Consultants fix things, ranging from financial management systems to strategies to boards to staff relationships. That is why we get hired, right?

That may be what clients want to hire us for. But it doesn’t really work out that way. Just as a psychotherapist does not “fix” the unhappy patient, the consultant does not “fix” the dysfunctional nonprofit.

Excuse the therapy analogy but I have been married to a therapist for 32 years and we often see parallels in our work.

In each profession, the process of making things better is complex.

First we need to form a trusting relationship with our client by accepting them where they are and being non-judgmental.

Second, we have to get to know their world, their problems and triumphs, their values and history. Only then can we move forward together to solve problems. The client has perhaps worked deeply and for a long time in one organization, which is one context and one reality. The consultant works in a more limited way in many different contexts and realities.

For this reason the consultant may have insights into the problems the client faces that have just never occurred to the client before because this is the only context in which they have experienced this particular problem.

By sharing the learning journey, the consultant helps the client to fix their own problem, along the way building a new skill set that they can put to good use in the future. In a really good engagement the consultant also learns something new, so that the learning journey is truly shared.

Lately I have been reading up on the factors that build resilience, both in individuals and in organizations. Pulling from several sources, both organizational and psychological, here are the top “secrets” of long-term success, in both personal and organizational life:

Be realistic, not overly optimistic. Optimists have a harder time coping with setbacks. Realists expect them. Nonprofit leaders have to be ready to guide the organization through anything.

Build strong social supports. People need to lean on one another in hard times. Nonprofit success depends on the support and mutual goodwill of colleagues.

Have faith in God or in yourself. You have to believe in something, either external or internal to yourself. Self-confidence is essential to leaders, it inspires others to believe.

Be creative and cultivate the ability to improvise on the spot. Life is unpredictable.  Seldom does anything in a nonprofit follow an expected trajectory.

Focus on the larger picture, don’t get lost in the weeds. For leaders, the details are not as important as the vision of where you are going and why. Find someone else who can take care of the small picture and dream big.

Help others to focus on the needs of others, Model and spread altruism. Nonprofit leaders need to demonstrate care for their employees. Offer them the best salaries and benefits, and the most congenial workplace, you can afford.

Practice gratitude. Remember how lucky you are, and thank others for their help.  An organization is a collection of individuals acting in concert. While the leader gets all the glory (or blame) s/he should continually recognize those who make success possible.