Leadership – Page 6 – Nonprofit Chapin

The Importance of Customer Service

June 23, 2011nonprofitchapin

I’ve been reminded several times this week about the importance of customer service. Not only reminded, but been shocked to hear that my colleagues aren’t of the same mind. The voicemail system for the office has been broken for three days now, and our operations guy seems to be taking his sweet time to address it (I don’t like to judge other people’s workloads, but come on now. Shouldn’t that be a high priority issue?). The front counter staff is hardly ever told what’s going on, beyond occasionally being told that someone is out of the office for the day (but even that seems to only happen after they ask). When did the art of customer service die?

There have been numerous reports on the correlation between good customer service and loyalty. If I go into a store and the cashier is warm and friendly, I’m much more likely to return to that store. If she’s rude, I don’t want to put myself in that situation again. Why should I return somewhere that makes me unhappy?

The same concept applies to your nonprofit. The first person a donor or prospect speaks to is the person behind the front desk. Does that person know at least generally what is going on at your organization? Are they friendly and courteous? Most importantly, are they passionate about your cause?

Everyone the front counter staff speaks to is a potential donor. You don’t know someone’s capacity to give simply by looking at them. Therefore, everyone should be treated like a major donor. Everyone should be warmly welcomed, offered a glass of water, and given complete information about the organization. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a suit or jeans – everyone should be treated with great customer service.

Yelp perfectly highlights the importance of customer service. I know I didn’t choose my dentist without Yelping him first. My boyfriend didn’t return to his because he Yelped them after, and they had one star. We are becoming reliant on reviews, many of which are about customer service. While it might not be blatant, it’s affecting your customer base.

By the way, I received great customer service today from Ron’s Auto Clinic. I would definitely return to them if I weren’t moving! I recommend taking your car there!

-N.C.

How NOT To Get a Promotion

June 15, 2011nonprofitchapin6 Comments

I’m aware that I’ve been citing other blogs frequently lately. I’m also aware that this next one I’m referring to was written over a week ago. But I’m writing about it anyway, because it’s that good. This was one of those think-about-it-days-later blog posts. I’m talking about 7 Lies That Undercut Your Chances of Promotion at Everyday Bright. I absolutely encourage you to take a moment to read it – it will definitely give you a new perspective on some tried and true job skills.

I’d like to outline a few of my thoughts on some of the lies.

Lie #1: Work hard

I love this. We all know that one person in the office who comes in at 7:45 and leaves at 6:15. She likes to talk about how much work she has to do and how there isn’t enough time in the day. In fact, everyone in a nonprofit has more work than time to do it in. That doesn’t mean you should overwork yourself and sacrifice your personal life. After the workday is over, put your work down and go home to your family. You’ll be able to recharge your batteries and will be that much more efficient tomorrow.

Lie #2: Do your job well

This one might be the one that resonates with me the most, that I personally need to work on. This relates to what I mentioned earlier as my biggest weakness – I need to step up and do projects that are outside of the box that showcase my creativity and understanding of fundraising and the nonprofit sector. I need to do more than my job – I need to prove that I can do my future job.

Lie #5: Network with influencers

Jennifer is emphasizing the point that you shouldn’t just network with the high ups, you should network with everyone. You never know who will become what and who has pull where. I love this point. It’s critical to be friendly and open to everyone you meet, whether it’s the receptionist or the CEO. Everything has something to offer – you just need to give them the chance to show it.

Lie #7: Have a career plan

I disagree with her just slightly on this one. I would modify this point to say you should have a plan (or goal), but it should be loose and ever-changing. I think there is value to having an idea of where you’d like to be in the future, but mostly to notice the aspects of the goal that are attracting you and keep them at the heart of your actions.

Notice I didn’t address Lie #6: Go back to school, because clearly that’s exactly what I’m doing in two months! However, I don’t see going back to school as my ticket to promotion, instead simply something to pair with my work experience and knowledge of the sector as I navigate my way to my goal.

Thank you, Jennifer, for such a wonderful post. We all can learn a little something from these points!!

-N.C.

A Second Look at My Biggest Weakness

May 24, 2011nonprofitchapin

OK, I was wrong. I’ve thought more about my biggest weakness, my last post, and I’m not sure I entirely agree with it. After I wrote the post, I discussed it with one of my colleagues who also is an introvert. And then, just yesterday, I saw this blog post in my inbox. It must have been fate! Here are a few of the things I’ve been thinking about the past week.

