Something feels off.
Your team is missing deadlines. Communication is tense. Mistakes are increasing. People seem tired, reactive, or disconnected.
The easy answer is to focus on the person.
They are not motivated.
They are not trained.
They are not the right fit.
But what if the person is not the root problem?
What if the system is?
That was one of the strongest lessons from my conversation with Inga James, founder of the Organizational Renewal Group. Inga is an organizational psychologist with deep roots in social work and nonprofit leadership. She helps organizations understand culture, systems, trauma-informed leadership, and renewal.
Her perspective is clear. Organizations are not machines. They are living systems because they are made up of people.
And people bring everything with them.
Their strengths. Their stress. Their history. Their ideas. Their fears. Their hope.
If leaders want healthier organizations, they have to stop looking only at individual behavior and start looking at the systems shaping that behavior.
Organizations Are Living Systems
Inga described organizations as living organisms.
That matters.
A machine can be fixed by replacing one part. A living system needs care, attention, and constant adjustment.
Organizations change because people change. Staff grow. Teams shift. Needs evolve. Technology changes. Funding changes. Community needs change.
A policy that worked five years ago may not work now. An onboarding process that felt fine when the team was small may fail when the team doubles in size. A communication style that worked with one generation of staff may not work with another.
Leaders need to ask better questions.
Not, “What is wrong with this person?”
But, “What is happening around this person?”
That one shift can change everything.
Stop Fixing People Before You Check the System
One of Inga’s most practical points was this. Sometimes poor performance is not an individual issue. It may be a systems issue.
For example, a staff member may be missing expectations because they were never trained well.
That is not laziness.
That is not failure.
That is a professional development gap.
A new employee may keep making mistakes because onboarding was rushed or unclear.
That is not incompetence.
That is a broken onboarding system.
A supervisor may avoid conflict because personnel policies do not explain how discipline should work.
That is not weakness.
That is a policy gap.
When leaders only target the individual, they may lose good people. They may create fear. They may increase turnover.
When leaders examine the system, they can solve the root cause.
Use this question in your next staff challenge:
“Is this a person issue, a system issue, or both?”
Then pause long enough to answer honestly.
“We Have Always Done It This Way” Is Not a Strategy
Every organization has habits.
Some are helpful. Some are outdated. Some are quietly causing harm.
One of the most dangerous phrases in leadership is, “We have always done it this way.”
A better phrase is:
“This is the best way we know how to do it right now.”
That leaves room for growth.
It tells your team:
- We are open to learning.
- We are willing to improve.
- We are not married to outdated systems.
- We want better outcomes.
This is especially important in nonprofits. Nonprofits often run lean. Staff wear multiple hats. Systems are sometimes built out of urgency, not strategy.
But urgency cannot be the long-term operating model.
If your team is constantly confused, frustrated, or burned out, the system needs attention.
Walk Around and Listen
Inga talked about the importance of leaders getting out of their offices.
A closed-door leader will miss the truth.
Staff often know where systems are breaking before leadership does. They know which process wastes time. They know which form causes confusion. They know which policy creates conflict. They know which meeting could have been an email.
But they may not say it unless trust exists.
One simple tool is management by walking around.
This does not mean hovering. It means staying connected.
Try this twice a day:
- Walk through the office.
- Say hello.
- Ask one real question.
- Listen without fixing immediately.
Ask:
- What is working well today?
- What feels harder than it should?
- Is there anything slowing you down?
- What do you need from me?
Then follow up.
A leader does not need to solve everything in the moment. But a leader does need to listen, track patterns, and act when needed.
Address Small Issues Early
Annual reviews should not be surprise attacks.
If someone sits down once a year and hears a list of mistakes they barely remember, the leader has waited too long.
Feedback works best when it is timely, clear, and respectful.
Instead of saving every concern, address small issues early.
Try:
“I noticed that meeting seemed difficult yesterday. Would you be open to talking through it?”
Or:
“I saw you manage a hard conversation well. Thank you for staying calm.”
Or:
“This process seems to be creating confusion. Can we review it together?”
This approach reduces fear. It builds trust. It helps people improve before small challenges become major problems.
It also creates a healthier culture because feedback becomes normal, not threatening.
Trauma-Informed Leadership Starts With Transparency
Inga named transparency as one of the most important traits of trauma-informed leadership.
That may surprise some people. Many leaders think first of empathy.
Empathy matters. But transparency builds trust.
