Accountability is critical to the success of any organization, particularly the key role your leaders need to play by holding themselves and others accountable. But it’s not so easy to do, is it?
Just walk away! Don’t engage! Don’t rock the boat! Be nice!
There is nothing wrong with these responses, except that they teach us to fear and avoid confrontation instead of teaching us when and how to engage in it in a productive way. Avoiding confrontation out of fear shouldn’t be our default reaction or solution.
Think of confrontation as a tool or method of having a difficult, but important conversation. Think of it as a way to stand up for yourself and those who can’t stand up for themselves. Confronting another person isn’t synonymous with being aggressive, belligerent or any other negative words you associate with confrontation. Just like with many other things, it’s not so much what you do, but how you do it.
In
this article in eJewishPhilanthropy, I share a few suggestions for when and how to confront others productively.
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Written by Natasha Dresner. Natasha is a Mentor with JCamp 180. She is also the Director of LEAP - Leadership Engagement and Advancement Program. Natasha writes a bimonthly nonprofit column "The Nonprofit Prophet" for The Berkshire Eagle. Her focus areas at JCamp 180 include Governance, Strategic Planning, and Lay Leadership development.
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Who we are: JCamp 180 is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF). Our goal is to significantly enhance the long-term effectiveness of nonprofit Jewish camps in North America. To meet this goal, we provide affiliated Jewish camps with consulting services, annual conferences, shared resources, professional development, and matching grant opportunities. Find more at www.jcamp180.org