Sandra Pham

Managing an effective team in a nonprofit organization is similar to managing a team in a for-profit organization. In addition, to have clear expectations you need to track outcomes and provide constructive feedback. Too often, we focus on the efforts to achieving results which indicates a team’s effort and activity. Doing this may miss the opportunity for constructive feedback and team development since it shifts focus away from providing feedback on the approach taken, coaching the team on alternatives, and identifying learnings that can be applied in the future. It is crucial to balance recognition of effort with actionable feedback that fosters development and continuous improvement.

To close performance gaps, first understand what they are. Critically assess your performance as if you were a hiring manager for the promotion you want. When I was passed over for a promotion, I revisited the job posting with fresh eyes, not as a candidate, but as someone evaluating qualifications. I listed all required and preferred skills, noted my own qualifications next to each, and then identified one improvement for each skill I wanted to add the next time I was a candidate. Building my "future resume" this way was how I created my goals to prepare for my next shot at the promotion or opportunity.

Before you can develop a plan to effective address communications breakdown, it’s crucial to acknowledge that you are aware of the existing communication breakdown and sincerely want to partner with stakeholders in addressing it. This also creates an opportunity to listen and understand the stakeholders’ perspective as to the nature and contributing factors of the breakdown. Then you can begin building trust in committing to specific actions for improving the situation, in turn, be ready to identify one-two key steps your stakeholder can do so can partner to together in resolving the situation.

Resistance to change cannot be dealt with by only applying logical arguments. In my experience even when people understand the factual need for or proposed changes, there are always emotional elements contributing to the resistance. It’s importance to acknowledge that change is scary because there’s no guarantee that the proposed change will guarantee success for the problem. It’s also scary to move away for a situation or process that we know to one where we have to learn new expertise. It’s important not to dismiss the concerns but acknowledge that we have some of the same concerns and how we’re dealing with the discomfort. Make sure they know they are not alone on their concerns and will not be alone going through the change.

It’s critical to understand the inefficiencies in your current decision-making processes to ensure the right technology solution is identified. Invest research and time in steps to ensure you are integrating the right technology to solve your specific problem. Begin by evaluating the current processes to identify bottlenecks, redundancies, and areas where manual intervention slows down the process. Look for patterns of delay and common errors. Seek stakeholder to identify pain points and areas for improvements to ensure you have a holistic view of the current process and problems. If available, analyze historical decision-making data for inefficiency trends and patterns, and opportunities for optimization.

Preparing for interviews is important but even more critical if you’re interviewing for a role that involves a career shit. Research the new industry or role you are moving to. Learn the industry you’re transitioning into, including market trends, key players, and challenges. Learn about the company you’re interviewing for in terms of market reputation and competitors. Familiarize yourself with the terminology, tools, and technologies commonly used in the new role. Most importantly be ready to highlight your transferable skills and experience that are relevant to the position or industry you are interviewing for. Note and relate stories where you effectively demonstrated the required and preferred qualifications.