Overcoming Fear : Humble Leadership Profile #4
In 2004, Carolyn Smallwood was recruited to facilitate a turnaround of Minneapolis-based nonprofit Way to Grow. As the CEO, she assumed fiscal and organizational responsibility to deliver on their very challenging mission: ensuring that children within the most isolated families are born healthy, stay healthy, and are prepared for school.
How has she faced that intimidating responsibility?
Doing it Afraid
“I’ve learned to do it afraid,” she told me. “You get up there, and you do it, if it’s the right thing to do.”
Since 2004, she’s successfully raised capital to ensure the organization’s stability and growth. And its success rate with ensuring children are prepared for school has steadily climbed to 90 percent — nearly unheard of in this arena.
Indeed she has done it, despite being afraid. But she’s also learned to do it together.
“I didn’t get here by myself,” she reminds me.
So, to get another perspective of what it’s like to “do it afraid” and “do it together” at Way to Grow, I caught up with one of her colleagues, Way to Grow program director Ronel Robinson. Here’s what I learned:
It doesn’t take a lot of time to make a singular impact.
As CEO, Carolyn’s schedule is busy, and she’s often pulled in many directions, but even when a conversation is brief, the connection is deep. She says she’ll follow back up, and she makes good on her word. Ronel also points out that Carolyn creates “psychological safety” through one-on-one meetings with each employee. Staff have multiple ways they can connect with her, and people are free to communicate at any level and say the hard things.
Learning never stops.
When I spoke with Carolyn, she told me how much she loves learning, and that she particularly learns a lot from being around young people. Ronel echoed this sentiment in the way Carolyn works with the staff, engaging people by listening, verbally acknowledging who they are as individuals, and soliciting their input and ideas. And it doesn’t matter who you are — a funder gets as much time as a child or an employee. As Ronel notes, “she never acts like she has all the answers.”
You don’t have to be perfect, just honest.
Ronel recalls a time when she was distracted by some personal issues and as a result, made a mistake on something at work. “I didn’t share everything that was going on, but Carolyn is very intuitive and knew. She listened and gave me gracious feedback that I needed to hear. She appreciates honesty, and she gives people the grace to move forward, correct, and be honest when you make a mistake.” By the same token, if Carolyn feels like she’s made a mistake, she’ll own it, humble herself, and acknowledge it.
Everyone’s stronger when everyone’s growing.
Ronel describes Carolyn’s approach to leadership this way: “She guides and trains and educates through inclusion.” This means offering people opportunities for open-ended learning experiences, to go to networking events, trainings, meetings, or other events. In the process, you might have to venture outside your comfort zone, but that opportunity and encouragement is what helps you grow.
What is your mission? What would it look like to do it afraid and do it together? That’s humble leadership and overcoming fear.
Check out the five-minute highlight video of my interview with Carolyn. Read more Humble Leadership profiles here.
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