On every commercial airline before takeoff, passengers receive rote instructions on flight safety:

“If you are travelling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your own oxygen mask first, and then assist the other person.”

This might seem counterintuitive, especially for human services leaders whose professional prowess is putting those in need before themselves. And yet, securing your oxygen mask first is the most effective way to help others.

This concept — helping yourself before helping others — is a valuable lesson and one that nonprofit leaders should imbue into their organizational framework. An organization can’t be an effective and lasting service provider if attention to its basic health and well-being is constantly deferred.

Organizations must secure their own oxygen masks. How? By focusing on sustainability first, and then increasing impact...

Read the full article at blog.boardsource.org