3 ms·
With respect: > in reality it's a small business In your reality/mental model, not other people's. That you have a functional/strategic view of a particular
by jonahbenton 3y ago
With respect:
> in reality it's a small business
In your reality/mental model, not other people's.
That you have a functional/strategic view of a particular organization/situation- honed no doubt from other experiences unique to you- has nothing to do with the view/mental model that others in and around the organization have of the organization.
More critically, your view is no more valid than anyone else's view (and in functional terms, is less valid than the mental models of your superiors), and, you have almost no power to change other people's mental models.
This isn't a unique statement about you, it is just a universal truth.
In re:
> How do you deal with superiors at your organization that appear to be without direction, strategy, awareness and action?
Once you understand that all people in an organization are independent, autonomous entities with their own mental models, and therea are no magic buttons or injections that can change those mental models, it should become clear that the only way to engage and potentially to effect anything is to build relationships with people, With relationships, you start to understand what the mental models are of the other people in the organization, what is important to them, what is not important to them, and you and they can build a shared trust.
With superiors, this practice is sometimes called "managing up." It involves setting up conversations, asking questions, learning what's important to them in the context of the organization.
It may seem like there are people who lack direction/strategy/awareness/whatever. That is a failure of one's own perceptual machinery. They may not share your direction or priorities or whatever, but they very well have their own. Mental models that lack ambition are very often the result of learned helplessness (the causes of which especially in non-profits are myriad).
When there is sufficient understanding of their mental model, and trust around shared goals, one can present to them distillations of problems that are important to them, along with solutions or win/win framings of decisions or opportunities.
Understand what success looks like to other people, and then help them achieve it.
This applies not just to superiors but to all colleagues. Understanding what is important to other people and then applying your own initiative and capability to enable their success is the secret to happiness in life.
- cratermoon 3y agoGreat comment. It's not uncommon for people coming from the world of private for-profit businesses to run into brick walls of their own making when they try to work with non-profit causes. The world of charitable non-profit organizations is fundamentally different. The incentives are fundamentally different and, arguable, at odds with entrepreneurial profit-oriented incentives. Much of what you said arises from the same principle: be humble. Entrepreneurs are not, broadly stated, selected for their humility. My approach would be to stop trying to do things and start asking questions and listening more. Sometimes the answers won't be palatable, but that doesn't mean they're wrong. Look into the ideas around Servant Leadership.
- indymike 3y ago> The incentives are fundamentally different and, arguable, at odds with entrepreneurial profit-oriented incentives. From personal experience, the differences seem simple on paper, but lead to much different social and political culture: * The board has the power. This is inverse of most companies, where the founders or CEO/President have a tight grip on the board. I've been on NFP boards where our first vote at every meeting was "Shall the executive director be retained." I've worked at a NFP where the board was carefully managed by the Executive Director to ensure he maintained his position, and still had to deal with a level of political subterfuge to keep his job that I've never seen in business, large, small, public or private. Eventually, he lost the board. * The goal is not to make profits. The goal is simple: 1) survive and 2) gain support to achieve something worthwhile. Survive is the same as private sector, but gaining support is very different than selling. Outside of winning grants which is much more like the private sector RFP/Proposal process, getting support is just different. Appeals to ego (i.e. your legacy, public optics) to get big donors, what feels like selling your soul for corporate support (corporate donors often come with an ask beyond the mission of your NFP), or horse trading for government support. * Products and services are doable, but difficult because it's easier to throw a couple of boondoggles (destination conferences), local awards dinners and publish a newsletter that build something actually useful. There's value in the conferences, awards and newsletters, but it isn't hard ROI. > listening more ... Servant Leadership This is extremely good advice.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- SuperNinKenDo 3y agoAn honestly fantastic framing of the issues, and reflective of how I've experienced the same conflict play out (from all three perspectives). Great advice.
- rramadass 3y agoExcellent Advice! In addition, the OP might perhaps find some of the resources i mention here (there is good advice from others too in the thread) useful - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39086359 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39086359
- bomewish 3y agoI feel like I should have just paid money to have read something that valuable. There is incredible and no doubt hard won wisdom in this note. Amazing. Thank you.