Isn't 2024 the year we expect others to be doing the introspective work they need to heal and not harm?
A while ago, I was listening to the podcast with Brene Brown, and her sister relayed a traumatizing moment of being the victim of road rage, and she remembered yelling at the person, "Do the work!" I find myself inwardly saying and wishing that, too. And what does that mean? What are we expecting?
I, for one, think that means some manner of self-exploration. That could be therapy, journaling, or introspective thought. Heck, it could mean following Wim Hof's method and plunging into cold waters or learning to meditate. Something. I realize that we can't expect anyone to tell us what they are doing to transform themselves, but we can expect that they are doing something.
What have you put up with in your career or life? Poor communication, manipulation, racism, sexism, classism, ageism, homophobia - the list is mindboggling. If you ask anyone, they can tell you stories of working in situations where this happens far too regularly.
One of the greatest gifts of both the pandemic and millennials in the workplace is the new idea that we can expect people to become better people. There is an expectation like no other time, and it's fascinating to even think about it as someone who started in corporate America in the 90s when this would have been unheard of.
But as so many of us are working on diving deeper into our trauma and patterns and younger people have been brought up to adding "self-help + self-care" as not afterthoughts but rights, we will see workplaces shift.
Last week, I saw a Thread from Dan Harris, former NBC correspondent and host of Ten Percent Happier, sharing about how when he was covering the Iowa Caucuses a year ago and got sick, his then director told him it was a "bad look." Dan laughed that now that wouldn't fly. A person's health and well-being supercedes their job. It is a new age.
Here's the thing, though: many of the draconian and suboptimal ways of being are still out there in workplaces or, worse, volunteering in our nonprofits. They haven't clued into the new ways of working. This alone creates tricky situations. In the workplace, you might have an HR department, training, or supervisors who understand that the times have changed. In nonprofits, especially smaller ones, you won't have that resource. That is where I have seen the most trouble - the directors or staff may have an inkling or actual training, but transferring that knowledge to the board can be difficult.
As a nonprofit leader, I think it is our role to set those new standards, but if your board is hostile to that, where are you supposed to go? Many of my colleagues value the work being done so much that they will sacrifice their own sense of well-being. Until they can't.
Here are the trends I see for 2024 for nonprofits:
Nonprofit leaders will value their time over money and expect actual time off or reduced work weeks to balance the lower pay received.
DEI is not fading, and leaders will embrace it to allow for more inclusive programming and workplaces. This is because the leaders believe deeply in this work, and funders will continue to require it.
Climate change will become part of the questions around work practices, programming, and funding. The newest nonprofit leadership is deeply engaged in environmental causes and will bring that emphasis to their work.
Mental and physical health will be paramount to how leaders engage in their work and that of their teams. It will be the norm to expect the organization to care that people are whole and healing.
There is less hierarchy in organizations and more team-based decision-making. Running organizations with more opportunities to come to a consensus and allowing for smaller or more radical ideas to be considered will be how we keep people engaged in the work.
The truth is that the next generation of leaders isn't going to be as easy to appease, and they shouldn't be. They will take our organizations into new areas of possibility faster and with more excitement. I won't lie, though; there is a struggle as some of the older ideas of how we work are inside our organizations (and possibly outside). I also think many current leaders will get frustrated that their teams aren't changing fast enough - that is the same thing in the private sector. Patience is running thin.
And that is probably the right thing.
The changes hearten me. Many years ago, I was hired in a corporate capacity to slash teams, transition a group in a buyout, and navigate all of that in secrecy. It was awful and was one of the reasons I left corporate life and dove into nonprofit work. I know there is a more significant opportunity to embrace change in smaller organizations - even when risk is involved - and I'm here for that.
What trends are you seeing? How do you think work will change in nonprofits? How are you engaging at work or in your nonproft work - seeing any changes personally?
I am off to Louisiana next week to do leadership and design thinking training for Main Street leaders across the state. I’m so excited to hear how they navigate the next generation of leaders. Planning a meeting or conference, or have a group that needs a facilitator or speaker? Let's talk. I'd love to come.