Tracy Thomas is a rabblerouser. A change leader. A force.
She’s also a loving mom, a caring wife, and a committed believer.
Tracy and I sat down to have a frank and honest conversation about what it’s like to be a woman in executive leadership in the nonprofit sector.
As Senior Vice President of Advancement at Biblica, Tracy has spent the last seven years leading growth and change in a 215-year-old Bible translation ministry. Over those seven years, the Biblica team increased revenue by a staggering 365%!
What you might not know is that when Tracy joined the leadership team at Biblica, she was an anomaly. She was a 36-year-old, Caucasian woman joining the leadership ranks of an institution that has deep and rich history in the American evangelical nonprofit community. Sometimes she was the only person in the room and at the table who looked like her and had her life experiences. This didn’t always make leading change easy.
On top of that, she had to navigate all of the same challenges that other working moms deal with.
In our conversation, Tracy shares about what it means to lead transformational change in a legacy organization. She talks about some of the biggest challenges that face women in leadership, and particularly women leading in faith-based ministry organizations (and yes, there are unique challenges to this!), and how building trust-based relationships is so critical to success.
Tracy also shares some very interesting perspectives and insights about how those in leadership can show up most effectively to support their people — particularly the women in their organizations.
Some of the key insights that Tracy shares in this conversation are:
- When undertaking significant transformation efforts, it’s important to surround yourself with people who have signed up for the change. It’s much easier to get people to come along if they volunteered for this, vs. if you’re trying to drag them along.
- Be aware that even if an organization desires change and transformation, you still need to find ways to honor and support their history and past successes, or you risk alienating they very people you’re there to support.
- It’s important to challenge ideas, systems, and structures, but not just people.
- If you want to succeed in change leadership, you must focus on building trust with your teams, your colleagues, boards, external volunteers, and supporters. Trust is the currency of transformation.
- Beware of the “Double Bind” for women in leadership. This is the incorrect belief that women can either be competent or likeable, but not at the same time.
- Pay attention to the words you use and the topics you discuss in public and in private that may alienate others.
- You must know your calling. But it’s not enough just to know it. If you want to live a fulfilling and successful life, you must also do it.
You’ll get a ton of value out of this conversation. I hope you enjoy it!
This episode is sponsored by my friends and colleagues at DickersonBakker.
We’re on a mission to show ministries and other nonprofits that there’s a better way to fundraise. One that prioritizes relationships and long-term net revenue. One that focuses on human connection instead of transactions.
If you’re feeling unsettled in your fundraising approach, reach out to start a conversation today.