Nine questions to assess and sustain healthy nonprofit leadership

When we started this series on Healthy Leadership at the beginning of this year, we did not know that there would be so much to say! We thought we just had a little bit to say about what healthy leadership is. But these posts opened up conversations. We had some insights and we got to invite some colleagues, who also have insights on the topic, to share what they’re learning.

What is healthy nonprofit leadership – and how would you know how well you’re doing in this area?

Given the many components – I know that is a tough question – and I know you read this blog because it is going to make you think!

So, what would success look like? And what would failure look like?

To me, these posts would be successful if you changed your behavior in some way – if you moved towards healthy leadership for yourself, your organization, or the world.

This post synthesizes the seven posts in our series on Healthy Leadership.

Now it’s your turn to reflect and assess how you and your organization are doing in terms of healthy leadership.

For each of the nine questions below, give yourself a score of 1 to 3:

3 = absolutely!

2 = sometimes, possibly

1 = not yet!

Healthy Nonprofit Leadership Assessment

Individual

1. Am I pacing myself and taking rest, including spending time in nature, mindfulness, journaling, eating well, and getting good sleep?

2. Am I working within my strengths, continuing to learn and develop myself, delegating, and prioritizing what is most important?

3. Am I connecting with individuals and communities who nourish and energize me?

(For more on these – check out the posts here, here, and here.)

Organizational

1. Have we set goals around healthy leadership that align with our values?

2. Is there a concrete strategic plan and implementation plan that bring healthy organizational leadership alive?

3. Are we incorporating policies and practices of transparency in our work and culture?

(For more on these, check out the posts here and here.)

Communal

1. Have we identified our collaborative advantage?

2. Are we participating in opportunities to collaborate towards larger community goals?

3. Are we sharing a vision of an abundant shared future for all – and clearly explaining how our work contributes to that vision?

(Check out this post for more.)

Now add up your score for the 9 questions above:

• 9-14 You are just getting started

• 15-20 Making progress towards healthy leadership

• 21-27 You’re well on your way – please share with us what you’ve learned!

How did you do?

• “We got a low score” – Don’t beat yourself up! (That would be a bad move towards healthy leadership😊.) Take some time to reflect on your ‘Why?’ for healthy leadership.

• “We did okay, but could do better.” Think about small but powerful steps. Of everything explored here, what is one step that would deepen your healthy leadership?

• “We did great!” Congratulations! How can you share your story to inspire others?

With the opportunity for guest writers to share their experiences, we’ve been able to showcase multiple voices and perspectives. The questions above reflect that. Even anecdotally, you see some commonalities between the approaches – and some differences as well. We encourage you to consider how you take on healthy leadership in your personal and professional life.

This assessment is important to revisit, for some maybe even quarterly. But I would encourage you all to come back to it around this time next year to see how you’ve improved. If you do bookmark it, please also drop us a note!

Speaking personally, I don’t feel like I’ve ever arrived. I am a healthier leader now that I was when I was younger, or even just a couple years ago. However, I always feel that there are things that I can do to improve. I try to take those in account when I’m coaching and training clients in how they can support their nonprofits and transform them into healthier organizations.

Healthy nonprofit leadership matters to us - why does it matter to you?

We created this series because healthy leadership matters deeply to us and our clients.

Sometimes, as leaders take the small actions that lead to positive physical and mental health, these actions may be the difference between life and death.

Other times, healthy leadership leads to stronger staff retention and the ability to recruit a stronger team.

Healthy leadership may mean that the health of a community is stronger, as people come together to support this.

If you want to build a strategic plan that includes healthy leadership, reach out, we would be excited to explore this with you.