Is Curiosity the Secret Power for Nonprofit Leaders?

Today’s workforce is more educated, more aware of personal boundaries and more comfortable with discussing mental health than any time in recent memory. But so many nonprofit leaders haven’t adjusted. Many are still using the leadership strategies that worked years ago. Back when they were told, “Just do your job.” And many are just taking on more and more work of the people who were actually hired to do that work.

Many modern leadership strategies seem to be put forth by experts who don’t actually lead teams. For example, the encouragement to create a workplace that helps people find their purpose can lead to a fun culture but also to work not getting done. And the encouragement to be vulnerable is great, but have you ever built up the courage to try it with your team only to see them become confused? Or, treat you like you have given up your authority?

Leadership is complicated. But it’s not impossible. Fortunately, there may be an easy and powerful key to uniting your team's expectations with your organization’s need to get work done.

The key is curiosity.

The Power of Questions to Move Your Team Forward

Employee protections and human resources laws have not caught up with conversations your staff is expecting to have. Rather than running the risk of HR issues, instead try staying curious. Curiosity can be a fuel for authentic conversations with your direct reports.

Let’s say a direct report comes in late, again. He apologizes, saying his life is a mess. He’s done this multiple times so you know the excuses he’s going to give. Rather than going there, with curiosity, you may ask something like, “Are there ways you’ve found in the past to be on time for things?” Rather than getting into the details of his non-work life, you may find him remembering strategies he’s used previously that might help him here.

It’s important to get in touch with sincere curiosity before asking. If you ask a question through your frustration, the question will come out as an attack. But if you take a breath to ground the question in curiosity, you’ll find that a real conversation can develop. Part of the curiosity can be in the fact that he’s an adult who’s made the choice to do this job. So your curiosity can be in helping him find ways to do his job well.

You Need to Know What You’re Asking for

While curiosity is the key to building relationships and positive conversations, you are a leader at work. You are there to do a job. As is the person you’re leading. 

So it’s critical to be clear on what you’re trying to accomplish. Stephen Covey called this habit No. 2, “Begin with the end in mind.” It means being clear on the outcomes your organization expects for the position. Look at the job description. Be clear on why your nonprofit is funding the position. What is supposed to get done? What impact does that have on the team or on the entire nonprofit?

But also take a close look at the expectations you have for the position. Could your expectations be more negotiable than the outcomes? Your direct reports may have better or different ways to accomplish the same goal. 

Once you’re clear on that, you might find it much easier to approach your team member with curiosity. When they do something seemingly out of left field, you can honestly ask them what their intended outcome was or  what they saw the goal of the activity being.

If their goal and yours are in alignment, you can move forward. But if their intended outcomes are out of the scope of what they are hired to do, you can clarify expectations. For example, he may see his outcomes as providing a great experience to visitors. But you may need to remind him that part of that experience is greeting visitors during specific hours, so his lateness is an issue that needs to be addressed. 

You’ll Never Have All of the Answers

Leadership today is more complicated than ever. But we’re not going to go back to some previous time, to a time we may remember from our own careers. The new expectations are here to stay. And no matter how great a leader you are, you’ll never have all the answers to all the questions that you’ll face each day. The good news is you don’t need to. Great leaders are skilled at asking insightful questions. That’s why curiosity and clear expectations can help you navigate these relationships while still moving your team forward.

The preceding blog was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.