Welcome to 2024 - Our Three Words

Announcer: 0:05

Welcome to the Practice of Non-profit Leadership, a podcast specifically designed for executive directors of non-profit organizations. With a touch of humor, your co-hosts, tim and Nathan, work to provide encouragement, insights and practical strategies to help you be a more effective leader. And now here's Tim and Nathan.

Tim Barnes: 0:29

Welcome to Season 4, an episode 118 of the Practice of Non-profit Leadership. I'm Tim Barnes and I'm Nathan Ruby. Well, Nathan, it's hard to believe it's Season 4. Welcome back.

Nathan Ruby: 0:43

Oh my gosh, what I can't believe it. Season 4. How cool is that? But yeah, I had a great break, you know. I know you did too, tim, and it was good to, you know, just take a little bit of time off and had the holidays had Christmas in New Year's, and spent some time with family and got to hang at the beach for a few days. So that was good, and you know. Now we're back in the studio again and ready to roll for Season 4.

Tim Barnes: 1:13

Yeah, it was great taking a breath. I appreciated a few people who emailed us and said, hey, when are you coming back? And it wasn't just my mom either.

Nathan Ruby: 1:23

There was someone else who was asking. I know Well, that was awesome. Yeah, that's good.

Tim Barnes: 1:28

But we are glad to be back. We appreciated the break we both have jumped into this year with our organizations and all that goes into launching in New Year, so it's been good to be able to focus on that, but we're glad to be able to share with you and glad to have you with us. So today, for our kickoff episode of 2024, we wanted to talk about something that, if you're a regular listener, you know that Nathan and I focus a lot on this at the end of the last year and into the New Year, and it's the idea of choosing three words, a practice that was started by Chris Brogan, someone we both follow and have been connected to for a while, and Chris started it back in 2005 or 2006. I can't remember which year, but back then. And these words serve more, I guess I would say more as a compass rather than a map. They provide a focus, a reminder of where we need to put our attention and our energy for the New Year, and they actually work best if they are action-oriented words, although I'm including a non-action word this year, but hopefully it will help me take action. So we're excited to share our three words and maybe it will inspire you, as you. I know we're a few weeks into the New Year, but maybe it will inspire you to think about hey, what are the three words that capture where you're headed in 2024? But here are some ways that we use those words. One of the things that both Nathan and I do is we put them front and center every day In my journal, in my planner. They are the first words I write in both of those as I start my morning routine. And, nathan, I know you put them on your sheet or on your iPad, I can't remember which, but you have it On my daily planning sheet.

Nathan Ruby: 3:23

That happens to be on my iPad, so you were correct in both instances there, Tim.

Tim Barnes: 3:28

I do listen sometimes. So that's good, and so we keep them in front of us. So they're not just an exercise that we write them down and put them on a shelf somewhere, but we actually look at them every day. And they also are words that I know I use when I'm trying to figure out what do I do next. I have a few minutes, what should I be doing? Or as I try to think about my day, I look at those words and I try to act accordingly, put my energy and time into that, and we hold each other accountable to those words. And we were just even do that before we came on is like hey, how do we do that here, how did you do? And so throughout the year we've done that, we've come back, we have coffee or we get on a call we talk about how are we doing? Are we staying on track? And so we review them periodically to make sure that they really are.

Nathan Ruby: 4:20

You know that we're being true to to those words yeah, cuz if you're not, if you don't, then what's the point of doing it in the first place? They're just kind of wasting your time, or spinning your wheels, so to speak.

Tim Barnes: 4:31

Yeah, for sure yeah, and so we wanted to just reveal. Those are three words for twenty twenty four to you and again, hopefully is a Encouragement, as a way for you, maybe, to think about where you're, where you're headed as well. But before we reveal those words, nathan, I think you have something you want to talk about.

