We expect a lot from nonprofit leaders. The pace of the work is fast. The financial pressures are unrelenting. The importance of the work generates high levels of accountability…and burnout. Coaching has been shown to be an effective tool to help nonprofit leaders respond to the challenges and pressures of their roles.
What is Coaching?
Working with a coach is different from working with a consultant. It is not like having a therapist or a mentor. A coach’s primary role is to establish a process based on inquiry and self-discovery that helps you develop your own solutions. Working with a coach helps you develop new strategies, better understand what is holding you back from taking action, and build confidence. The goal of your coach is to help you make changes in how you work and determine actions you want to take to improve as a leader and to advance your organization.
A leadership coach can help you clarify the leadership skills and behaviors that are important in your job, assess your strengths, and identify areas where you want to improve as a leader. Coaches provide the opportunity to explore issues you are confronting through a relationship that relies upon trust, honesty, and dialogue. A coaching relationship allows a leader to set goals for themselves and then be accountable for those goals.
Watch this video of 501 Commons coach Dr. Neil Baker speaking on the impact of coaching:
How It Works
When you sign up for Leadership Coaching, we’ll suggest two of our experienced coaches. You interview them and choose the one who’s the best fit for you. You’ll receive 15 hours of coaching within six months. Most coaching is done over the phone, although initial and final sessions are often in person. You can establish the schedule and meeting time that works for you.
Benefits
A study about coaching conducted by Compasspoint Nonprofit Services found that coaching had a “profound impact” on nonprofit leaders’ management and leadership skills, relationships with staff and board members, overall job satisfaction and work-life balance, and confidence and adaptability. The organizations of these leaders showed improved teamwork and communication, increased financial stability and fundraising capacity, and greater clarity in decision-making processes and staff roles.
Listen to nonprofit leaders talk about their experience with coaching.
How to Get Started
To get started, send an email to Danielle Lyda at danielle@501commons.org or fill out a Request for Assistance. Our HR team will help you get paired up with the right person who will work with you over the next six months.