What do you do if your non-profit program manager lacks key qualities for success?

Providing timely feedback, coaching and support often makes a big difference, especially for someone who is new to the role. External professional development training and partnering with a buddy for additional support has also been helpful for me adjusting to a role.

Lacking key qualities with the knowledge of this begs the question of how certain a person can be in what is lacking. Examine the tools that are determining this factor outcome. Take a look at how long the skills have been lacking. Who is making this decision and relative to which other measures, or who? This will help with any underlying or unknown factors that may be present. Determine if these are skills that can be developed. Discover if there is a desire to learn the skills. First find out how apparent the limitations are to the person, and if any work on the area was done, tried, completed, or offered; including by you. If they were noticed and not raised, constructively, apologize and begin again. Most people know and need support.

If a non-profit program manager lacks key qualities for success, it's essential to address the issue promptly and constructively. Begin by providing specific feedback on areas needing improvement, focusing on actionable steps for development. Offer support and resources such as training, mentorship, or coaching to help the manager enhance their skills and capabilities. Consider redefining roles or responsibilities to better align with their strengths and areas for improvement. However, if efforts to support their growth are unsuccessful and their performance continues to hinder the program's success, it may be necessary to explore alternative solutions, such as reassignment or replacement.

I advise building a team around their individual strengths as much as you can. Focusing on the things people do well and praising them for it. We can develop skills. We can mold leaders by believing in them and building their confidence and giving them the tools, training, and experience to succeed. I suggest the book StrengthsFinder 2.0. Talk about everyone's results as a team if possible. Job descriptions are necessary but they should be fluid and be revised annually especially in the nonprofit world where we wear many hats. Define key responsibilities but then tailor to strengths by building a team that is all doing what they enjoy and what they excel at. This works very well in smaller nonprofits.

Prioritizing and cultivating a culture of open communication, respectful feedback, and the ability for team members to learn from their errors, supports their team’s individual and collective growth. In my experiences, open communication and respect doesn’t just happen, it’s an intentional focus and works best when all feel they’ve contributed. Begin sharing this priority during the recruitment processes. Instituting a hiring process to assess candidate’s skills, experience and expertise can help to ensure a hire that matches company’s needs and required competencies. If leadership inherits an employee unqualified for their current job, addressing the issue in a timely manner is important to minimize unintentional consequences.

One thing I find helpful is to assess my own communication and cultural sensitivity. I try to find where I may have been vague or perhaps not recognizing the best way to share clear expectations. I do this to create a dialogue where we can both discuss challenges or concerns about meeting the expectations. Once I am sure we are on the same page, I can then offer support, guidance or possibly finding alternatives that best use the skills the person possesses.

In my experience working with a non-profit organization, embracing diversity was key to our success. We had team members from various cultural backgrounds, which enriched our brainstorming sessions and led to the creation of a campaign that appealed to a diverse audience. This diversity not only fostered creativity but also helped us connect with a broader demographic.

If the program manager's skills are not well-aligned with the position, consider restructuring their role or redistributing responsibilities to better match their strengths

Ensure you set clear expectations and goals….. Establish clear performance expectations and measurable goals for the program manager to work towards…. This will help provide direction and accountability.