{"id":596589,"date":"2023-11-29T10:20:52","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T15:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=596589"},"modified":"2023-12-22T08:36:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T13:36:15","slug":"givers-heidi-dressler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/givers-heidi-dressler\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Create a Culture of Givers At Your Organization (a Tribute to Heidi Dressler)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In his best selling book, Give and Take<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>organizational psychologist Adam Grant offers a powerful and very simple framework for how people operate in an organization or a community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grant tells us there are three kinds of folks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Takers – folks who enter a situation wondering what others can do for them<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Givers – folks who are always thinking about how to help others <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Matchers – folks who think about mutual benefit – if I do X for you, will you do Y for me? <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The majority of us, it seems, are Matchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Grant\u2019s research is unequivocal: the higher percentage of Givers you have in your organization, the stronger it becomes. Givers create a culture of caring where people work to ensure each others\u2019 success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And that brings me to Heidi Dressler. Heidi was one of the very first people to join the Nonprofit Leadership Lab<\/a> when we first opened the doors in 2017. She was still a member \u2013 one of hundreds of original members that still participate in the Lab \u2013 until very recently, when she passed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    THE QUEEN GIVER<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So many of our original members are pure, unadulterated Givers. These originals built a giving culture in our Lab community and we are so grateful to them. New members see it and feel it as we continue to grow. More than 5,000 members and counting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But Heidi was the Queen Giver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The absence of this remarkable woman is felt palpably by our Lab team and by the thousands who received gifts large and small from Heidi nearly every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At a recent speaking gig at Stanford, I met a woman named Elaine Johnson. Elaine runs Housing Santa Cruz County<\/a>. HSCC partners with organizations across sectors throughout the county dedicated to making Santa Cruz County in California affordable for all. Turns out she is a member of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab. A first time E.D, this funny, high energy woman spoke of her first year in the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Her struggles rang true for me. I\u2019d been there. Those same struggles ring true for coaching clients<\/a> galore. Being in your first twelve months as an E.D. is like trying to hang onto a bucking bronco. Having coached many diverse clients, I know these struggles are made all the more complex if you are the organization\u2019s first leader of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And then she said to me, \u201cI made it through that first year because of your Leadership Lab. Oh, and because of Heidi Dressler.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Like all our other board and staff members, Heidi joined the Lab to become a better leader and manager of the nonprofit she led, Threshold Choir<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>a small and mighty nonprofit with chapters around the world. Their mission: to sing at the bedside of the dying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Think about that work for a moment: Heidi was in the very business <\/em>of giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now make no mistake; this is not an obituary post – Heidi would not have liked that one little bit. I can hear her telling me, \u201cJoan- do your thing. Use my story, but be sure to make a larger point about the nonprofit sector we both love!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To make that larger point, here are some important lessons Adam Grant (and Heidi Dressler) offer each of you as you try to build a generous, giving culture of belonging in your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6 WAYS TO CREATE A CULTURE OF GIVERS AT YOUR ORGANIZATION<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Maybe you think the simple answer is to hire a lot of natural givers. It\u2019s not that simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Use Adam Grant\u2019s model to assess your team.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What have you got in your organization? Loosely categorize folks (including yourself). And be really really honest with yourself about who the Takers are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Incorporate the values of giving into your performance review process.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s time to assess folks on their behaviors <\/em>and set clear expectations of the behaviors you expect in your organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s an idea: Have your entire team read Grant\u2019s book and discuss the core behaviors you believe should be part of your organization\u2019s culture based on what you learn about his research and the outcomes inside organizations. Build that list of behaviors \/ values together and incorporate them into the self assessment form and the review discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Hold \u201cTakers\u201d accountable or move them out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Takers take up a lot of space in your organization. They are the bad apples in the bunch. Takers are sabotaging your culture. Even if they are high performers. I spend more time with clients advocating for managing people out then almost anything else (even more than boards who are not engaging in development work<\/a>).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Givers cannot thrive in a culture where takers are not held accountable. And Matchers will follow the predominant attribute in the organization and in fact they will hold steadfast to the quid pro quo mindset to ensure they get something<\/em> from the Takers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Create a culture where asking for help is a norm.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Grant\u2019s research tells us that successful Givers recognize they can ask for help and that building a culture where folks feel comfortable seeking help ignites helpers to want to help. And everyone feels more connected as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Hire Givers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Looking for a Giver? You need to ask different kinds of questions. This is another exercise your team could work on after reading the book – what would you need to ask to understand if you have a Giver or a Taker? What do you need to look for in how the candidate interacts with those in the process. Some questions that come to mind for me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n