The path to the top ranks of a nonprofit isn’t always clear, especially at small organizations or those that don’t have a structured hierarchy. Often, workers who want to ascend to a higher level of responsibility have to figure out how to get there and take a proactive approach to make that happen. In other words, you need to focus on “managing up,” which pay-equity consultant Katie Donovan says really means managing your career.
In my article, How to Manage Up — and Reach Your Career Goals, I share tips from Donovan and other experts that can help you strengthen this skill, demonstrate leadership skills, and take your career to the next level.
Merv Antonio, senior director of learning and convening at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, emphasizes the idea that leadership is an action. “It’s more about the concrete behaviors and the choices that one makes on a regular basis instead of a formal position or title,” he explains. If you’re aspiring to get a higher-level title, consider what you could do regularly in your current role that would be an act of leadership, he suggests. To figure that out, first understand the biggest priorities of your nonprofit and your boss. Then, identify opportunities — both in work you’re already doing and gaps you could potentially fill — to help advance those goals.
Another key element of managing up is impressing your manager, says Abby Graf, vice president of programs at the Nonprofit Alliance. And you do that by pushing your work as far as you can and knowing when you can keep going on your own and when you need to get their approval. It’s OK if you get stuck, Graf says, but don’t just take a problem to your boss and say you don’t know how to solve it. Bring some ideas or questions to give them a starting point, which makes it easier for them to do their job and to help you do yours. “It’s always kind of asking, ‘What else could I move forward?’” Graf says. “Ultimately, it’s demonstrating that you care and you’re thinking.”
Read my full article to get all the advice and insights.
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Take care,
Lisa Schohl
Senior Editor, Advice
