Aligning Your 'Why' for Impactful Leadership in Nonprofit Growth

Saturday mornings hold a special spot in my week—it's when I step back from the whirlwind of work and connect with friends and family. This ritual is my reset and transition into the weekend.

Last Saturday I was taking to my good friend who is a third-grade teacher. While we usually meander through various chat topics of more personal nature, this time, she mentioned mine and Yodelpop's social media presences. "It's hard for me to grasp everything you do, but your posts radiate fun. Something's different."

As I embrace my new role as its sole owner and CEO, I've been reflecting with my team on the Yodelpop brand while we refresh our Brand Compass. My friend's comment sent me back in time to Yodelpop's foundational 'why'. The genesis of Yodelpop, conceptualized on a napkin, was about bringing marketing closer to people, making it not just accessible and approachable but also enjoyable.

Hearing my friend echo the 'fun' aspect was a reminder of those early visions and how they continue to be a cornerstone of our mission. As I navigate through this transition, reevaluating both my personal 'why' and Yodelpop's becomes imperative. It's a journey to distinguish and align both, which is important to set a clear course for the future for me and my team.

My new newsletter, "Navigating Growth," is invitation to you all to join me in this exploration of purpose and direction as you deal with the day to day challenges of navigating a path to success and growth for yourself as well as the mission of your organization.

Understanding your 'why' is transformative and offers clarity and motivation...and it's contagious: it can spread throughout your organization as well.

Here's how:

• Reflection: Spend some quiet time to reflect on moments that truly energize you with your work. What do they say about what drives you?
• Align with Your Values: Revisit your core values. Do they align with your actions and your organization's mission? This alignment is crucial for genuine leadership.
• Visualize Your Impact: Think about the broader impact of your work. Whose lives are you touching, and how does your effort make a difference?
• Craft Your Mission Statement: Writing a personal mission statement can powerfully encapsulate your aspirations and guide your path.
• Seek Out Feedback: Open up to feedback from your circle. External perspectives can shed light on aspects of your 'why' that you might not have seen.
• Immerse in Inspiration: Engage with content that challenges and inspires you.
• Explore Coaching: For those seeking structured guidance, a coach can provide invaluable support in deepening your understanding of your motivations and goals, and in turn, you can be a better leader.
• Embrace Quiet: Mindfulness, meditation and writing can help you connect with your innermost thoughts and feelings, clarifying what truly matters. I set timers for writing, first, then a short meditation. It makes a big difference in my day.

Your 'why' is a guiding star: as a leader it can help you be a lighthouse for others.

Through "Navigating Growth," I'm excited to delve into themes that resonate with the alignment of growth through effective, sustainable and meaningful marketing strategies and how to find enjoyment in our work along the way.