As a nonprofit Executive Director, do you ever feel like if you walk away, things will crumble?
I felt this occasionally as an Executive Director, particularly in my first few years.
Strategies I employed to get beyond this feeling:
- Take deep breadths
- Look back at my to-do lists and short-term plans, break them down in chunks, and think hard about what else can be either delegated or pushed off/let go.
- Map out my major yearly, quarterly, and monthly tasks. Figure out which ones can be delegated. If to nobody right away, figure out how somebody can eventually take over those tasks. (Of course, for some, the answer is nobody because they’re inherent to the E.D. role).
- If appropriate after #2 and #3, ask for help. Be candid with your board chair or, if that would be awkward, somebody else who you can confide in who will grasp the picture. Sometimes just talking about it’s enough to recognize you’re probably not actually holding up the wall.
What strategies have you used when you have this feeling? I’m looking for other ideas to share!