Starting 2025 With an F-Word
For many, there’s a ton of fear and angst about the incoming administration … He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
But you know what?
I started Bonsai Leadership Group during his last term. Several of my clients started impactful conservation focused organizations during that term. Millions of people throughout the country made a stand for justice in response to his last term. 2025 brings a lot of unknowns. Nobody can say for sure what is coming around the bend that will change the dynamics of funding, leadership, and its impact in communities.
Understanding how to lead inside of ambiguity is key. Flexibility—the ability to bob and weave—is a leadership trait people need to tap into and embrace.
Embracing Flexibility in 2025
We all need to get comfortable leading without knowing what’s to come. Outside factors don’t determine your ability to be successful. As we go into the new year, I encourage you to ask yourself:
In December 2025, what would success look like for you? Keep the end in mind, and develop flexible strategies to work your way there.
How can you take care of your body, mind, and spirit as you carry your work forward?
Where can you let go of control and lean into uncertainty? Can you take an improv class, hire a coach or therapist to support you, or spend more intentional time away from work? Or maybe you just do whatever the F you want to do and see what happens.
Leveraging the Lessons of 2024
Before we move forward, it’s always good to take a moment to reflect. My word for 2024 was transformation, and looking back, I made some expensive mistakes and some awesome investments. And it’s all OK – because I learned in the process. Most entrepreneurs start their business to make money. But coming from the nonprofit world, I’m clear about the impact I want to make. But to get there, I had to surround myself with experts. I knew a lot about nonprofits, building programs, and executive coaching when I started Bonsai Leadership Group, but I’d never actually run a business before.
Even coaches need coaches to help figure out their next steps—from taxes to insurance to dealing with growing pains. And I had a few different types of coaches who helped me in 2024, like Duane Rollins, a financial advisor and certified professional coach, to get focused and understand what I didn’t know about maximizing the financial power I had in my business.
Our clients were more thoughtful this year and it took a lot longer to get a yes. There’s so much uncertainty in this political climate. But you know what? While they were thinking about their next step, that gave us the space to pause, think strategically, and implement new systems and tools—like Hireflix and Lever—to be even more effective in executive recruiting and coaching. Thank you LaMar Pipkins for making that happen!
Because I transformed myself, I was able to transform our business, which allows us to help transform leaders and organizations.
Transforming Your Organization in 2025
So how will you—and your organization—transform in 2025? The need is clear: Green 2.0 says in th2 2024 Transparency Report, “While foundations saw marginal improvements, the glaring trend at NGOs reminds us that progress requires intentional and consistent effort to not just hire, but also retain, staff of color.”
Just as coaches helped me throughout 2024, I have found that executive coaching, especially for Black, Indigenous or other leaders of color in the nonprofit environmental sector, is an absolute must when it comes to retention. So if you’re seeking transformation in 2025, consider coaching for everyone in your organization:
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ALL people leading other people should consider working with a good executive coach who can help you move beyond old, socialized, and ingrained habits and patterns to create an environment where all members of your team can thrive. When you create an environment in which people feel supported, valued, and respected – they will stay! Imagine that.
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If it wasn’t for my Executive Coach, Sheila Carmichael, I wouldn’t have lasted in the nonprofit environmental sector as long as I did. I needed someone I could trust to talk with, be vulnerable with, and validate (or not) my thoughts and feelings about the complex situations I was leading through. If you want folks of color to stay in your org, a qualified Executive Coach could make a huge difference for those team members.
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I had an Executive Director approach me to coach the emerging leaders in her organization. She knew that in a few years, as the organization grew, they’d have more executive level positions available and didn’t want to have to tell someone who’s been in her organization for five years that they weren’t qualified yet. To promote from within, you’ve got to invest in your team so they’re ready for the opportunity. I coached these emerging leaders and guess what? They were all promoted about 1-2 years later. This is how you do it.
Who coaching is NOT for: If you’ve already written a team member off as unable to be successful in their position, don’t call me to coach them. When I first started my Executive Coaching practice, people would come to me and say, “So and so has this problem and that problem. They’re always missing the mark.” Well, to me, it sounds like you are the one who needs the coaching - to learn how to create an environment in which this person can thrive. And in that case, we would love to help you!
A new year doesn’t mean forgetting about your previous intentions—it’s an opportunity to build upon them. Pairing steps toward transformation (like coaching that can help team members at all levels grow in their professional roles) with an intention to lead flexibly, puts you and your organization on the path to becoming an unstoppable force for good.
