{"id":595675,"date":"2023-01-12T12:37:08","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T17:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=595675"},"modified":"2023-01-12T12:37:09","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T17:37:09","slug":"leadership-conversations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/leadership-conversations\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Critical Conversations to Have in January"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was a very hot summer afternoon. We took our eldest daughter, Scout, to a local circus. She was maybe 3 at the time and had slept the whole ride there. We took this adorable, sweaty, and groggy kid into a really noisy tent, paid for our three tickets, bought some popcorn, and took our seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was so exciting. Well, we were excited \u2014 she was dazed and confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until\u2026 the first act. Out rolls a cannon. A man climbs in. Another man detonates the pretend wick and BBBBBOOOOOM. The man flies out of the cannon and lands in a net some distance away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scout reacted with sheer terror; as if she herself had been ejected from the bleachers. She ran as fast as she could out of the tent, followed by her two mothers. She had been scarred for life by a well-intended afternoon at the circus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once she had started breathing again, she asked a single question. And then she asked it again. And again. And again. For the entire ninety-minute ride home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her question was simple. \u201cWhy\u2019d they shoot dat guy out da cannon?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And presumably, our answers simply were not cutting it. Answers like, \u201cPeople think it\u2019s fun,\u201d or \u201cThat\u2019s what circus performers do,\u201d fell on deaf ears. These answers offered no solace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her quite logical mind, the whole thing seemed unfathomable. Someone suggested to \u2018dat guy\u2019 that he get into that cannon so that it could be detonated and \u2018dat guy\u2019 could fly through the air into a net that was really far away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And \u2018dat guy\u2019 said YES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you wondering where I am going with this? It\u2019s not a story about what lousy parents we are. It\u2019s a story about \u2018dat guy.\u2019 And it\u2019s a story about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are back from some kind of holiday break. Maybe you can barely remember you had one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You got back to work, you opened your laptop, scanned that January calendar, and before you? An imaginary cannon. And you are \u2018dat guy.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can agree to begin the year by making an intentional decision to be shot out of a cannon. Endless to-do\u2019s. Everything is a priority. So much noise. Stress. Anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or\u2026 you can take a different path. Today, I\u2019ll offer you suggestions about three very<\/em> important conversations you need to have this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I\u2019ll give you one piece of advice before we get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say no to the cannon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

WHY NOW?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your ability to use January intentionally to get the year off to a good start is key. You will blink and it will be St. Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you\u2019ll need a lot more than the luck of a four-leaf clover to effectively plan a year when you are already three months into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So as you look ahead, the forecast is uncertain, but there is indeed buzz about a recession. But when isn\u2019t the forecast uncertain? And when hasn\u2019t the nonprofit sector risen to the occasion? Honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please worry less about what could go wrong and more about the important work ahead and how to make the case for support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as you make that case for support, as you sit here in January and look down the road toward the rest of the year, please have the following conversations before January turns into February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Make Time For An Extended Staff Meeting: Pluses and Deltas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Send a message to your staff (if you are lucky enough to have one). It is vital to breathe and debrief. To talk through what you learned about our organization during the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are questions to chew on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n