If you cannot manage yourself, how can you manage others? Being mindful is essential to leading effectively and with purpose. – Theresa Ricke-Kiely
What Is Nonprofit Leadership?
Nonprofit organizations focus on specialized competencies that allow them to transform communities through the work of their missions. This sector is different from its counterparts in business and government in a variety of ways, including fund development (fundraising and grants), board governance, a volunteer workforce, financial management, and engaging visions that enhance the quality of life for the people they serve, strengthen, and embolden. Nonprofit leadership requires unique skillsets, including motivation, management, accounting, and marketing controlled by the particular mission, community, and goals of the organization.
What is Mindfulness in Nonprofit Leadership?
Mindful leadership is a philosophical approach to managing people and resources. Mindfulness strengthens leadership abilities such as decision-making, listening, compassion, courage, emotional intelligence, creativity, as well as deepening and strengthening relationships. Being mindful is a never-ending journey; it is a practice with a mandate to continue to grow and develop. Mindfulness can be practiced through various techniques that strengthen leadership including being fully aware and focused, meditation, pivoting thoughts, gratitude journaling among many other activities.
Nonprofit organizations have unique opportunities and challenges. Our concerns are distinctive, and now is the right time to take advantage of cutting-edge mindfulness research and practices that offer nonprofit leaders the skills to tackle the challenging problems we encounter in our communities. Developing mindful methodologies that strengthen our ability as nonprofit leaders makes us, and our organizations, more successful.