LETTER FROM INCA

Weighed Down by Stressful Times?

Social justice leaders are coping with unprecedented levels of stress.  You’re racing furiously to seize opportunities opened up by the new Administration and Congress, but you’re struggling to raise enough money to keep afloat and avoid cutting staff.  On top of everything you’ve got to do in good times, you now have to double your efforts to raise money, make tough decisions about cutting the budget, calm the staff’s anxieties (no less your own), and still provide your organization with a visionary strategic direction so it can play an important role in moving our nation toward achieving our progressive goals.  That’s a lot!

"So what are you doing to take care of yourself during these stressful times?"  I ask, because I know that if and how you take care of yourself has a big impact on your ability to lead your organization through new territory and change. 

Self-care may seem naïve or unrealistic during these challenging times, but it is now more important than ever.  When stress goes unaddressed, it can take a large toll on leaders.  While you can get work done despite the strain, the quality and quantity of your work – as well as your ability to inspire and motivate your staff – will suffer. 

If you haven't taken the time to step back, see the big picture, and focus, then probably neither will your organization.  At the end of the day, you can only give to your organization what you have given to yourself.  

So, for the good of the organization, how's a busy weighed-down executive director going to practice self-care?  Ultimately, self-care is about taking responsibility for and proactively addressing your well-being and stress levels.  Some suggestions include:

• Identify how you cope with stress and can take care of yourself:  See if your coping strategies are healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive, particularly in your work environment and interactions.  Explore healthier ways to manage stress and see which ones work best for you.
• Communicate with staff and other supportive individuals:  Sometimes leaders feel they need to know all the answers or at least act like they do in order to be strong leaders.  However, not acknowledging the reality of the situation will undoubtedly increase the level of stress you feel, while admitting to a difficult situation often leads to a catharsis and greater sense of clarity.  While some people may be judgmental about your asking for help, most appreciate being leveled with and invited to express their views, especially if it's regarding things that affect them.  Talking to network peers can also provide a safe space for constructive venting and emotional support for organizational leaders.
• Get more support from your board:  Since board members are more distanced from daily operations, they can often provide valuable perspectives on the hard choices you have to make.  Even disengaged boards often rise to the occasion during difficult times and this might provide you with an opportunity to revitalize board members.  It’s important to communicate frankly about the organization's situation in order to get their assistance, particularly regarding its financial health.
• Consider getting external support:  An independent sounding board, such as a consultant or coach, may help you address complex organizational challenges and dynamics, adjust to the current environment, and manage the additional strain on yourself.  
• Focus on the opportunities:  Remain flexible and open to opportunities and don't lose sight of them by focusing too much on forces outside your control.  The opportunities may include leveraging the new political environment, strengthening core programs, refocusing short-term priorities, thinking more strategically, or making the organizational changes you've wanted to make but haven't yet.  To explore this further, check out MAG's Tools You Can Use: Finding Opportunity in the Crisis article. 

The justice we seek will not be won overnight.  The stresses of the current climate add an extra burden.  Our best hope for the future is to keep ourselves and our organizations sustained, focused and enlivened by the vision.  Your grounded and inspired leadership is essential and that makes proper self care a necessity and not a luxury – especially in these times of rapid change.