Balancing the Mission Checkbook

In the report Creative Disruption published a few months ago by CompassPoint, the executive summary is titled “The Power of Sabbaticals” to confront to common assumptions that an executive sabbatical will result in chaos at the organization and the ultimate departure of the executive (after a “taste of freedom from the job”).

We now have evidence that these concerns are unfounded. In fact, EDs who go on sabbatical are more likely either to remain in their positions or extend their tenure, not cut it short. And rather than causing chaos, disruptions in an organization’s day-to-day affairs may be beneficial. Perhaps most importantly, a sabbatical can be a relatively inexpensive but highly productive capacity-building tool that yields measurable results.

We’ve proven the truth of that conclusion first hand here at Nonprofits Assistance Fund and at MAP for Nonprofits. Judy Alnes, Executive Director at MAP, took a sabbatical in October 2009. She wrote about what she learned during her time away in a thought-provoking guest commentary for Minnesota Council on Foundations. I’m still digesting my ideas and thoughts after a one month sabbatical in February of this year. It’s not really a surprise that having the opportunity and luxury to step back for a while benefited both Judy and me. Our absences had an entirely different benefit for those who were called upon to step in the lead while we were gone. Amy Wagner, Associate Director of MAP, and Janet Ogden-Brackett, Loan Fund Manager at Nonprofits Assistance Fund, deserve a thousand thanks (and some extra vacation). We asked them to share their thoughts about the experience.

Amy Wagner

Recently, Judy Alnes, Executive Director at MAP, known to me as “my boss,” took a sabbatical. While Judy was taking some time to travel, read, learn, connect, meet, think, recharge, etc., I had the chance to serve as MAP’s Acting Executive Director.

Judy was gone for five weeks. While that sounded like a long time when we were planning for it, it actually went by in a flash. Judy worked closely with MAP’s board and staff to prepare for her time away and there was clear communication on roles and responsibilities in her absence. One MAP staff member commented:

Staff at MAP know their roles and responsibilities and operate independently, which also led to a smooth operation. Everyone was willing to do what was necessary to help out.

And there was a need to help out. Judy’s planned sabbatical happened to fall exactly at the same time that we were preparing to launch GiveMN.  Since MAP was the nonprofit rollout partner in this effort, and I was the project manager and lead trainer, we were stretched. In addition, a key staff member was called away to address a family emergency during this time. Thankfully, everyone was willing to step up, pitch in and work as a team to keep things moving smoothly. In retrospect, it may have been better to plan for the unexpected and think proactively about who would be “on deck” to help in various scenarios. That may have taken some pressure off of me and given others more of a chance to contribute in new ways.

Personally, Judy’s sabbatical gave me a chance to develop and demonstrate my leadership abilities. I gained a greater appreciation for the role of the ED, and all the different constituencies with whom the ED interacts and to whom they are accountable. I gained a greater appreciation of the role the ED has in setting the tone in the office and creating an environment in which people can share their talents. I gained confidence in my ability to work with our board and our funders. I saw, and I know others sensed as well, that while serving as an ED is a big and important job, leadership does not reside in one person – there’s a whole team of staff and board members leading the organization. Since Judy’s return from sabbatical, I’ve been named MAP’s Associate Director. This new position is part of an organizational change that in large part resulted directly from what Judy and MAP as a whole learned during the sabbatical. The organizational shifts aim to give Judy more time to focus on MAP’s voice and impact in the community, me more time to work on new collaborations and partnerships, and others at MAP new opportunities to learn, lead, collaborate and contribute. I think we will feel the positive impact of this sabbatical for years to come.

Janet Ogden-Brackett

When I thought about what to include in this blog, I just knew I wanted to share some funny stories from the four-week period in which Kate Barr was on sabbatical. There is the story where the construction crew announced they would be removing the doorframe from my office at the exact moment that I was on a conference call. Maybe I would try to describe the amount of dust that sanding drywall produces or the screeching sound of the hydraulic lift. I only wish I could share a recording of one of the carpenters who loved to sing along to the oldies radio station.

Wait, I’m getting a little ahead myself.

Let me explain that the same four weeks that Kate was out coincided with the renovation of our office space. We had never planned for this to happen but as we saw the two events align, there was no real reason to change either one. We knew there would be the additional challenges of managing construction, but everything was very well planned, right down to the last detail.

The real value of the sabbatical is not how we addressed the unexpected and often hilarious challenges, or gained greater appreciation for scenario planning and always having at the ready a good plan b. Rather the value is in the rare opportunity for our organization to gain increased capacity through renewed leadership and an empowered staff.

There has to be a very special team in place in order to pull off a sabbatical. The first step comes not from a beleaguered Executive Director who makes the request of the Board because they need a long vacation, but rather from thoughtful leadership that can see the benefits of the break to staff and board as well as themselves. The Board must buy in that the benefits are identifiable and real and staff must be willing to step up and work as a team while assuming a great deal of responsibility. A successful sabbatical inspires and empowers everyone.

The changes here at Nonprofits Assistance Fund are large and small, obvious and subtle. The most obvious difference is to the office space; the change is big and audacious. Other changes took place as we developed our skills in unfamiliar areas from capable to proficient. We all raised our expectations for each other and ourselves. The more subtle changes will have a greater lasting impact to our organization. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.”  We asked every single staff member to step up into more responsibility and take on more work. After the sabbatical, there was no reason to step back. The entire team is better for the experience and our internal capacity is far superior to what it once was. To me it feels like we took a giant step forward and with every new undertaking, we now start closer to the finish line.