As leaders in a rapidly changing world sometimes the hardest person to lead is ourselves!

When our youngest child was four years old, he loved to run . . . running in all directions, sometimes after a ball, sometimes not, sometimes on the field, sometimes not. I remember our friend, his youth soccer coach, saying to us, “My job is to keep him running in the right direction on the field.”

Sometimes as leaders we need that same help. Maybe we’re running in the right direction but need an extra push or perhaps we need to slow down a bit to be sure our team is with us. Other times, we find ourselves running in the wrong direction and need a course correction.

In either case, a great coach may be just the right answer.

You are the expert. You know your organization, your team, your mission. Sometimes, though, we can be a little too close to our challenges.

A great coach can dig in and ask the tough questions we may not be willing to ask ourselves – or we may not simply know to ask. Often the answers are within us. We just need help seeing beyond where we are today.

As a certified executive coach, I walk side by side with leaders every day. Below are some of the most common issues nonprofit leaders bring to me for help:

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· Use of time; prioritization. We are all so busy, overwhelmed, tired. It is easy to forget that we are the only ones who can control how we use that most precious resource: our time.

· Self-awareness. Understanding ourselves, including our strengths and weaknesses, what fuels us, what drains us, and our impact on others.

· Stress, burnout for ourselves and our team.

· Conflict resolution. Healthy conflict is great – in an environment that encourages healthy conflict. It brings to the table diverse perspectives and information that inform good decision-making. Destructive conflict, left unresolved, brings down teams, creating silos and unproductive, damaging behavior.

· Vision-casting. Setting and reinforcing that North Star that keeps us working for the cause and moving in the right direction.

· Seeing around corners. In today’s tumultuous times, it is hard to prepare for the unexpected.

· Trust- and relationship-building. Trusting relationships speed results. Without those relationships, progress can be slow and painful.

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Investing in coaching for yourself and/or for your team is just that . . . an investment. It is about investing today for a better return and outcomes tomorrow. It is for your own growth, development, and well-being – and that of your team.

So why invest? What benefits can you expect?

While the benefits will depend on your own goals and motivation, here are examples of what can result:

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· Increased self-awareness and impact

· Up-leveled leadership skills attuned to today’s multi-generational, and workplace needs.

· Enhanced communication, especially with those who have differing styles

· More influence within your sphere

· Greater collaboration, team energy, inclusion

· Emotional well-being for yourself and your team

· More mission focus

· Decision-making through your organizational values

· An empowered team culture; high performance

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Where will you invest? Where do you or your team need help? How will you move forward?

Continue the conversation by getting in touch with me, and we’ll keep the conversation going.