The Answer is Right in Front of Me!

Like all nonprofit leaders in this day and time, the new norm is that we must do even more with less. We can no longer expect to return to the way it was before. That day will never come, which means if we are to survive, we must continue to be willing to learn new ways of working to accomplish our goals.  To that end, I always encourage my staff to take advantage of training and self development opportunities so that NAM and ultimately the clients we serve will benefit from our new found knowledge and insights.

This summer I took a class with Margaret Wheatley, a well known author on leadership and organizational development. The class was about being Comfortable with Uncertainty and we began the class with these questions: What is the core belief around which you do your work? What if you discovered your core belief was false?

For most, fear ensues and gets in the way of doing our work in a meaningful way. So we must find a way to overcome the fear. Wheatley goes on to say that leading during chaotic times calls for building meaningful relationships and holding meaningful dialog to develop clarity around how to respond and overcome the fear that is holding us back.

In 1983, the community was faced with an economic meltdown and uncertain times similar to what we are experiencing now. People were losing their jobs, their homes and they were faced with great uncertainty. The clergy in northwest Houston began to dialog around what they were seeing and eventually decided that while they had no control over the economy, they had control over their own response to what was happening. So they set their theological differences aside and decided to pool their resources so they could help more people. That was the year they decided to found Northwest Assistance Ministries.

Since 1983, we have been and continue to be, the community's response during chaotic times. We are Neighbors Helping Neighbors meet basic human needs. So while we have no control over what goes on in Washington  or in the world at large, we can find peace and comfort in knowing that together we can make a difference in each other's lives. A difference for the better.