Commitment to your mission is not the only factor in your board’s effectiveness. Boards must also balance their governance capacity and their understanding of your organization's character.

Worried about the consequences of bringing up an uncomfortable topic? The consequences of staying silent are often more concerning.

It is tempting to exclude voices that conflict with our mission. Practice inclusivity without compromising your values by listening to legitimate stakeholders, even if you don't adopt their input.

Embrace what makes you *you* (as an individual or as an organization), instead of conforming to limiting beliefs about how you “should” be.

Uncertainty about your purpose can feel daunting, but it’s perfectly normal. Finding your “next closest” purpose can help you break through the logjam as you continue to seek clarity.

Growth sometimes requires that we stop doing what no longer serves our mission. Get clear on what's not working, and how to guide your team through the transition to something better.

Busy leaders may try to maximize their efficiency by doing as much as they can in as little time as possible. But the toll on your energy may cause this approach to backfire.

Partnerships help you have impact beyond your in-house capacity. They also introduce risks. Use careful planning to ensure partnerships improve, rather than threaten, your chances of success.

Emotional discomfort is our body's way of telling us we need to change something to protect ourselves, or we need to change something inside ourselves.

Shift from “should” to clear advice and direct requests to remove any sense of obligation or judgment and create an opening to explore (rather than assume) the best course of action.

Using your strategy as a communications tool in stakeholder conversations will foster greater alignment and better results. In fact, your strategy is *the most important* thing to communicate.

There are less-expensive ways to build your team's capacity - for their benefit and yours - than formal training and education.

Decisions have implications for your stakeholders. To build up their advocacy, creating opportunities for input is only half the battle. Proactively engage stakeholders to foster commitment.

Investing the time to get to know your staff - at a human level - is critical to unlocking their creativity and engagement.

When we think of traditional leadership traits, we don't often consider "vulnerability." But it's an important skill of, ironically, the strongest leaders.

What if there were a way to resolve conflicts collaboratively, rather than combatively? There is: a technique called externalization.

Stay in the driver’s seat by using effective boundaries to safeguard your organization from deteriorating culture, mission creep, and other risks – and preserve your own sanity.

Too many nonprofit leaders think “strategy” is just something their board does on a retreat every few years, or is something they can’t afford, or a waste of time. Myths, all!

Unless delaying action would cause worse problems, leading with empathy in a stressful moment is a powerful way to show your team members how much you value them.

When team members are missing the “big picture,” it represents a failed opportunity for leaders to reinforce the why behind everyone’s work. That “why” is important as both a motivator and a guide.