“The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them.”
John Maxwell
Do you want to:
- Learn skills and tools to step away from working in the weeds and to build and navigate a bigger picture for your team or department?
- Develop and align department strategies within the context of other departments’ areas of responsibility and the overall vision for the organization?
- Explore the executive leader’s role more deeply?
- Strengthen team leadership skills (managing conflict, ensuring buy-in, involving team input in a meaningful way, balancing team input with strategic direction)?
- Receive valuable tools and resources to rely on during and after the coaching period?
Leadership Tools and Strategies
Leadership development is ideal for new leaders, leaders moving into more senior roles with larger teams, leaders serving for the first time on a senior team, leaders moving into new organizations and those with new strategic expectations.
– Sharon Broughton
Today’s nonprofits are a stressful place for leaders, who navigate continuously changing environments while ensuring core deliverables are met with constrained resources. From creating a positive culture that encompasses hybrid and remote members to equipping their teams to be successful in fulfilling a strategic plan, leaders sometimes need a confidential and safe space to support them in their own professional development.
Leadership development programs can accelerate learning for leaders, supporting them to act and reflect, identifying practical strategies for achieving specific goals. Coaching can help in planning, executing, and assessing one or more small interventions over a short period of time, and can be effective in addressing both the interpersonal and professional challenges of leadership.
Emphasizing an experiential or action/reflection approach to change, and encouraging small actions, such as initiating some “need to have” conversations, can lead to transformation for the individual and their cause.
My leadership development practice draws on many years of coaching and supporting leaders, recognizing the unique challenges of leading within nonprofits and the fine balance needed while engaging with peers, colleagues, direct reports and volunteers.
“Leadership is about empowering other people as a result of your presence—and making sure that impact continues into your absence. Your job as a leader is to create the conditions for the people around you to become increasingly effective, to help them fully realize their own capacity and power.”
Frances Frei, Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You
Reach out to learn more about our guiding principles for Leadership Development and whether this service may be a good fit for you or someone on your team.
Testimonials
Angelica Asis – VP Research at Parkinson Canada
“Sharon has a keen ability to view each situation with a profound understanding of the non-profit space and the unique circumstances and challenges that come with being an executive member of a charitable organization. She offers unique ways of communicating in clear, objective ways that build trust and team rapport.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Sharon as my professional coach and highly recommend her coaching for anyone at the executive leadership level.”
Sophie Teversham, Litigation Lawyer, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
I am privileged to have worked with Sharon as her intern as she led Kids Help Phone as President and CEO. As I supported Sharon with the organization’s strategic planning, I was immersed in Sharon’s exceptional leadership, brilliant mind, and on-going compassion applied to every aspect of the process.
Sharon made it a priority to include my voice in executive meetings and leading workshops, instilling a professional confidence at a very early point in my career. Since 2016 her commitment to my professional development has remained constant. I am honoured to have had Sharon in my corner as a mentor throughout my career in the non-profit industry, and now as a lawyer. Her valuable coaching and friendship will always be a key part of my professional story and I credit her ongoing generosity with her time and insights to my success.“
Daniela Nardi, Executive Arts Leader
Working with Sharon Broughton has been an incredibly grounding and clarifying experience. As an Executive Director navigating complex leadership challenges, I found her approach to be not only insightful but deeply tailored to my goals and context.
Sharon’s thoughtful, intentional guidance offered meaningful tools and perspectives that I continue to draw on — both in my professional role and in my personal growth. Her support made a lasting impact on how I lead, think, and show up in my work.
Samuel Hill, MBA Candidate, Consultant – SamuelMHill Consulting, Training and Development, Indigenous Affairs Office, City of Toronto
“Sharon is truly one of the best leaders, coaches, guides, advisors and friends that I ever had the pleasure of working for and learning from. Never has any other leader reached back to me after I left and said “How can we do things better? That alone stands out as the most amazing action she has done in my eyes.
I trust her guidance and words of wisdom in areas where I am unfamiliar and connect with her constantly for this advice. In turn, she seeks out any guidance and words of advice that I may provide with regards to First Nations, Métis and Inuit and their unique languages, cultures, customs, programs, government policies and community-at-large information.
Anonymity Secured – Healthcare Nonprofit Manager
“Working with Sharon as my leadership development trainer has been invaluable. Her approach was focused on the goals I had identified to strengthen my team and personal leadership skills, and throughout the process of each session I learned so much – as she always integrated the discussion of my current reality with theory, practical examples and helpful follow-up materials.
Her ability to tune into my needs, serve as an excellent sounding board and provide relevant resources has been an enormous support on my learning journey. My work with Sharon has been instrumental in increasing my confidence as a team leader and has deepened my understanding of ways to build trust, navigate difficult conversations, problem-solve, and create new opportunities for engagement.“