As a group, take time periodically to celebrate: perhaps with a happy hour or special treats when a big event is finished or a milestone is met.
• Respect is always critical to getting along as a group. Establish respect as a basic expectation. If it becomes apparent that this is being violated, you’ll need to explore ways to get the committee back on track.

Engaged committee members: Engagement is especially key with volunteer committees, where people will pull back on their involvement if they don’t feel they are contributing.

• Personal attention: People want to contribute in a way suited to their talents and interests. The best way to learn about these is through personal conversation. It’s very effective when the chair meets with individual committee members, perhaps for an orientation or a periodic check-in. Ask open-ended questions and press a little to learn what appeals to your committee member and suggest opportunities that might fit. I was once thinking of leaving my YNPN-TC committee until the chair had coffee with me and gave me a fun project to lead.
• Pipeline: Volunteers cycle on and off committees as their lives and availability change. Keep an eye on volunteer recruitment, retention and development – even if you’re not the chair. Let people know about your committee and how great it is, and follow up when people seem interested. When you notice that someone looks interested in a particular project, talk to her or the chair about it. Committee members who take on more leadership are your best bet for future chairs.
• Food: Although cliché, people love to be fed, and food and drink go a long way toward making them feel welcome and at ease.

Hopefully some of these tips will help your committee feel less like herding cats and more like a well-organized hive of busy bees. For more tips on staffing volunteer committees, here’s another great article.

Any advice on managing committees, as a leader or participant?

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Accountability, millennials, and data: Minnesota Compass Annual Meeting review

by Kyle Bozentko
Follow on Twitter: @kylebozentko

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Minnesota Compass Annual Meeting with nearly two-hundred regional data-lovers.  The theme of the meeting was "Minnesota Next: Millennials, Leadership, and the Information Economy.”

To provide a frame of reference for the event and demonstrate the importance of this cohort to our state’s future, MN Compass Project Manager Craig Helmstetter, pointed out a couple of noteworthy facts regarding Millennials in Minnesota: 

• At 28%, Millennials currently constitute the largest percentage of the state's population (Boomers came in a close second at 25%).

• Millennials maintain a high rate ("above average" was the exact phrase) of civic engagement through activities such as voting and volunteering - ranking 2nd in voting and 6th in volunteering compared to peers from other states.

Despite this, the actual makeup of the audience highlighted some tensions regarding Millennials, the workplace, civic engagement, and leadership – themes present in several recent YNPN posts and events.  While the focus of the Annual Meeting was squarely on Millennials, there were relatively few of us in attendance - just 15% of the audience.  

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Expectations versus reality: moving from a tiny to a huge nonprofit

by Holly Harrison
follow me on Twitter: @hollharris

I’m a risk-averse person, but I’ve never been bothered by jumping from a secure pond to a comparably scary ocean. I went from a small town high school with 500 students to a metropolitan college with 50,000 students. I stayed in the English speaking world while studying abroad, but the size of the city I was living in jumped from 400,000 to 8 million. And just a few months ago, I left a job at a nonprofit with 3 full-time staff to a job with…a lot of staff. Something along the order of 150 people work in my building, which is the home base of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. Dozens more work at our health centers and offices around the region, and our three-state affiliate is part of a nationwide network with global reach, which puts us at some huge number or another.

A lot more than 3, is the point.

I’d internalized certain narratives around the differences between small and big workplaces, and I took those with me on day one of the job. Like with so many things, the expectations and the reality didn’t quite match up. 

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