Decision-making is one of the the most wearing activities we perform on a daily basis, and as the director of a non-profit organization, chances are good that you're making a lot of decisions.
Certainly, being at the top of an organization has its advantages, but protecting yourself from burnout when you're responsible for so much can be difficult.
While non-profit directors may not be able to reduce the number of decisions they make in a day, they can develop healthy habits that will increase their energy rather than draining it as they make one decision after another.
Here are our decision-making tips for those managing a non-profit:
Start big
We have the most energy for the things we tackle first. If you use all of your brain power on small or insignificant decisions, then you'll have little energy left to make big decisions later.
Start each day with your biggest decisions, and everything thereafter will feel like a piece of cake.
Get input from others
Just because you're in charge doesn't mean you have to run everything on your own. Ask others in leadership for their opinion, or get a fresh perspective from one of your employees.
Chances are, the people you seek insight from will be grateful for the opportunity to share their opinion because it gives them the rare chance to be an influencer and effect positive change within their organization.
Make sure it lines up with your end goals
The decisions we make from day to day often feel very disconnected from your ultimate goals. Does it really matter if your beds have vinyl mattresses or nylon mattresses? Do you need Bunk Bed Partitions? Who actually cares if you have spring base bunks versus solid panel bunks?
Even decisions like these impact your organization's mission and goals. That's why it's important to remind yourself of your non-profit's core values when faced with choices that seem irrelevant to it.
For example, if your goal is to house as many people as possible at your facility, then you'll need to purchase as many mattresses as your budget allows. As a result, you might need to buy vinyl mattresses because they're more affordable. On the other hand, if your primary concern is to provide comfort for your guests, and you're not in the process of expanding, nylon mattresses seem to fit better into that mission.
See what we mean? Even bedding purchases affect your mission one way or the other. That's why it's important to clearly define your goals and keep them top of mind as you go about your workweek making decisions.
Don't be wishy washy
Once you've evaluated your pros and cons, talked to people you trust, and determined that the decision you're making moves you toward your goals, not further away from them, you must be assertive in making your final decision. As a leader, your employees, volunteers, and clients expect you to be confident in the decisions you make. If you're not, your uneasiness will trickle down and negatively impact the culture of your non-profit.
Not to mention, making a decision and then going back on it later is extremely inefficient. It wastes time as well as decision-making energy (which, you know, is limited), and damages your credibility.
Instead, make your decisions and own them. Don't drag others through the back-and-forth you may be battling internally.
Take baby steps
Being decisive in your decisions doesn't mean every decision is going to be organization-altering. In fact, it's better if it's not.
If possible, make several small decisions at a time -- much like taking baby steps in the right direction. That way, if you make a poor decision at some point, the failure isn't detrimental. You can easily bounce back from a small misstep, but it's harder to recover if you fall while leaping over a giant hurdle.
Get a professional opinion
At American Bedding, we work closely with a lot of non-profit organizations, rescue missions, and homeless shelters, and we're pretty good at guiding non-profit directors and purchasing managers through their decision making processes. Click on the banner below to start a conversation with our sales team today!
