Conflict is a natural part of all relational dynamics: we all arrive in relationships with different needs, beliefs, expectations, commitments, values, and ideas. Conflict is inevitable as all these differences will inevitably rub up against each other. Instead of avoiding conflict we have the ability to approach it as an opportunity for growth, change, and expansion.

Skilled, intentional, and strategic supervision is integral to organizational success and employee satisfaction. Effective supervisors, whether new to the role or coming with a wealth of experience, tap into self-awareness, are adaptive, and leverage a range of interpersonal skills. Using these practices, a supervisor creates a culture of mutual respect — one in which employees and supervisors communicate regularly and clearly about job-related expectations, tasks, and overall performance.

Communication is the key to most successful relationships; the supervisor-staff relationship is no exception. Understanding each other and engaging in feedback conversations with intention, adaptability, and self-awareness is critical in building trusting and productive work relationships.

In this training, Strategic Planning for Nonprofits: Putting It All into Practice, participants will move beyond the foundation of the strategic planning process by exploring how to define and address strategic issues, formulate strategies to address issues, develop an effective implementation process, and institute evaluation metrics of the strategic plan. Through interactive discussions, breakout sessions, and real-world applications, nonprofit leaders will gain practical tools to create and sustain impactful strategic plans.

Effective supervision contributes directly to mission effectiveness at your nonprofit. It is critical to maintaining a productive staff in the face of shifting and competing priorities. Strong supervision creates a culture of mutual respect in which employees and supervisors communicate regularly and clearly about job-related expectations, tasks, and overall performance. This highly participatory training is designed for supervisors with all levels of experience.

People managers are facing extraordinary challenges in this current moment. The threats to our work and the personal impact mean that people need even more support and the work requires constant strategic repositioning. It is absolutely essential that leaders understand the traumatic impact of our current socio-political landscape on ourselves and our teams. Having a lens of trauma inclusion will allow us to face these challenges with tools that allow us to care for ourselves and care for our colleagues. Participants will deepen their understanding of the impact of trauma on themselves as leaders, as well as their colleagues, and will learn principles that they can apply to support themselves and their colleagues to lead effectively through times of fear, stress, and trauma.

As sensing beings, we are constantly scanning for safety. In this unfolding political moment, many of us feel an overwhelming sense of fear, anxiety, and exhaustion, making it harder to stay grounded.

Our collective work around how we understand and challenge the root causes of inequities never stops until we all are free. While society, from the federal government to corporations, may be divesting from and devaluing group efforts to make organizations and institutions more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, we continue on sharpening our critical thinking and building out our toolbox of strategies and approaches. It is imperative that we do this work in community and collectively.

Managing staff performance is one of the most important supervisory roles in any organization. When we think of performance management, we tend to think of annual performance reviews or addressing significant personnel issues. When supervisors manage all performance, including excellent performance, with adaptability and intentionality, there are fewer issues to address and conducting performance reviews isn't such a heavy lift.

Successful supervisors start with curiosity and awareness of their own supervisory and communication style, as well as their particular cultural lens. By expanding their view and skillfully shifting these default approaches, they can more fully develop staff and maximize performance.