Leading from Any Chair: Enhancing Productivity

In our ever-evolving nonprofit landscape , effective leadership from any chair—whether it’s the CEO, a mid-level manager, board member or front line staff—has never been more critical. This session will focus on the power of strengths-based leadership, with a particular emphasis on the Working Genius framework as a tool for identifying and leveraging individual and team strengths. By honing self-awareness, leaders can ethically and effectively guide their teams and organizations, ensuring that their leadership provides pathways for more joy and more productivity in carrying out their mission.
Participants will explore how understanding and harnessing the six types of Working Geniuses—each representing a unique strength—can significantly enhance fundraising efforts, board relations, and leadership dynamics. Additionally, the session will highlight how the Working Genius framework makes the invisible visible within teams, uncovering hidden dynamics and providing practical strategies for improving morale and having hard conversations. This commitment to self-awareness and strengths-based leadership not only benefits those we lead but also serves the broader community, amplifying the good we do in the nonprofit sector.

Learning Objectives:
1. Integrate Strengths-Based Leadership Using the Working Genius Framework:
○ Participants will learn how to apply strengths-based leadership principles by utilizing the
Working Genius framework to identify and leverage their own strengths and those of
their nonprofit team members.
2. Facilitate Hard Conversations and Improve Morale:
○ Participants will explore how the Working Genius framework provides practical tools for
facilitating difficult conversations within teams, leading to improved morale and
increased productivity. Attendees will gain strategies for using the Working Genius
framework to address and resolve underlying team dynamics and challenges, fostering a
healthier and more transparent organizational culture.
3. Enhance Ethical Leadership Through Self-Awareness:
○ Participants will explore how self-awareness, rooted in an understanding of personal and
team strengths through the Working Genius framework, can drive ethical and inclusive
leadership practices. This includes recognizing and addressing personal biases to better
serve teams and communities. Attendees will develop actionable strategies for
incorporating their working geniuses into their leadership practices, meeting
management, and 1:1 working relationships.

Nonprofit Austin reserves the right to postpone this learning opportunity if there

is inadequate registration.