Giving your organization a confidence boost

Recently, my 4 year-old daughter was having trouble falling asleep. So like I’ve done before, I talked to her and told her all the things I love about her.

I told her that she was kind, loving, curious, funny …

And before I could continue, she added strong and independent, because those are things I’ve reinforced with her from a young age.

Smart made the list too, but it’s never near the top, even though she amazes me with her intellect every day. (Trying desperately to build a growth mindset over here!)

I want her, from a young age, to feel so good about who she is as a person that when the world inevitably challenges that – a bully, a bad grade, a lost opportunity – she doesn’t think there is something inherently wrong with her.

A shield or suit of armor, if you will, where she can deflect the hurtful feedback that comes her way and carry on being her awesome self.

This made me think about when a program deals with challenges that makes the team question what they’re doing and the difference they’re making.

These things are hard.

But I do believe that when we know in our core that the work we are doing is having a positive effect on others – and we can back that up with programmatic data, testimonials, and records of success – that we are better positioned to withstand the inevitable challenges that we will face.

There are always blips along the way. Outliers.

But it doesn’t mean that a program is any less important to the families and communities it is supporting.

Being able to demonstrate in numbers and words all the hard work you have been doing (imagine a beautiful infographic showing how awesome you’re doing) is definitely an, “oooh look at me!” moment.

Just like with my little girl, I love building up organizations to show them just how amazing they are … with the data to prove it.

So if your team needs a little data-driven confidence boost, let’s chat!