The Tipping Point Between Empowerment & Excellence
Author: Heath Wright, Executive Director, Oklahoma Quality Foundation
November 7, 2024
Empowering Through Understanding
In the nonprofit sector, organizations have a unique opportunity to empower staff and volunteers to make a meaningful impact while pursuing their professional development and passions. However, as any seasoned athlete or artist knows, true excellence requires more than drive; it demands balance, recognition of strengths, and careful management of capacity.
At the Oklahoma Quality Foundation, we use tools like the Birkman Assessment to understand what fuels each individual—whether it's solving complex problems, coordinating behind the scenes, or connecting with the public. By identifying these unique strengths, we create roles that align with individual talents, allowing people to channel their abilities into purposeful work and make a positive impact. The Birkman insights help us place individuals in roles where they can thrive, while ongoing leadership coaching enables us to monitor capacity, provide helpful feedback, and avoid burnout. This balance between empowerment and sustainability is essential, especially in the nonprofit industry, where resources are often stretched.
A Culture of Mentorship and Leadership Development
The Oklahoma Quality Foundation is dedicated to cultivating emerging leaders who can develop their skills in service of a worthy cause. Through mentorship programs, our experienced leaders share their knowledge and best practices, fostering an environment where learning, growth, and impact are seamlessly woven together. This commitment to developing leaders isn’t just an internal goal—it’s a model for the nonprofit sector as a whole.
"The Birkman insights help us place individuals in roles where they can thrive, while ongoing leadership coaching enables us to monitor capacity, provide helpful feedback, and avoid burnout."
Striking the Balance for Sustainable Impact
Finding the “sweet spot” between empowerment and capacity enables nonprofit staff and volunteers to do meaningful work without risking overextension. By balancing capacity with excellence, organizations like ours can nurture energized teams that stay focused on their mission, creating lasting, sustainable impact.
