The Challenge of Doing it All

I have been working in the non-profit sector for 15+ years. I spent 12 of those years as an Executive Director. 

In that time, I learned a lot about what it takes to solve some of the biggest problems people face in our industry—overwork, overwhelm, lack of confidence, and lack of resources.

Here’s what I know: 

👄 Leadership is a tough job. (Like crying-underneath-your-desk tough.)

👄 Fear keeps us doing what’s familiar over what’s impactful. 

👄 Your reality is a reflection of your confidence. 

How you solve these problems is entirely up to you. Personally, I chose to make my job easier by doing the hard things that scared me until I gained the confidence that literally transformed my reality.

I know. It sounds like an oxymoron. But sometimes you have to turn left to turn right. 

Recently, I had the honor of giving my keynote to a thousand people at #bridge23, and I was reminded how impactful the principle of 10x thinking can be when you’re in a state of overwhelm—always spinning your wheels but never moving the needle.

The transformative energy in the room was palpable. 

You’re telling me, all I have to do to make my job easier is get rid of my 2x mindset and aim higher?

Yes!

It was like watching my little baby ED self in the audience scratching her head as each piece of the 10x puzzle clicked into place. 10x thinking looks like more free time, more money, more impact. 10X vision produces exponential growth.

The 10x concept is so simple that it’s easy to overlook:
Amplify what works and let go of the rest. 

As an ED, once I got that concept down, I was able to eliminate my stressors and my teams’ stressors. I was able to attract bigger fish because I had bigger confidence. I was able to trust my board because I made sure I had the “whos” who took care of the “hows.” And I was able to increase my budget exponentially while decreasing my list of unwanted responsibilities. 🤯

I know that it’s possible to thrive in this industry because I’ve done it and helped so many others do it too.

But I don’t want to leave you with just my words of hard-won wisdom.  

In this week’s podcast (episode 249), I interview three giants of Women’s Leadership for the Women’s Leadership Council about the challenges of doing it all in this dynamic landscape of non-profit leadership and their experiences with surviving and thriving as women leaders in the non-profit space. 

This is one episode you won’t want to miss. They shared their experiences solving the problems you’re likely facing right now: 

🎤 The importance of having a North Star to guide your decisions. 

🎤 How to maintain balance, well-being, and peace in a demanding job. 

🎤 How to work in harmony with and mentor the next generation as they enter the workforce. 

🎤 How to manage and change your board. 

🎤 How to navigate DEI efforts and whose job it is to take the lead. (This one might surprise you.)

Pop over to the podcast right here and tune in to the wisdom from some of my favorite leaders in this space: Gisele Castro, Erica Hamilton, and Alison Overseth.

Listen here 🎧: #249 – Women’s Leadership Council