513. Cultivating Wellness in Leadership: How The Teaching Well's Approach Revolutionizes Nonprofit Work Environments - Lindsey Fuller

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Overview

Meet Lindsey. She’s the Executive Director of The Teaching Well, a nonprofit wellness collective of educators, education leaders and healers. She’s unraveling the intricacies of creating a culture that prioritizes wellness in the nonprofit sector. You won’t want to miss her perspective on whole leadership, which emphasizes the need for environments that employees don't have to recover from, and how individual health can initiate systemic healing. Tune in to get your game plan to foster a nurturing workplace🌱

💡Learn

About The Teaching Well’s nonprofit stabilization program
The details of Human-Centered Leadership
How to build healthy cultures + retain staff

Today’s Guest

Lindsey Fuller, Executive Director, The Teaching Well

“Build the organization that you don’t need to heal from.”

— Lindsey Fuller, Executive Director, The Teaching Well

Episode Transcript

Download Full Episode Transcript Here

Episode Highlights

Nonprofit stabilization program (6:30)
Human-centered approach to leadership (13:00)
Human-centered policies to put in practice today (18:00)
The differences between supervising and coaching (26:00)
Retention is an inside job (30:00)
Hiring profiles (32:00)
Professional authenticity (36:00)
Pre-HR interventions (38:00)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Lindsey’s life (42:00)
Lindsey’s One Good Thing: The organization that you want, you have to be a part of building it. (48:00)

Impactful Quotes

“We aren’t the magic bullet. Multiple organizations can work in tandem to wrap around educators, that is where the magic lies.” -Lindsey

“Not every adult needs the same thing to heal.” -Lindsey

“We recognize we are human beings, not human doings.” -Lindsey

“If we believe in equity, then those who are typically on the margins need to be at the center of our organizations.” -Lindsey

“How do we encourage folks to have financial autonomy while still staying and honoring their work at The Teaching Well as their primary focus?” -Lindsey

“We are trying to challenge the ways we do work so that people will stay and we can retain folks.” -Lindsey

“Supervision is about the teammate. Coaching is about how they carry out that work, live the values, and act the mission with others outside of the space. To truly thrive, we need both.” -Lindsey

“When we’re able to learn and grow together across positions and teammates, this organization and mission will go far beyond what I can take it to.” -Lindsey

“One of the best ways to increase your staff retention is to hire strong.” -Lindsey

“What does professional authenticity mean? We’ve spent quite a bit of time quantifying what it means to self manage, self express, but also consider collective care and impact on our teammates.” -Lindsey

“We don’t have to agree but we do have to align.” -Lindsey

“If we’re going to shift the sector, we each have to take responsibility for what we can control. It comes down to human issues that can be controlled.” -Jon

“Once we are knowledgeable, we own the responsibility of the next move.” -Becky

“Cancel culture doesn’t work in healthy teams. Healing is messy. The moment you, your colleagues and the leadership choose each other and make time for healing.” - Lindsey

“Build the organization that you don’t need to heal from.” -Lindsey

“Before you jump ship, look and see if we can tend the soil together.” -Lindsey

“How do we plant the seeds to have a thriving garden? You can’t replace great teammates, and consider staying.” -Lindsey