Nathan Ruby: 4:52

Yeah, you know, one of the things that Tim and I absolutely love about doing this podcast is interactions with you, we. It is, I think, for me and I know it is for Tim to. I think if we ever stopped having interaction with our audience, I probably stopped doing the podcast. It is being able to interact with you and to bring value to you are listeners is so important to us and it's something we talk about all the time. And so when we get feedback and we get responses and we get Emails and text of people that you know, hey, this, this, this, you are speaking to me when you were talking about this. Or hey, you said this on episode thirty seven, and I don't quite understand it. How does that apply to us? We just absolutely love that. And so, on this one on today's episode, just it as we go through our three words here in a couple minutes. If you have something similar or if this encourages you to do something like this, maybe it's one word or two words, it could be whatever. Let us know what those are shoot us an email. We're at. Our email is info at practice and P leader dot com. So info at practice. And then NP stands for non-profit leader dot com. So shoot us an email that'll be in the show notes as well and just say hey, here's what I'm focusing on this year. This is what's important to me, this is what's important my organization. We love to hear that. Let us know what that is and you know what we'd love to. We'd love to connect on that.

Tim Barnes: 6:35

We'd also love to hear if you have a topic or an issue that you're wrestling with as well. We'd love to tackle it on one of the episodes, so feel free to put that in there as well. So, okay, let's jump into our three words, and I got the short straw, so I'm going to do mine first. I think so. Here are my three words for 2024, and the first word is connect. I plan to intentionally and have started already. I planned intentionally and consistently look for opportunities to connect with others, whether that's in person, text, email and or through social media, and Nathan can attest that my social media has picked up a little bit in 2024. And you may say well done. Isn't that what we all do? Don't we all connect? Well, nathan, I, besides the nonprofits that we lead, we also have two or three projects on the side that we always have our fingers in. We're doing different kind of things, and we've discovered that connection is the key to having impact, to growing a business, to make it a difference, to have your organization go forward. And I personally, like, I love to connect with people, I love to talk with them, but I like to do that after I know you, and it takes a little bit like if I walk into a party, I'm not the life of the party, I'm not just looking around like I got to connect with someone. I kind of wait, and this is something that I know I need to do better at. So I am working this year. I'm trying to take action In having conversation, looking to connect with people, being interested in others, finding out about them, and that's one of the things. I know it's going to stretch me. I'm not always comfortable in that setting, but I want to grow and be really focused on connection for this year. My second word is invest. What I mean by that is I plan to go into 2024 with an abundance mindset as opposed to a scarcity mindset. This is something that I was really challenged about over my break. Sometimes we walk through having so much scarcity. I've got to hold on to what I have and it's all about what I can get. I don't want that. I want to have an abundance mindset that there's enough for all of us. I can help others move in the directions of things that they want to accomplish. I want to invest. I'm going to look to invest my resources, whether that's time, money, skills, whatever I want to invest those resources in relationships instead of simply just spending them and just seeing everything I can get. I want to look to invest and make a difference in other people's lives and in the things that I find in my hands that I can use them. I want to focus on invest this year. My third word this is not necessarily an action word, but it's something again that I've been challenged with. My third word is value. I plan to make value a priority in 2024 to bring value to my conversations, to the posts that I do on social media, to the things that I create, to the work that I do, and to also value the things that God brings into my life and not be flippant, but to really appreciate and value what I've been given Whether it's this podcast or whether it's my conversations with others or the work that I do or whatever that there is value in what I'm doing and where I'm headed and appreciate to value the things that I have. Those are my three words connect, invest and value.

Nathan Ruby: 10:36

Jeez, Tim, my list seems kind of lame after listening to that. Good Lord man, that's a good list. You were talking in invest. You were talking about a scarcity mindset. I think in the nonprofit world we are so subject to that. You really, as a nonprofit leader, you really really have to guard against that mindset, because a scarcity mindset breeds doubt and doubt breeds inaction. That could come in so many. You've got this new program. We really should start, but we don't have enough money and we're not going to be able to do it. We don't have this, we don't have this, we don't have this. All of a sudden, it doesn't happen. You've got a donor who could write a six-figure, seven-figure gift, but it's like we don't want to bother them. It just comes again and again and again. I love that one. As leaders, we really have to guard against that scarcity mindset. Thanks.

Tim Barnes: 11:44

Thanks yeah.

