Excerpted from an article published on the Forbes Nonprofit Council website. Read the full article here.
My mentor and friend, Joe Ritchie, set (and still holds) the world record for the fastest time flying cross country in a turbo-prop plane. In fact, he smashed the former record by more than 100 miles an hour.
Over coffee one morning, I asked Joe the obvious question: “How did you do it?” He took a long sip from his mug, stared past me and said one word that would change my life forever: “Tailwind.” “Always look for tailwind,” he said. “The best way to find it is by the people you choose to work with. The right people create organizational tailwind.”
As nonprofit leaders, we need tailwind more than most, as we seek to achieve big missions with small budgets. Building propulsion begins with your internal team, recruiting people who first and foremost share your passion for the mission. Then lean into excellent selection, intensive training and ongoing coaching to build sustained momentum.
Another way we’re creating tailwind at America’s Kids Belong is by establishing community-based “tailwind teams” to help mobilize the cultural milieu, activate local talent, and leverage their personal and professional networks and resources that build organic movements rather than execute programs.