Remember to Share
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Melanie Lockwood Herman
Executive Director
From time to time one overhears the parents of boisterous or bickering children pleading with their offspring to “share.” The admonition to “share with your siblings” is advice that many of us heard repeatedly from our wise parents, particularly when a beloved toy or a favorite treat was up for grabs.
Although nonprofit leaders are generous in sharing their time and talents to improve the quality of life in our communities, some remain a bit stingy when it comes to sharing the highly prized “treat” in a modern workplace: information.
A conversation with a participant at a workshop last week reminded me about the tension between giving employees what they “want to know” versus what the leader perceives they “need to know.” In an article titled “Love and Politics” featured in the October 27, 2011 edition of this eNews we encouraged readers to be generous when communicating with staff:
Be generous; err on the side of communicating openly. Many nonprofit leaders adopt a “need to know” approach when it comes to sharing information with staff, not wanting to “burden” staff with information that may not be “needed” to tackle today’s “to do” list. Yet employees who are in the dark about the nonprofit’s plans and challenges are far more likely to find frustration and doubt, rather than comfort, in the dark.
In their article “Creating Sustainable Performance” in the January-February 2012 edition of the Harvard Business Review, Gretchen Spreitzer and Christine Porath write about the link between sharing information and inspired performance in the workplace. Spreitzer and Porath explain that “Doing your job in a vacuum is tedious and uninspiring; there’s no reason to look for innovative solutions if you can’t see the larger impact.”
As I read about the findings of research on employee engagement, a handful of conversations with disillusioned nonprofit employees came to mind. Over the years I’ve met several professionals who brought extraordinary enthusiasm to their new jobs in the nonprofit sector, but later became frustrated when their positions failed to offer the “connection to mission” they had assumed or been told would occur.
It seems like every week a new study is released warning that many employers will soon face a stampede for the exit. Why? As economic conditions continue to improve across the country, a growing number of business and nonprofit employers will begin hiring or hasten the pace of ongoing efforts to staff up. Unhappy staff will have the opportunity to move on to workplaces that value their work, keep them “in the loop,” and help them see how their efforts advance the employer’s nonprofit mission or business goals. Will your nonprofit be among those facing the stampede… or on the list of fortunate employers able to select from an applicant pool of capable, high-performing professionals eager to help you advance your mission? Don’t wait until you discover your most capable staff cleaning out their desks before taking a closer look at what the members of your team truly value and how you value your team.
Melanie Lockwood Herman is Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. She welcomes your ideas about any risk management topic, feedback on this article and questions about the Center’s resources at Melanie@nonprofitrisk.org or 703.777.3504. The Center provides risk management tools and resources at www.https://nonprofitrisk.org/ and offers consulting assistance to organizations unwilling to leave their missions to chance.
“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 NRMC 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 NRMC. 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 NRMC 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!