Embrace Risk in Hiring and Supervision
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
By the NRMC Team
“It is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It’s the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.”
– Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
When you hire and supervise people, there are some risks you should never take. Don’t assume payroll will take care of itself. Don’t pay someone a salary you know is grossly unfair for the position. And don’t brush aside reports of misconduct without investigation. But hiring and supervision present important, and necessary, risk-taking opportunities. Hiring and supervision create close relationships, and interpersonal relationship will not grow if the parties involved don’t take some risks. Here are some ways to take meaningful risks in hiring and supervision that can help all parties grow.
Be vulnerable. This doesn’t mean babbling about yourself. It means that sometimes, when it’s appropriate, you share stories with your employees about times when you struggled, failed, and succeeded. This shows them they’re not alone in facing challenges.
Rethink your concept of risk in hiring. You may think your biggest talent risk is hiring someone who lacks experience or doesn’t fit in with your organization. But many people respond well to training, and great organizational cultures grow and evolve. The biggest risk you face is hiring too many people who are too similar—to each other and to you. Groupthink stifles creativity and innovation. To help combat groupthink, center your hiring process and criteria more in skills than experience—ask a candidate to walk you through how they would solve a problem your organization might face.
Talk less. You may feel like you achieved your role as a manager based on what you know. But now that you have this role, what you know is less important. What’s most important when leading others is how you make people feel. Experiment with talking half as often as you normally would in a meeting. Ask questions and listen. If you listen, you’re more likely to see what your employees need from you.
Ask the question you don’t want to ask. If you can’t see what your employees need from you, ask. Ask them if the way you give feedback works for them—even if it makes you nervous to ask that question. Listen to their answers. If they ask for change, deliver it if you can, and explain why if you can’t.
Take time to reflect. This feels impossible at the pace at which our organizations and initiatives move. It’s also necessary. Take “balcony time” away from your desk with no interruptions—even 15 to 30 minutes a week—to dream and vision the future of your team. And schedule time in your one-on-one meetings weekly or monthly for employees to reflect on their recent high points and low points. This is where learning happens.
Delegate more. It’s true, no one else will do a task just the way you would. Someone else might do a great job, but they might also struggle, stumble, or miss a deadline. And that’s fine. If you give your team members a chance to take on more tasks, you’ll discover new ways of doing things, as well as opportunities to give constructive feedback. And your employees will get the opportunity to try, fail, succeed, learn, and grow.
Get curious. Asking a question that doesn’t relate to the day’s task list or the bottom line could feel like an unnecessary risk or distraction. It also could lead you to more engaged, interesting, and productive relationships with your team members. Don’t probe into personal matters, but seek opportunities to learn more about the people who work for you. Ask them why they did a task a certain way, or what their favorite and least favorite parts of a project were. You won’t be just checking off a to-do item; you’ll build a foundation for a stronger relationship.
Mistakes happen. Let them. If you think you see an employee headed for a misstep, stop and ask yourself how big a deal that is. Might whatever upheaval will occur still matter in a few days, or a week? If not, your effort to head off the mistake might deprive your employee and your team of a great learning opportunity. Of course, you should never allow bigotry, bullying, or harassment. But if the mistake wouldn’t be offensive or hurtful, let it happen if you can.
Spend a significant amount of time with your employees talking about their strengths. Why would you want to invest time in talking about something that’s going right when other things might be going wrong? Because focusing on employees’ strengths empowers them, engages them, and helps them pursue new areas of growth. Employees who understand what they do well grow in confidence and take on new tasks. That helps the whole team.
Additional Resources
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
— Scott Brown, Mohonk Preserve
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
— Sidney Abrams, BBYO
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
— Pamela Mattel, Basics Promesa Systems Inc
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
— Jodi Spataro, Community Foundation of Elkhart County
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
— Marti Worshtil, Prince George’s Child Resource Center
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!