As an Executive Director, I had HUGE dreams. I kept them to myself while I was fully entrenched in the pursuit. 

Every night, I reflected on the day I had just lived. I needed to complete the day and prepare myself mentally for the next one. 

1.  What % of today was spent doing MY work? Not the Staff's work. Not the Board's work. My own work in pursuit of the big goals I have for my nonprofit. 

2.  What did I forward today? In what areas did I move the needle? 

3.  What did I confront today? The tough conversations I initiated. The ideas I went to bat for. The compelling case I made. The standard I upheld. The courage I displayed. 

4.  What did I avoid today? What haven't I taken into the Boardroom that I need to? What work am I avoiding that is boring, annoying, or challenging? What conversations am I avoiding, and with whom?

5.  What did I realize today? What occurred to me that hadn't occurred to me before? What epiphanies did I have? What is my intuition and my gut telling me?

6.  What am I most excited about for tomorrow? What do I have to look forward to that makes me want to do this all again tomorrow? 

7.  What am I working on first tomorrow? How am I kicking off the day? What will my agenda be to make it a great day?

I know for certain this simple inquiry can help ANY nonprofit leader transform their organization inside 12 months.

Sheree Allison merges the worlds of fundraising, marketing, and leadership combined with an entrepreneurial spirit to train and develop nonprofit leaders who are committed to building a world class organization.  Check out her book “The Non Profit Book of Wisdom - One Executive Director Who Couldn’t Be Swayed” and her weekly column at www.shereeallison.com.

Homepage Photo by Laurenz Kleinheider on Unsplash.