Leadership comes in many styles. Just because I’m not a dominant extrovert doesn’t mean I’m not a leader. In my current office all the managers look like just that: they have dominant personalities. Even at lunch they will jump to share stories about their weekend. I have never been that type of person and never will be. I think there’s a lot of value to a leader who doesn’t have that type of personality, and that’s who I hope to be.
Why fix what isn’t broken? In my short twenty-something years on this earth I have had many leadership roles – I have led student organizations, formed programs, and managed people. Why would I have had these opportunities if my working style didn’t represent that of a leader? I must be doing something right!!
I need to chill. I’m being too hard on myself! I’m always obsessing over my areas of improvement and I need to spend more time celebrating my strengths. That’s what will get me in a leadership role, anyway!

I appreciate my supervisor’s perspective of my biggest weakness, but I also appreciate the point of view of my colleague, who has the opposite opinion. Everyone has her own. And, of course my supervisor got to where she is by accruing experience and insight, but I’m going to respectfully disagree. I am an introvert who listens intently, and I love it!

-N.C.

My Biggest Weakness

May 14, 2011nonprofitchapin2 Comments

I had my annual review on Thursday, and while it’s not exactly conventional to announce your biggest area of improvement to the whole world, I want to be held accountable to improving on this and I’m hoping that posting about it will do that! Basically, what my biggest area of improvement comes down to is this:

I need to talk more.

I need to share my opinions more in groups of colleagues – especially at the management level, so that they can see that I aspire to become a leader and have the insight and drive to go there. I have this mentality that since I’m not the expert in the room, I should listen and learn from those who are. What I need to realize and embrace is that even though I don’t have the same number of years as others, I still have valid opinions that could help in some way. Even if they don’t help in any way, at least they will demonstrate to others part of my potential. Because not sharing anything means not sharing any of my potential. And that doesn’t do anyone any good!

It’s funny, because I have no problem injecting my thoughts and opinions into one-on-one conversations with managers… but when it comes to a group, like at a committee meeting, I have no drive to speak. And I don’t know that it’s any sort of complex about talking in front of groups… because I do that all the time… it’s more that I want to learn as much as I can before I go being presumptuous and speaking when I shouldn’t. I need to get over this and start sharing my thoughts on a consistent basis. This blog helps because it helps me shape my opinions about things without having to come up with things on the fly, which will make me more confident to share. I sincerely hope that with my move to another city and nonprofit I can truly spread my wings and talk more in groups!!

I’d appreciate ideas any of you have to help me work on this issue!

-N.C.

What’s in a Name?

May 9, 2011nonprofitchapin

I just read this and had to re-post it! Deirdre Maloney of Momentum San Diego writes about the importance of something that might seem small and trivial, but it’s so important… accurately re-counting a name. I can’t tell you how many times I see this between my name (Cole, Mr. Chapin, the list goes on and on) and my CEO’s name, which can commonly be spelled two different ways. Now, I want to echo what Deirdre says in her post that while this topic is of greater importance to me having a strange name, it’s not just that. It’s the importance of paying attention to details about someone you’re corresponding with. A name is something very personal and it means a lot to us – so when something like that is misspelled, what else might you be getting incorrect?

Deirdre’s blog is wonderful – if you’re interested in learning more about leadership, organizational management, and communication, you should check it out!

-N.C.

Quick! Sell yourself!

May 6, 2011nonprofitchapin

I bet if you asked twenty people their top five hated activities, networking would be mentioned more than once. People hate networking. It feels awkward, scary and weird. But it doesn’t have to! Here are some tips to remember when networking!

Make an elevator speech for yourself. We’ve all heard of the phrase elevator speech – the idea that you have 30 seconds to describe the organization you work for. Concoct a description of you and what you’re looking for in three sentences or less. Example: “I work doing fundraising and marketing for a nonprofit in San Diego, and my ultimate goal is to become a CEO of a nonprofit. I’m interested in learning more about nonprofit operations and all the facets that make them work.” Follow your elevator speech with the next bullet. Note: Even if you don’t have a job/aren’t working in the field you want, you can still make a self elevator speech! Lead with your passion and you’ll get what you’re hoping for.
Balance what you want with what they want. As humans, we’re inherently selfish. What’s in it for me? is the first thing we ask ourselves in everything we do. Make your self elevator speech about what you can offer to the listener. If they represent a nonprofit you’d like to get to know, offer to visit their facility or make a donation. Demonstrating your value up front is the best way to make an impression.
Listen. It sounds easy, but it can be harder than you think! Let go of all distractions when you’re networking and focus on what you’re saying and what the listener is saying. Respond to what she says. If she interjects with a shared experience, listen to it and respond. It takes two to tango – don’t make the conversation one sided.
Show your interest. Make eye contact. Give a firm handshake. Smile. These things make a world of difference! When you outwardly express ease and interest, the listener will do the same. Have you heard of the phrase smile and the world smiles with you? It’s true!

