5 Mindset Shifts to Uplevel Your Leadership Development Strategy
We all know the powerful role that mindset plays not only in our personal lives but also in our work. In this episode of the Learning for Good podcast, I explore five essential mindset shifts nonprofit L&D professionals should adopt to uplevel their leadership development strategy.
By redefining how you approach your roles and the potential of your work, nonprofits can better support evolving workforces and create meaningful impact through training and leadership development.
Listen to the episode or scroll down to read the blog post ↓
Key Points:
4:38 Mindset Shift #1 You are not just an order-taker
06:47 Mindset Shift #2 Dealing with workforce change
09:37 Mindset Shift #3 Change initiatives
10:41 Mindset Shift #4 Not every effort needs to succeed
11:58 Mindset Shift #5 You are impacting people's well-being
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5 Mindset Shifts to Uplevel Your Leadership Development Strategy
Are you ready to transform your approach to learning and development within your nonprofit?
I'm excited to share insights and strategies that can empower you on your journey.
In this blog post, we’re covering the following:
Join me as we break down these five mindset shifts that are essential for enhancing training and leadership development strategies. These shifts have the potential to drive real impact and propel our organizations forward.
1) Mindset Shift 1: Embrace Learning and Development’s Role as a Strategic Partner
First and foremost, recognize that you are not just an order-taker; you are a partner in driving impact within your organization. Actively engage with other departments, demonstrating how L&D initiatives can contribute to broader organizational goals.
“We have to be able to reach out to other teams and departments and build relationships with them. Show them that L&D is here to help and we can help create impact.” -Episode 77 of Learning for Good
Building relationships and showcasing the tangible impact of your work fosters a mindset shift—from being perceived as a support function to being valued as a strategic partner.
2) Mindset Shift 2: Embrace the Future of Work
The workforce is always evolving – and this is an opportunity, not a challenge. Lean into workforce changes, such as remote work trends and evolving skill requirements.
“We are capable of finding new ways to reach our workforce, we are capable of finding new ways to engage them, we are capable of finding new ways to help people learn.” - Heather Burright
3) Mindset Shift 3: Treat Training as Change Management
Approach every training project as a change initiative.
Change is hard, but by focusing on supporting staff through organizational shifts, we can drive effective behavior change and ensure the success of our initiatives.
If you want to learn more about change management, I highly recommend episode 57 – Change Management is Hard - How to Succeed with Culture Change in 2024.
4) Mindset Shift 4: Embrace Failure as Learning
Not every effort needs to succeed - there is learning and growth that comes from failures.
“Those with a growth mindset, view failure differently. Failure becomes an opportunity to learn and adapt and grow.” -Episode 77 of Learning for Good
Viewing challenges as opportunities for growth and adaptation allows us to refine our strategies and continuously improve.
5) Mindset Shift 5: Use Training to Impact Well-Being
Recognize the profound impact of training and leadership development on individual well-being across career, social, financial, physical, and community dimensions.
Each time we bring people together, we have the opportunity to:
Build trusting relationships
Support career growth
Build community
When you design experiences that prioritize well-being, you ignite positive change within your organization.
If you would like to learn more about well-being, check out episode 67 - A Well-Being Approach to Leadership Development. In that episode, I had the pleasure of speaking to well-being strategist Loretta Turner. We explored how you can take a well-being approach to leadership development.
“We are so well positioned in our organization to do this work. Let's believe it. Let's do the work. Let's see the impact.” - Heather Burright
These mindset shifts are transformative—they influence how you view your role, approach challenges, and ultimately, drive impact.
By internalizing these shifts, you position yourself as a proactive agent of change within your nonprofit.
Let’s embrace these mindset shifts, believe in our ability to create meaningful change, and continue to learn and grow together.
To hear the full episode on the Learning for Good Podcast, scroll all the way up and tune into episode 77.
The Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective
Do you wish you could connect with other nonprofit learning and development leaders?
I know what it feels like to want someone to bounce ideas off of and to learn from, someone who really understands you and your work. Imagine if you could have a simple way to meet people in the field, ask questions, and share information.
That's why I created the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective – so nonprofit L&D, talent management, and DEI leaders can connect with each other quickly and easily in a virtual space.
When you join this community, you will walk away with a new, diverse, and powerful network – and a sounding board for your staff development needs.
So if you're ready to exchange ideas and collaborate with your peers, come join the Nonprofit L&D Collective.
