Feeling unmoored and overwhelmed? How a Compass can help
As I stepped down as the first Executive Director of Girls Not Brides, I did some reflecting on the movement to end child marriage, as well as on some of the factors that enable systems change more broadly.
More privately, with fellow Chief Executives, I also reflected on lessons related to the nuts and bolts of running a complex organisation with a social purpose. We worked on very different issues and in different contexts, but a key question kept cropping up in our discussions:
How can I battle the sense of overwhelm?
It was only after stepping away that I was able to fully appreciate how incredibly frenzied the life of a Chief Executive is on a day-to-day basis. We’re constantly fire-fighting, jumping from project to project, decision to decision. I’ve had days when I would run from a meeting with a minister to writing a board paper to managing an internal personnel issue to giving an interview on TV. When you are constantly this busy, it is hard not to feel completely overwhelmed.
Covid-19 has only exacerbated this sense of exhaustion for many leaders working on social justice, as they’ve had to juggle the impact of the pandemic on themselves and their families, their staff teams and the populations they serve.
Finding the space to pause
In a context where many organisations have had to radically and rapidly shift their priorities, directions and programmes in the last 18 months, there is a real need for leaders to take the time to pause and take stock.
Leaders have to be able to dispassionately ask themselves important questions: is our work helping us to achieve our mission? Are we truly serving the people we say are? Is our strategy still fit for purpose even if many factors in our environment have changed?
As a leader, I’ve definitely been in situations where I have known that I need to focus on these big strategic questions, but I have had no idea where to start or how to manage weighty discussions with my team and board. My reaction was often – and I am not proud of this – one of paralysis.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learnt is to be proactive about creating the space to pause, no matter how impossible it seems when faced with a mountainous to-do list. At the time, turning away from the fire-fighting to take a step back feels like a self-indulgent luxury. But it is usually only when I do this that I can gain some perspective, look at problems from a different lens and ultimately make much better strategic decisions.
Taking the first step
One of the reasons my Lucent colleagues and I developed the Compass was because we realised that my experience is not unique. The leaders that we talk to care deeply about ensuring their organisations are having the greatest possible impact. But they often struggle to find the time and ‘brain space’ to determine whether this is actually the case.
We devised the Compass as a light-touch tool to independently take the temperature of an organisation. It provides a quick snapshot of the main issues staff and board members are facing and provides leaders with a framework to start internal discussions on areas that need further attention.
Sourcing support from those who understand what I am dealing with
Over the years, I have found that my greatest strategic support has come from other current and former Chief Executives, who have been able to informally share practical advice based on their own experiences.
One of the unique aspects of the Lucent team is that we all have experience as leaders and on the boards of various social purpose organisations. We know what it is like to grapple with difficult trade-offs and to balance the needs of different constituencies, all while pursuing a social mission. As consultants, we can bring this collective experience to bear to help leaders analyse their current contexts and think about next steps.
Our aim is not only to support fantastic organisations move to the next level; we are equally delighted when we can act as a critical friend to leaders, boost their confidence and enable them to find the clarity and answers they need.
Written by Lakshmi Sundaram, Consultant
If you want to learn more about the Lucent Compass, drop us a message at hello@lucentconsultancy.co.uk.