These tips could translate to many situations – in an interview, when meeting your boyfriend’s parents, or even in any workplace conversation. If you respect the listener and that comes across in your interaction, you’ll have them hanging on your every word!

-N.C.

Thank You, Emily Baime and Emily Marx

April 21, 2011nonprofitchapin2 Comments

It’s been ten days since Rosetta posted this option for a blog post, but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to do it: write about a mentor or someone who has made an impact on your life or career. The only difficult thing was choosing who to write about… ultimately, I have decided to write about both women who have impacted my life and career goals in a big way :). I saved the prompt in my email and finally have time to sit down and write it. (Life was a bit of a whirlwind these past two weeks, you know, getting into grad school and everything!) Sorry for the long post – I promise it’s worth it!!

Emily Baime

Emily was my supervisor at my first job out of college, and boy, am I happy she was. Emily truly shaped the woman I am today in regards to my working style and career goals. I am so grateful for all she’s done for me. Here is just a short list of some of the things I learned from her.

I was born to lead. I was shocked to learn that not everyone is like me! Not everyone loves managing projects and thinking strategically about the big picture. Even in the nonprofit sector, many people are there simply to do a job. Emily encouraged me to manage projects in ways that aren’t common for an entry level worker, and that experience showed me that’s when I’m happiest – with lots of responsibility and accountability. That shaped my goal to always lead.
Want to get things done? Try on someone else’s shoes. Emily taught me the formula to getting a project approved, and it has worked every time I’ve tried it. The crux of the formula is to think like the person you need approval from. Maybe that person was once embarrassed by forgetting a donor’s name – plan to have nametags at your event. Outlining these things is the key to getting any project approved, and Emily showed me that.
I can only control one person: myself. I’m not going to lie – I had a tough time adjusting to the working world. Before, my whole life had revolved around making everyone happy, whether it be my family, friends, teachers, anyone but myself… so, I ventured into my first job with the same goal. I quickly learned that I was attempting the impossible. People at work would be moody or dissatisfied… and I took it personally. I learned to focus on myself and my own work and do the best I could, not constantly worry about everyone else.

Emily is a strong, driven woman herself: outside of her day job, she has started up the sustainable food focused organization Community Tap & Table, which puts on gourmet cooking classes that pair food with beer. Any surplus funds from each class are donated to a nonprofit focused on connecting the community through food. Not bad for after 5:00 each day.

Emily Marx

Emily was the Community Service Coordinator in what is now the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) at UCSD when I was a student there (she’s now the center’s director). She was the driving force behind creating Alternative Breaks, the student organization I helped found and that has been a huge part of my life. But she did so much more than help with copies and club politics – she helped me form my own definition of leadership, which I will carry with me for the rest of my life and while I grow into my own leader. Here’s a short list of what she helped me learn.

Leadership starts with listening. A common misconception is that the leader is the loudest person in the room. In fact, true leadership is the ability to hold your opinions and preconceived notions to yourself while you gather everyone else’s view. The core of leadership is being able to take all these opinions, combine them with your own, and make the decision that takes into account all of this. Emily taught me that a good leader is a person of supreme balance and poise.
It’s good to get out of your comfort zone once in a while. The reason Emily and I have both done so many Alternative Break trips is because we both subscribe to this theory. It’s not easy to travel to another country where you may or may not know the language with people you met a few months ago and be completely vulnerable with your feelings. No matter how hard it is, it’s good for you. You always finish the experience with a renewed faith in yourself and the choices you make. And that’s always a good thing.
Humility is the key to happiness. Emily taught me the importance of diversity in every sense of the word – diversity in perspectives, backgrounds, interests, experiences, and so on. It is key to not only surround myself with different viewpoints, but to listen to them with a genuine interest and consider carefully what they are saying. Everyone in this world has an opinion and every single one is valid. It’s important to remember that mine is not any better than anyone else’s.

Emily effects so many students on a daily basis; she really is helping to form the next generation of leaders, politicians, teachers, activists, and citizens. She does an amazing job as the Director of CSI, helping all other advisors to do what she did with me – it’s something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Sorry for the long post this time, but I just couldn’t choose between them (you can clearly see why)! I hope that you also have experienced an amazing mentor relationship… and if you haven’t, seek one out! They will teach you things about yourself that you never would have known.

-N.C.