NGen Voices Wanted: How Can Online Tools Help Your Career Growth?
Leadership , NGen , Nonprofit , workforce Add commentsA recent study from the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network titled “Stepping Up or Stepping Out” revealed an alarming statistic for those concerned with the future of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector: 45 percent of the most skilled and experienced respondents plan to leave the nonprofit sector, citing frustrations over burnout, career paths, and professional development.
Does this describe you? Or, if not, are you just looking for something more in your professional development?
The 2012 cohort of American Express NGen Fellows is conducting research into what kinds of online resources could help NGen leaders, age 40 and under, find the support and resources they need to develop professionally and advance their careers within the sector. Online resources could have the potential to overcome some of the concerns over cost and scalability that limit participation in traditional professional-development programs.
If you consider yourself an NGen leader, we invite you to share your thoughts in response to the following questions. Just leave a comment on this post responding to one or more questions, and check back to see how the discussion progresses.
- In your career so far, what development opportunities have been helpful (or not) to you?
- As you contemplate your continued leadership development, what is your area of greatest need? Do you feel you have adequate opportunities to address this need?
- Have you considered leaving the sector in the last six months? If so, what made you stay? What would take you away?
- If you were to participate in an online leadership development community to improve your leadership skills, what types of resources or tools would attract you to the site: in-depth training, peer mentorship, case studies, etc.?
Mar 8, 2013 at4:12 PM I have already left two jobs in non-profit AND two jobs in government for the reasons highlighted in the report, namely: burnout, low wages, lack of advancement opportunities. The reasons for each were intrinsic but pervasive at each institution - almost everyone my age, and in some cases gender, - felt that there were not enough incentives to stay and sought opportunities elsewhere.
In some cases, it never occurred to me to even consider advancement until I established relationships with staff who were a) outside of my particular reporting chain or b) at higher levels within the institution. Creating a straight-forward dialogue with someone in a different position or perspective is incredibly helpful to think strategically about your own position. Also, asking for assignments outside of my own responsibilities or comfort zone is vital to being viewed as more than just your job title.
Also, developing professionals are often at a disadvantage because they are not familiar with terminology or behavior associated with a certain position. I have benefited greatly from modelling the behavior of successful colleagues in business or from good advice from a mentor. What may seem obvious to some is not to others. For example, younger professionals may not know that you should not text in front of a colleague during a verbal conversation, or that the sound of a Gchat ping may indicate to other workers that you are not focused on your work. While you may be an adept multi-tasker, some work environments have an inherent style that should be considered when planning for advancement.
Burnout/fatigue is perhaps the most taxing aspect of any position. The greatest challenge can be to reserve enough energy to devote to strategic thinking, opportunities to raise your profile or engage new groups without detracting from your primary responsibilities. All developing professionals should try to make that thought pattern more familiar in their daily routine.
Myself, I love bit-size webinars, either live or recorded. I can review them during my lunch, or when I need to switch gears, but they need to be concise and relevant. In the fast-paced world, subject matter should be summarized in 20-30 minutes and then provide resources for expansion if desired.
Mar 10, 2013 at8:27 PM When I consider how best to invest in my own professional development, there is one thing I know. I want to make decisions that matter, and any professional development experiences that I invest in need to support me in reaching that goal.
It can be disappointing to look for new strategies and encounter the same recycled best practices and advice. I am looking for resources and tools that cut through the generic.
It is easy to watch training videos and do nothing about it. It is easy to collect strategies and never act on them. Unless a webinar or online community can offer novel value, it just becomes a drain on my time.
I know I need to do more than accomplish task after task. I understand that being a leader means looking up from my desk and seeing the big picture.
So my question is: Where’s the accountability and incentive to take action? Peer mentorship can provide that depending on how it’s structured. If it’s a good working relationship, it can be transformative. Otherwise, it can be very disappointing.
Do I chart a new course or double down on the strategies that have brought about success? Case studies allow me to examine the ways in which others have answered this question. They make the practice of leadership seem doable.
Mar 13, 2013 at12:18 PM In your career so far, what development opportunities have been helpful (or not) to you?
Conferences have been excellent opportunities for focused learning, new thinking and relationship building. Unfortunately, budgets and time are always a constraint. I have also benefited from managers who will be lifelong mentors. There is no replacement for a boss who wants you to advance and succeed. For me, the in-person learning opportunities help me focus and grow. Even with the best intentions, I am usually multitasking during a webinar.
Have you considered leaving the sector in the last six months? If so, what made you stay? What would take you away?
As a mission-driven individual, it would be difficult for me to leave the sector with the exception of public service. I can't imagine working for a bottom line rather than a cause.
If you were to participate in an online leadership development community to improve your leadership skills, what types of resources or tools would attract you to the site: in-depth training, peer mentorship, case studies, etc.?
I am only interested in an online leadership community to the extent that it goes offline and real in-person relationships /mentorships are formed.
Mar 18, 2013 at4:22 PM As you contemplate your continued leadership development, what is your area of greatest need? Do you feel you have adequate opportunities to address this need?
The greatest need is the opportunity to have hands-on experience in a leadership role. And the opportunity to discuss with other arts leaders about new solutions to the challenges faced by arts organizations.
Have you considered leaving the sector in the last six months? If so, what made you stay? What would take you away?
As a professional, currently working in the arts, the primary deterrent for me to stay in my position is trifold:
-the evidence that arts organizations will continue to operate within the same organizational structure, regardless of the level of success;
- the mindset that one must work overtime in a high stress environment in order to demonstrate passion for the organization;
-and the evidence that there will not be an opening in upper-level positions in the foreseeable future.
Passion and efficiency are not mutually exclusive. Employees can achieve a normal work load while being passionate about the place they work, and it all starts with proper training. Because we are artists does not mean that we cannot work on a schedule or meet deadlines, or that we can only be productive when overcome by a certain creative mood. With a new generation coming into the upper levels of the workforce, it will be very interesting to watch how formally trained arts administrators and arts managers transform the roles of EDs and employees in arts organizations around the country.
I stay in the arts because I believe in the cause and love working in a creative environment, and because I want to be a part of this discourse about changing the way an arts organization functions.
If you were to participate in an online leadership development community to improve your leadership skills, what types of resources or tools would attract you to the site: in-depth training, peer mentorship, case studies, etc.?
In online leadership development, I’d be interested in case studies and in-depth training with an in-person component somewhere along the way in order to make meaningful, real-world connections.