Anatomy of Nonprofit Leadership: Part 5

This is the fifth article in my “Anatomy of Nonprofit Leadership'' series. The idea of using the body as a metaphor for leadership came to me when I was invited to share insights with a group of women leaders in London in fall 2023. While I find the metaphor fitting, I’m also keenly aware that every body is different, and full usage of each of the body parts I mention may not be available to every reader. While I bring my own bodily experience to this writing, I do believe that the lessons I share can be relevant to everyone. Read previous installments: + Leadership Brain, + Leadership Eyes + Leadership Heart + Leadership Hands .

Recently I was talking to a colleague and made a point about a new approach to an old practice. When I was done talking, I asked, “Do you know what I mean?”?

“No, I don’t,” they said. (Womp, womp.)

They went on to say: “I’m not sure I followed all that…can we go back a little?”?

I was so grateful for their honesty. I also wondered, “How often do people not follow what I’m saying, but they feel uncomfortable saying so?”?

The exchange reinforced for me the importance of “leadership ears.” I’ve often said that consistent, open communication is essential to effective leadership. But it’s important to clarify that by “communication,” I’m not just talking about what you say or how you say it —?I’m talking about how you listen.?

I’m talking about the ears of leadership.

The art of active listening

The best leaders are masters of active listening — listening not just as they wait for their turn to speak (and we all know how diminishing this feels), but with the intention of truly hearing what the other person has to say, including and beyond the words that are spoken. What’s more, active listening means not only hearing, but also reflecting back what we’ve heard, to make sure we have it right; it can look like saying to a colleague, “Hey, I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at. Can you reframe that?”

Active listening requires courage, and it also requires humility —?if we think we have all the answers (which, of course, we don’t, because no one does), then why would we bother listening? It also requires curiosity , which is one of my core leadership values; I deeply appreciate these words from Charles Moore of Thrive Street Advisors :?

“Strategic leaders ask really good questions, bring real curiosity to receiving the answer, and remain in listening mode long after the mic is turned off.”

The “after the mic is turned off” part is key. Our listening can’t be performative; it’s not just for town halls. Instead, listening is the day-in, day-out work of leadership. And, really, if you aren’t interested in listening to the people you lead, you might want power, but I’m not sure you really want to lead.?

No one is above feedback

In the feedback-driven culture that I’m committed to building at USA for UNHCR , active listening includes the hard work of truly listening to what people think of our performance, and of how we’re showing up. I make a point of modeling that no one is “above” feedback by sharing highlights from my own performance review with staff. I also have an open-door policy.?

Look: I know that receiving feedback, let alone giving feedback, isn’t always easy. It’s a craft that I have really tried to work on and learn as a leader. Earlier in my career, it often felt easier to avoid confrontation, and in the short-term, it is easier! But not in the long-term. I needed to teach myself that opening up a very honest dialogue was in service both to me and to the other person. And now, from my perch in my third CEO role, I can see that feedback-driven cultures really are the healthiest ones, and the ones that enable the best work in service of our mission.?

The link between listening and storytelling

What’s more, the more we listen, the more powerful our storytelling. As community organizer and leadership storytelling expert Marshall Ganz teaches us with his public narrative framework , our job as leaders isn’t just to talk about our own experiences — it’s to tell stories that weave our personal stories together with those of the people around us, and of this moment in time.?

At a climate roundtable during the UN General Assembly, hosted by our partners at Deloitte Consulting and in collaboration with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency , refugee youth activist Barthelemy (Barth) Mwanza Ngane opened our session with the story of his life-- to date. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Barth’s climate activism began in Tongogara refugee camp in Zimbabwe; he recently resettled in (the great state of) Ohio in the United States. As moderator I listened carefully because I wanted to pull the thread of his remarks through the next hour of discussion among our room full of leaders —?leaders with a lot of knowledge and data about the links between displacement and climate, but most with little knowledge derived from personal, lived experience on the front lines of climate displacement. In other words, I wanted to listen attentively in order to make sure I was including Barthe in the story we were shaping.?

Hearing your inner guidance

A final thought: it’s essential, as leaders, that we maintain the ability to listen to ourselves — that we turn those “leadership ears” inward. That’s why I recommend building what I call “pockets of stillness” into your day, time to be alone and read, write, reflect... walk the dog... whatever your version of getting quiet and tuning into your inner guidance may look like.?

There is so much for us to learn in this world, from each other and even from our own inner guidance. The more we listen, the more we learn —?and the better we lead.