Let’s say you’re leading a team meeting with the main goal to ‘Decide on new donor database’.

Two hours later, you’ve heard passionate arguments, five different options, and you’re running out of trail mix in the middle of the table.

Then someone says, ‘So who’s actually deciding this?’ Blank stares across the room. And that is the moment everyone realizes…nobody knows.

I’ll be honest …I was very guilty of this myself. When I was the Executive Director for MyLifeLine Cancer Foundation, the organization I founded, I thought being a good leader meant pleasing everyone and inviting all staff into every decision. I wanted my team to feel included.

But what often happened? Our big group wasted time spinning in circles and indecision. People left meetings frustrated.

I didn’t know it then, but I had confused inclusivity with clarity. Today, I’ll share a decision-making framework that saved the day and helped us address this challenge for good.

Marcia Beckner helps nonprofit executives lead with confidence and create healthy, thriving workplace cultures, especially during times of growth and change.

After nearly 20 years in the nonprofit sector, she’s seen far too many talented, hard-working leaders burn out and walk away.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Nonprofit CEO SPARK is your invitation to pause, pivot, and reignite your energy so you can lead with clarity, courage, and balance.

Feeling exhausted and on the edge of burnout?

Grab my free guide - 4 Strategies for Nonprofit CEOs to Reduce Burnout, Unify Your Team & Build a Culture That Lasts. Go to https://culturecares.com/guide.

If this episode resonated, I invite you to join my Tuesday newsletter. Each week I share the podcast topic, practical leadership insights, and occasional special offers and event invitations designed to help you lead with clarity without burning out.

If you know another nonprofit leader who could use this support, please pass it along. And if you’d ever like to connect directly, you can reach me at https://culturecares.com.

Welcome back to Nonprofit CEO SPARK. I’m Marcia Beckner, and today we’re kicking off with a hot take I’ve been sitting with for a long time:

On-going staff drama isn’t normal. It’s a leadership choice to tolerate a low-trust environment.

I know...that’s bold, maybe even a little controversial. But I also know it’s true, because I lived through one of the most painful and ultimately transformational chapters of my Executive Director career.

There was a season when my staff split into factions. Our culture unraveled. Fundraising tanked. And I found myself standing at a crossroads, facing decisions I never thought I’d have to make.

But what happened next changed everything for me, for my team, and for the organization we built from the ground up.

I’m going to get a little vulnerable today, because I’ve never shared this story quite like this.

But if it helps even one CEO or ED understand that you get what you tolerate with your team, then it’s worth it.

Marcia Beckner helps nonprofit executives lead with confidence and create healthy, thriving workplace cultures, especially during times of growth and change.

After nearly 20 years in the nonprofit and social impact sector, she’s seen far too many talented, hard-working leaders burn out and walk away. It doesn’t have to be this way. Nonprofit CEO SPARK is your invitation to pause, pivot, and reignite your energy so you can lead with clarity, courage, and balance.

Feeling exhausted and on the edge of burnout? Book a Burnout to Boundaries Strategy Session today and start reclaiming your time, energy, and joy.

Go to CultureCARES.com.

As we step into a new year, I want to talk about one resolution that almost every nonprofit leader needs, but very few actually name out loud:

Stop personally sacrificing yourself to get the work done.

Consider giving yourself permission to lead without losing yourself.

Today, I’m giving you 3 practical strategies to stick to this resolution, so you don’t spiral back to living on caffeine, email triage, and pure adrenaline.

Typical resolutions sound like:
“I want to work less.”
“I need boundaries.”
“I have to take better care of myself.”

But those are vague wishes, not commitments. Here’s a more powerful reframe:

“I will no longer sacrifice my peace, my health, or my joy to keep the mission running.”

This moves you from survival mode… to decisive CEO mode.

Marcia Beckner helps nonprofit executives lead with confidence and create healthy, thriving workplace cultures, especially during times of growth and change.

After nearly 20 years in the nonprofit and social impact sector, she’s seen far too many talented, hard-working leaders burn out and walk away. It doesn’t have to be this way. Nonprofit CEO SPARK is your invitation to pause, pivot, and reignite your energy so you can lead with clarity, courage, and balance.

Feeling exhausted and on the edge of burnout? Book a Burnout to Boundaries Strategy Session today and start reclaiming your time, energy, and joy.

Go to CultureCARES.com.