If a decision affects someone’s job, schedule, role, workload, or security, they should understand what is happening and why.
Silence creates anxiety. Confusion creates stories. Stories create fear.
Transparency does not mean sharing every confidential detail. It means sharing what you can, when you can, in plain language.
Use this structure:
- Here is what is changing.
- Here is why it matters.
- Here is what we know.
- Here is what we do not know yet.
- Here is when we will update you.
That last line matters.
Uncertainty is hard. But uncertainty with communication is easier than uncertainty with silence.
Give People Voice and Choice
Trauma-informed leadership is practical.
It means leaders build workplaces where people have voice, choice, safety, trust, and respect.
That can look simple.
Let staff have input on meeting times when possible.
Invite staff into policy conversations that affect their work.
Create committees or task forces where staff can help shape solutions.
Ask for feedback before finalizing a process.
Give options when options exist.
These actions tell people they matter.
Inga also noted that hierarchy tends to be minimized in trauma-informed workplaces. That does not mean no one leads. It means leadership is not used to silence people.
A healthy organization still has structure. But structure should create clarity, not fear.
Check Yourself Before You Check In With Your Team
Leaders carry stress into rooms.
Your team feels it.
Before you walk into a meeting, take two minutes to assess yourself.
Ask:
- Where is my head right now?
- Am I tired?
- Am I hungry?
- Am I frustrated?
- Am I reacting to something unrelated?
- What do I need before I lead this conversation?
This is not soft. It is responsible.
A dysregulated leader can create a dysregulated room.
A grounded leader gives people a better chance to stay steady.
Try these quick tools.
Box breathing:
- Inhale for four counts.
- Hold for four counts.
- Exhale for four counts.
- Hold for four counts.
- Repeat four times.
The stop sign method:
Before a big decision, imagine a stop sign. Move around each side.
- What are the benefits?
- What are the risks?
- Who is affected?
- What could we be missing?
- What happens if we wait?
- What happens if we act now?
The water reset:
When something overwhelms you, pause. Get a glass of water. Sit quietly. Drink it slowly. Breathe. Then return to the issue.
Five minutes can change the quality of your response.
Boundaries Protect Purpose
Boundaries are hard for leaders who care deeply.
This is especially true for nonprofit leaders, social workers, advocates, educators, and people in emotionally heavy work.
Inga shared that she learned boundaries through burnout.
Burnout does not always look like collapse at first. Sometimes it looks like negativity. Judgment. Irritability. A loss of openness. A sense that you no longer feel like yourself.
Those are red flags.
Passion can drive burnout because passionate people often override their own limits.
They say yes too often.
They carry too much.
They stay too long.
They ignore the signs.
Time off may help, but it does not always fix burnout. Sometimes the source must change. Sometimes the workload must change. Sometimes the leader needs a peer, mentor, coach, or outside professional who can see the warning signs before they become severe.
A simple weekly boundary check can help.
Ask:
- What am I carrying that is not mine?
- What needs to be delegated?
- What did I say yes to that should have been a no?
- Where am I becoming resentful?
- What support do I need?
Resentment is often a boundary signal.
Pay attention.
Listen for Rumblings
When something is off inside an organization, it often starts with rumblings.
Side conversations. Frustration. Confusion. Withdrawal. Increased mistakes. Less engagement.
Do not ignore it.
If staff are talking, something needs attention.
Inga’s advice was simple. Sit down. Listen. Gather information.
If trust exists, staff will tell you what is happening.
If trust does not exist, that is the first problem.
Use individual conversations when facts need to be understood clearly. Use group discussions when the goal is brainstorming and shared problem-solving.
The key is to listen before deciding.
A Practical First Step Toward Renewal
Choose one system this week.
Start small.
Pick one:
- Onboarding
- Staff meetings
- Internal communication
- Performance feedback
- Professional development
- Decision-making
- Volunteer management
- Financial approvals
Ask your team three questions:
- What works?
- What does not work?
- What is one change that would make this easier?
Then act on one piece of feedback.
Not ten. One.
Renewal does not start with a full strategic plan. It starts with one honest conversation and one practical change.
Final Thoughts
Healthy organizations do not happen by accident.
They are built through clear systems, honest communication, timely feedback, transparency, and leaders who are willing to listen.
Your team may not need fixing.
They may need better systems.
They may need clearer expectations.
They may need more trust.
They may need leadership that sees the whole picture.
That is the work of renewal.
And it can start today.