Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction in the mountains of North Carolina, a place that we at Third Space Studio know and love. Our hearts have been both broken and enlarged as we've absorbed accounts from the news, photos on social media, and donation efforts coming alive here and across the country. While much has been lost, the stories of communities coming together in response have been inspiring.

If you've been in a meeting with us or have been a part of our Better Meetings training, you know that we believe in choosing the right method and tools for the work at hand. Our most tried and true tool is a post-it note. During the pandemic, we explored lots of online tools and several are still in our toolbox now that we are back to more in-person and hybrid meetings. Here are a few of our favorites. What are your favorite tools?

We started 2024 with a bit of trepidation, knowing it's a significant election year and that folks are still worn down by the pandemic and much more. Then a turbulent summer arrived. Meredith acknowledged the chaos by donning a Panic Responsibly t-shirt in her neighborhood’s 75th Annual July Fourth Parade and Heather has one on order. With plans to wear them regularly, we got to thinking about what it means to “panic responsibly.”

We believe board meetings are an essential ingredient for an effective board. An effective board not only governs, but is responsible for navigating an organization through challenging times such as a shift in client needs, the loss of a significant funding source, or a leadership transition. Boards who have the ability to engage in thoughtful and strategic conversation can lead an organization to be more innovative and bold in its pursuit of impact.

On Leap Day this year, I was with the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers to facilitate a session and had the privilege of attending others. With the permission of my small group members and conference organizers, I want to share a story from one of the sessions I attended. It was one of the more engaging and useful conference sessions that I have attended in a very long time. It was one of those conversations that can be a catapult for a leap.

As you set your goals and priorities for 2024, are you thinking about the election? How are you going to be an engaged citizen this year? How will your nonprofit participate in democracy?

This week we’re celebrating 23 years of Third Space Studio! Our anniversary prompted us to look through old files and reminisce about days past. We came across an article we wrote for our 10-year anniversary about the ingredients that have been our recipe for success as we’ve worked with and learned from innovative nonprofit leaders.

As 2023 comes to a close and we peer into 2024, we're thinking about what we might leave behind this year. We hope that you'll consider leaving one or more behind yourself. Perhaps our collective effort to shed what's no longer serving us will create some needed disruption.

The other day someone asked me about the origins of our business name, Third Space Studio. The question took me back twenty plus years reminding me of the power of a “third space”. The question also grounded me in the present as the concept of a third space seems very relevant in the current dynamics of polarization and the global need to listen more deeply to a wide array of voices and perspectives.

As facilitators who work with teams to craft forward direction, we often find ourselves amid multiple team decision – or non-decision – moments. It’s a topic we care about a lot. We believe that making choices is essential to strategy and to effectiveness. Clear decision-making processes are one of the ways to build a stronger, more thoughtful team.

Transparency generates trust and fosters an environment where people are willing to share direct and honest feedback. A culture of transparency helps employees feel valued and encourages creativity. Transparent organizations can be less stressful places to work, and they're better equipped to navigate uncertainty and complexity.

Being accountable means showing up and accomplishing what you said you would do. Accountability within a team means that your teammates can count on you and you can count on them.

We often assume our organizations are in alignment. Everyone knows the mission, right? Yet even when every board and staff member can recite the mission, your organization may not truly be aligned.

Creating this kind of team is not about where the team works, but about how the team works. It's about practices, not incentivizing or mandating where employees show up to do work. We need habits and mindsets that support teamwork regardless of whether the team is remote or in-person.

I just completed a ten-day road trip driving art that belonged to my mother to my sister in Tucson, Arizona. I stopped at eight museums along the way: art, musical instruments, civil rights, and dinosaurs. I stared at big open sky and marveled at desert vegetation. It is these kinds of experiences that make travel important. I hope you get out there this summer.

My favorite spring days start with time in the garden. I listen to the birds welcome the day with chirps and trills. I breathe in the cool damp air. I marvel at the blossoms and buds. Some mornings, I plant. Every morning, I weed. As I bend down to pluck out green shoots, I stretch and notice how my body feels. Garden time also yields reflections I apply to my work life.

It’s the time of year when both organizations and individuals begin to cast themselves forward into the New Year. We think about our ambitions and sometimes set some more concrete goals.

As you think about what might be in 2023, we at Third Space Studio encourage you to think about how you support your people - staff, board members, and even volunteers.

Oof! As an NPR reporter stated last week, “the world is convulsing in fits of violence and tragedy.” The latest publicly reported mass shooting was in Raleigh, NC - 30 minutes from me. Hurricane Ian wiped out several coastal communities in Florida. War still rages in Ukraine, and who knows what Putin will do next. The costs of housing, food, and energy keep rising with no corresponding increases in wages for most working people. We are weeks away from the midterm elections and the public conversation continues to be polarized.

As I sit with nonprofit leaders in group meetings and in one-on-one coaching sessions, the level of exhaustion is palpable. The circles under the eyes are darker. The enthusiasm for new ideas short-lived. The willingness to take on important tasks and conversations lags. The laughs are slow to emerge.

Heather and I spend much of our weeks in conversation with executive directors and other nonprofit leaders. In recent months, we have noticed a rising level of decision fatigue. Some of the overwhelm is the result of responding to complex challenges: a pandemic, racial justice, political hostility, climate change and more. Some of the overwhelm is the byproduct of growing organizations: the decision-making practices for a staff team of six are very different from the decision-making practices for a staff team of ten or more. Some of the overwhelm is due to the relentless wave of external stressors which negatively impact our capacities and interpersonal dynamics. Add all this to the usual nonprofit menu of decisions and no wonder our typical practices are not up to the task.