Nathan Ruby: 11:46

So all right On to mine. So I have three and I was not as good as Tim. I have two non-action words. So I know we're supposed to do action words, tim, but I ended up with one action word. So my first one is bold, or maybe it should be bolder, maybe that's my word, bolder. But you know, going into this year I got to be bigger, bolder in my donor asks. I need to be more proactive, more bolder in my marriage, in my family, bolder with my friends. You know there are times this year that I know that I should have said you know, hey, are you okay? You know you seem off, you seem down, you know you're not your normal self, are you okay? And you know, as guys that's, you know, a little bit harder sometimes for us to do, and so I just need to be bolder in that. And so that was one is bolder. Two is technology, and I know that's not an action word, but you know I have always approached technology as an expense, not as an investment, and I am not anti in technology at all. And you know there's five stages of adopting or adopting anything, and technology is one of those things. So there's innovators which are like way out in front, early adopters who you know. There's a product and they're jumping on board early majority, late majority, laggards, and I'm probably somewhere between the in the middle of the early majority. So you know, my iPhone is a iPhone 12. And what are we, tim? Are they on 17 now I think 1515. Okay, so I'm not, you know I'm not so bad, but I'm not gonna buy. My contract was up long time ago. I paid my phone off. I'm not buying another phone because I don't want to spend the money. All right. Well, that's not necessarily the right way to look at technology, and so this year I'm really looking at how do I leverage technology to get things done that I deem as important to get done, and how do I use technology to do that, and so that becomes an investment as opposed to an expense. So one example of that is my car, my, my let's just say that my car doesn't have Bluetooth technology in it. I love my car and I'm never going to get rid of it until the wheels fall out off of it. So getting a car with Bluetooth technology is just not something that's going to happen in the in the near time. But in our state it's illegal to be holding your cell phone as you're driving, so I need either a headset or iPod. What is that, tim I? Buds, earbuds, airpods, airpods. Thank you and they're not cheap. But you know, if I'm in the car for half an hour and I can call a donor and have a conversation during that time, well, that's an investment. So, so, technology, that's one of my words, and seeing it as an investment, not an expense. And a third one, and I really, I really struggled with this one because I not on what word? Because I knew from the start that I this is a word that I wanted, but I just I hate writing it and the word is itself. And you know, I have never in my adult life made decisions or taken action. I take an action solely for the benefit of myself. I have always, you know, I've worked in the nonprofit world the vast majority of my life. I have, you know, married, I have kids, and my decisions have always revolved around my work, my wife, my kids and what's best for them. And not that I've ignored myself, but I've diminished my. You know what was in there for me, and don't worry, I'm not having a midlife crisis, but I just there's some things that I wanna do, some things that I wanna pursue that are special and unique to something that I wanna do, and so I'm just, I'm gonna carve out some time this year you know, last year one of my words was hobby, and this is kinda similar. But I gotta carve out time in my schedule and in my life for just some things that excite me, that get me excited, so that I could still have excitement for the rest of my life. So that's it, those are my three words. So self technology and bold.

Tim Barnes: 16:47

I think those are some good words, nathan, and, knowing you, I really connect to each of the words that you've put out there. You are a very selfless person in a lot of ways and often are thinking of others, and it's not bad to say there are things that I need and I need to do some things as we pay attention to ourselves. It also brings this energy to make a difference and it helps us develop and grow. So that's no shame in putting that out there for sure. And I love your technology one you know I do. Anyway, I'll say I do, I love technology. I would be one of the guys that'd be at the front door of the Apple store three days beforehand, but it's a good reminder. The good reminder that to see it as an investment generally, in a sense of how is this gonna help me be more impactful, more effective, and so not being afraid and not saying, oh, I don't need that. You know it's like horse and buggy. It's still good, yeah, but in the world that we live in needs something a little different maybe. But anyway, I think those are good words and I'm excited to walk with you, as I know you're gonna walk with me as we look forward and that we stay true to these things that are in our hearts as we try to make the biggest impact we can in 2024.

Nathan Ruby: 18:12

Well, awesome, well. So those are our words for this year, and feel free to check in on us as the year goes on and see how we're doing on that and, as we mentioned a little earlier, you know, let us know what you're thinking. You know what are you as you're heading into this year. What's important to you, what's important to your organization? What are you using for your compass? If you have three words or two words or even one word, we'd love to hear it. So send them to us at infoatpracticenpletercom. It's in the show notes and we'd love to hear from you. So that's all for today. Until next time We'll see you soon 给.