Finding freedom as a nonprofit leader
Becoming an entrepreneur doesn’t automatically grant you freedom. While your LinkedIn feed may be proclaiming the joys of being your own boss, those of us who have been in the game long enough after a career in nonprofits know that entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders deal with making choices all day long – many of which significantly impact the people we serve or work alongside.
The weight of making choices that impact others can be exhausting. By understanding the link between decision fatigue, purpose, and freedom, you can navigate your career and personal life with clarity and intention.
What is decision fatigue?
Are you constantly overwhelmed by decision making fatigue in your nonprofit leadership role? Decision fatigue manifests in various ways, such as procrastination, impulsiveness, or difficulty making choices. Nonprofit leaders are no strangers to the abundance of decisions they face daily. However, having numerous choices can be overwhelming. Furthermore, constantly dealing with decision fatigue at work can lead to burnout. To relieve decision fatigue, it's crucial to have a clear purpose that serves as a guiding light for decision-making.
Discovering your purpose
During a coaching call, my client was all over the place. She shared everything on her mind for 40 minutes of the 50-minute call. At the end, I asked if I could reflect back to her.
“What I hear is that you’re not clear on your purpose. So, it’s really hard to make decisions because you aren’t rooted in a clear vision. But what I also heard is that you’re passionate about transforming global structures through music, art, and expression. Does that resonate?”
She was too close to her passion to articulate it herself, but it was an a-ha moment for her to hear it spoken out loud. Through reflection, we uncovered her passion and spoke it out loud. Identifying her purpose provided a filter for decision-making. By aligning opportunities with her purpose, she could confidently say "yes" or gracefully pass them on to others.
Defining your purpose allows you to make progress towards what truly matters to you. Having an intentional, clear, and thoughtful purpose helps you break down where you’re trying to go and actually make progress towards what you really want. And sometimes, the best way to understand your purpose is to speak with a coach who can help you sort through your own background noise.
Embracing freedom
For me, becoming a nonprofit consultant opened doors to freedom and flexibility I didn’t have in my previous roles. But that doesn’t mean it’s all 4-hour work weeks and summer Fridays. It’s important to recognize that it takes serious work to break free from the internalized conditioning that shapes our feelings and expectations around work, entrepreneurship, and consulting.
This internalized conditioning is what keeps us pushing for that next promotion even if we don’t want it, refreshing Outlook when we’re caught all up, tethered to Teams on the weekends, and answering Slack messages well after COB.
Another coaching client, who also happens to be a nonprofit consultant, was feeling overwhelmed during our session. She hadn’t found the liberatory side of consulting because she felt her clients just became her new “boss.”
To reclaim freedom at work, it's essential to set boundaries and prioritize your own needs. I shared actionable changes she could make in her daily work, which fit whether you’re a full-time nonprofit leader, a consultant, or somewhere in between.
Block off your calendar for the things that are most important to you, whether it’s going to the gym for your self-care or picking up your children from school. If you’re booked, you’re booked.
If a colleague or client wants to meet at a time you have blocked off, let them know you’re unavailable and offer 2-3 times that do work. I know this may be uncomfortable. Guess what: not one person will push back.
Create a list of referral partners, whether they’re other consultants or nonprofits who have a similar mission. If you’re not getting the right vibe from someone for any reason, bless, refer, and release! This frees you up to attract the opportunities that are actually the right fit for you.
Embodying freedom
Take action by embracing these strategies. Block off important dates, communicate your availability, and build a network of referral partners. By doing so, you empower yourself to prioritize what truly matters and attract opportunities aligned with your purpose.
Finding freedom amidst decision fatigue is crucial, but a matter of survival for nonprofit leaders and consultants alike. By defining your purpose, setting boundaries, and making intentional choices, you can navigate your professional and personal life with clarity and ease. Knowing that freedom is possible for you is the first step in your journey toward success.