The 3 Scenario Framework for Coaching Your Nonprofit Team
September - The smell of pigskin is in the air.
After an opening weekend of college football upsets, there is immense pressure on coaches to get their teams performing at a high level.
When a football coach senses his highly-touted QB's rhythm is off, he doesn't wait. He immediately gathers his coaching staff to diagnose the problem because too much is at stake to hope it fixes itself.
As a nonprofit leader, you can face a similar challenge: What do you do when a team member—whether a volunteer or a staff person—is consistently "off their game"? It's more than a bad day; it’s a pattern of not hitting the mark.
Through years of trial and error, I've developed a solid, empowering approach. It starts with honest communication: you address the issue head-on while also taking some of the responsibility. By communicating that you're their biggest supporter and believe in them, you create a safe space for them to be open about what's negatively influencing their work.
When I sit down with a struggling team member, I present three possible scenarios and ask which one rings true most with them:
Execution: They understand their role and responsibilities but are struggling to execute consistently. The solution is more coaching and training to build their skills.
Understanding: They believe they are performing their job functions correctly, but they're not. This means you need to adjust your leadership approach with this team member to bring greater clarity on what success in the position looks like.
Strategy: They understand their job and are capable of doing it, but believe their own approach is better. This requires a discussion to illustrate the "why" behind your organization's strategy, so that they better understand how their performance fits into the overall success of your nonprofit.
In each scenario, the solution is rooted in more or different leadership and coaching from you, not simply telling the person to "figure it out." Just as a football coach adapts his strategy based on the strengths and weaknesses of his team members, you must individually adapt your approach to get the most out of your team member or volunteer.
Addressing a challenge with a team member head-on communicates with clarity that you are aware of the problem, and you are ready to help however you can to correct it. Too often, I’ve worked with nonprofit leaders that spend a lot of time wringing their hands and hoping the team member will make the needed corrections on their own, when 99% of the time, the person is unaware that there’s a problem.
Your team is a key differentiator for your organization; they deserve your dedicated attention and leadership to help them grow. So, spend 60 minutes this week assessing your team, and whether or not some might need some extra coaching or a different approach from you to get them executing at the top of their game.