How to Tap Your Organization's (Other) Wealth

In times of crisis, organizations must tap all their people assets 

by Malaika Cheney-Coker

Together

She came to us with the confidence of the uninitiated, expecting that we, her higher ups would have a plan. It was 2020, the year pandemonium broke loose—the pandemic, then the racial reckoning in the U.S. after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Companies, already scrambling to adjust to work-from-home mandates and financial upheaval, now had to formulate long-overdue stances and responses on racial equity. And many of their own staff—especially Black employees—were angry, exhausted, or simply overwhelmed by the chaos unfolding around them.

Mindy (not her real name), was an intern who had ideas of her own for actions to take, and assumed that we, her higher ups, did too. And we did – our own paltry but loving offering to appease the whirlwinds that swirled around us. But from above, the message was clear: We'll tell you how to respond. So, no strategizing. No action. Not yet. 

Crises Requires a Different Kind of Leadership

Many leaders earn their stripes—and their scars—by how well they navigate upheaval. But crises, by virtue of their sweeping nature, demand swift, multifaceted responses. The added treachery for any leader trying to formulate the right response(s) is that even with prior scenario planning or studious analysis of previous crisis management, what exactly constitutes the right formulation of responses to any particular crisis is often unknown. Due to the unpredictability of the environment, it may also require the act-sense-respond approach designed for chaotic environments. Due to this very uncertainty, the early days of chaotic times are not the moment to rely solely on a command-and-control model (although such an approach may be necessary at other points during a crisis). They are the time to tap into an organization’s deepest well—its intellectual and human capital. They are also the time to harvest intel from all corners of the organization, ideas of what should be done, and the energy and encouragement that arise from small but meaningful actions. 

Some staff will have granular insights as to how partners and other key constituents are responding; others may see opportunities for mutual aid or for local events. Some individuals may want to direct their compassion internally by setting up support groups or funds for affected colleagues. Others will have ideas on how to streamline some operational, financial, or HR procedures to enable more agility.

In our group’s case, by the time leadership handed down their instructions, the moment for those smaller, immediate actions had passed. In fact, the space for grassroots ideas never really opened. 

The Risk—and the Greater Risk

Many organizations hesitate to loosen decision-making control in crises, worried about reputational risks. Who speaks on behalf of the organization? What actions could backfire? These are valid concerns. But with clear guidelines—simple rules on what can and can’t be done—teams can be empowered without inviting chaos. Leadership does need to set broad strategy and guardrails, but that doesn’t mean silencing or failing to solicit the contributions of those who are closest to the work and the needs on the ground. Mitigating the risk of this decentralized actions approach also requires extending more trust to the dispersed leadership within the organizations – people who can vet ideas, provide guidance, and steer their teams toward meaningful action.

In fact, the greater risk isn’t loosening control. It’s failing to tap into the collective intelligence of the organization in a way that allows organizations to hedge their bets by trying several of their best ideas at a time, and improving the odds of those ideas succeeding through the best intel at their disposal. There is also the risk of even lower staff morale from feeling powerless – it doesn’t take a psychiatrist to know that people who feel they have a sense of agency within their circumstances are better equipped to weather crises. Back in 2020, our own small group certainly felt those effects. As we formulated small actions we could take, we felt our own power – tentative and scrappy, yet meaningful – come into view. 

Counting Wealth Differently

In today’s darkening economic climate, many nonprofits don’t feel wealthy. But wealth is also measured in people, and in that respect, many nonprofits are extraordinarily wealthy. In fact, I’ve worked with almost none that weren’t filled with brilliant, mission-driven staff eager to contribute ideas and insights. To be clear, no amount of great ideas may be enough to insulate an organization from catastrophic declines in their funding. But in many cases, the blow can be prevented from becoming an existential threat and may even usher in more opportunities than would have been possible otherwise.