Alison Koch offers her thoughts about this. I included these ideas in a month about wellness, because as you see from her remarks, the future is about each of us.
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Written by Alison Koch
I think us non-profit folks have a particularly
complicated relationship with work.
Mission statements can quickly come to justify all sorts
of bad habits and behavior, both as perpetrated upon us by leadership and
peers, as well as the ways we often end up treating ourselves. I mean, we’re
not not curing cancer. Everything feels like it’s on fire, sometimes because
the rainforest actually is!
So, on the one hand, we have a meaningful north star – a
noble mission – but on the other hand, we are struggling with a unique
existential crisis, limited compensation, and sky-high expectations.
How might we re-imagine the future of mission-based work?
First, I think that museums need to think about their
staff as a stakeholder group worthy of just as much time, attention, energy,
and evaluation as visitors or donors.
What would it look like if we investigated staff turnover
with as much rigor as we courted lapsed donors and members? We love a comment
card from a visitor, but how can we gather better, honest feedback from staff
early and often before they quit or leave the sector? And how do you act on
that information to save the relationship? An exit interview is too late.
We also know we can’t just sit around and wait for a
magical top-down change. How can we as individuals take steps to make this
meaningful work feel like a sustainable choice in the long-run?
First, please stop beating yourself up. Don’t let the
mission be a weapon you wield against yourself. You are doing enough, I
promise.
You don’t have to start at “Yes”. Get better at saying
“No.” Or “Okay, but I need until June.” If you are forced to stretch or sprint
unsustainably, speak up. Document your concern. Explain. Advocate. Don’t just
drink your coffee quietly while the room burns down, because you are also
flammable.
What small thing can you normalize? What big thing can
you break and rebuild? With whatever power you have, do something that makes
other people stop and say, “Wait, we can do that?” Every inch we can move in
the right direction course-corrects leadership and sets an example for our
peers. It’s no small feat.
I’m asking you to stay. We need you. You are too
important not to be a part of the future of our work. If we all leave, there’s
no one to show us how to do it differently.
Biography
Alison gave these remarks as part of her 2019 Ignite Talk for Museum Computer Network.