Live United: A United Way open invitation to regional nonprofit leaders – Albert Lea Tribune

Live United by Erin Haag

My boy is a big breakfast fan. Eggs and toast are his favorite foods. His dad goes to work before sunrise, but on weekends our boy walks around the house saying, “Eggs and toast! Eggs and toast! Eggs and toast!” It’s become something of a tradition: Dad cooks a big breakfast on the weekend. It can be eggs and toast, but sometimes it’s pancakes or French toast. A bad day can be turned around with eggs and toast for dinner. To be fair, he is a big fan of food in general and, unlike many other kids, never goes through a picky eating phase. The school lunch aides comment to me that they know he clears his plate and then comes back for seconds.

He is now old enough and has learned to prepare his own eggs and toast under supervision. Early one morning he was home with just me and I asked him if he wanted to make his favorite eggs and toast while I did a little work. So he can start his day right! He offered to make eggs for me too and I happily accepted the offer. That’s where it started. I was just getting into the swing of things I was working on and he came back with a question. Never everything at once. Each individual question was a separate journey from the kitchen to my workspace. “One or two eggs?” “Do you want ham with that?” “Do you want cheese on your eggs?” “Do you want toast?” “Cinnamon toast or the regular toast?” “Butter or no butter?” I have regular ones too Receive updates. “The eggs are ready, now we’re just waiting for the toast.” “By the way, you have to split the eggs because I don’t really have that ability yet. You have two eggs, I have four.” When did breakfast become so complicated?

Things are often more complicated than they seem. Sometimes we have to strip it down to the essentials, and sometimes we have to take it more seriously and realize that there is more to the matter than it seems. Although I have extensive and diverse experience, I have never received any formal training in dealing with people. Definitely running a classroom with 4 year olds. Managing adults in the workplace? No. Nada. Adult care has taken up a large portion of my responsibilities over the last few years, so I had to figure some things out. At first I just acted on instinct. At my first management job, I recruited through a program aimed at recent college graduates that typically lasted a year before I started graduate school. I had to develop guidelines for our daily working relationship. One day I sat down and wrote out a dress code. Then I deleted half of it and rewrote it. I’ve tried to imagine the different scenarios and be broad enough to cover all possibilities, but still not so specific that it’s ridiculous. Finally I had an oral interview. I told my new employee that he was an adult and should dress to reflect his job. I told them that paying attention to what others wore in our workplace would be a good benchmark, and that it would generally be considered safe to not be an outlier in any direction. One employee was so relieved that she didn’t have to go out and buy new clothes for her job. I only regretted it once, but to be honest, this employee had far bigger problems than the dress code. I have learned a lot about being a manager in the past few years, especially in the last five years. Dress code, absence policies and how to set expectations and give feedback. I have tried to learn the best ways to support and advocate for my teams while maintaining the boundaries of what is best for the organization. It’s in progress. I wasn’t always successful. There are definitely situations I would have handled differently – but I hope every manager feels the same way. No one should be perfect or think that there is no room for improvement.

As a manager, it’s as much about developing my own management philosophy as it is about actual policies. What is my leadership style, in which areas am I willing to compromise and where can I not compromise? Here’s an example: I strongly believe that the workplace should provide you with the tools you need to do the job. End of story. If we can’t provide you with the tools you need to do your job, we can’t afford the job. If we can’t afford the staff to do the work, we’re overworked. Sounds simple, but it’s surprising how often a team member wants to get supplies on their own, use their personal equipment, or volunteer outside of work hours. This sounds insignificant, but what happens if that employee no longer wants to do this? We currently do not have a good understanding of the actual cost of the program or the actual workload of the program. Then we have to try to strategize how to add the additional costs. Sometimes it’s the cost of a new laptop and sometimes it’s the cost of notepads. Either way, it’s a slippery slope. We see it every day in classrooms across the country – teachers are expected to spend up to $800 out of pocket on their own supplies this year, according to the National Education Association.

This is a deep-rooted problem with its own complexities, but I firmly believe it will not happen with our teams. Nonprofit work is underpaid, undervalued and underestimated. As a manager, I see it as my job to ensure that the team has everything they need to do their job. As a nonprofit leader, I believe it is United Way’s job to find ways to support other nonprofits beyond annual grants. We’re not here just to raise money. Let’s help our nonprofits learn how to be managers, how to support their teams, and how to tell their stories. Let us tackle common challenges together. In early 2025, United Way will invite nonprofit leaders from the region. Once a month we invite our managers to a meeting and discussion. I myself will make sure we throw some good snacks in there too. Hang in there, good things are coming. To learn more or to request updates, please email [email protected] or call 507-373-8670.

Erin Haag is executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.