Hey Nonprofit Leader, What’s Keeping You Awake at Night?(Hint: It might not be governance . . . it might be perception.)

I’m going to deviate just a bit from my usual governance-versus-operations soapbox this week to talk about something that affects everyone—nonprofit and for-profit leaders alike. And yes, it absolutely shows up at work . . . usually right around 2:00 a.m. when your brain refuses to shut off.

Recently, I met for coffee with a former colleague—let’s call him Jack—who had just stepped into his very first Executive Director role. Jack wasn’t new to nonprofits. Far from it. He’d worked his way up through programs and development at a $1.5 million organization and had played a key role in its growth. When a smaller nonprofit offered him the ED position, he jumped at it. He was ready. Or at least, he thought he was.

Jack spent the weekend before his start date doing what many high-achieving leaders do: he planned everything. He reviewed the strategic plan, drafted a 30-day success roadmap, outlined a development strategy, and envisioned meet-the-new-ED events with donors and funders. The Board had hired him with one very clear mandate—grow the organization from a $300,000 budget to $1 million. Challenge accepted.

Jack was energized. Inspired. Full of ideas.

And then Monday happened.

While leadership transitions are rarely seamless, Jack was genuinely surprised by how lukewarm his staff’s response was to his enthusiasm. His bold ideas were met with crossed arms, raised eyebrows, and one phrase that quickly became the office anthem:“That’s not how we do it.”Often followed by its close cousin: “We’ve always done it this way.”

That’s when Jack called me.

As it turns out, Jack has a Vision Perceptual Style™—and once we named it, everything started to make sense.

People with a Vision Perceptual Style™ naturally see possibilities before others do. They look toward the future, intuitively spot new directions, and move quickly when opportunity appears. Vision folks are comfortable taking risks because they understand that big rewards usually come with a chance of failure—and they’re okay with that. Failure isn’t fatal; it’s just feedback.

Vision leaders are idea generators. They think non-linearly, experiment constantly, and adjust course when progress slows. They’re persuasive, passionate, and incredibly good at getting others excited about what could be. The challenge? Sometimes the details come later . . . or not at all.

And that’s where friction creeps in.

Jack wasn’t wrong. His staff wasn’t resistant to change because they were stubborn or negative. They simply needed more structure, clarity, and process than Jack naturally provided. His ideas were big. His details were . . . still loading.

Once we walked through his Perceptual Style™—and the styles likely represented on his team—the tension suddenly made sense. No villains. No bad intentions. Just very different ways of perceiving the world and approaching work.

So what exactly is Perceptual Style™?

Unlike many assessment tools that focus on behavior or personality, Perceptual Style™ goes deeper. It looks at how you see the world, not just how you act in it. It blends your inborn way of perceiving with your lived experiences, creating a practical and powerful framework for understanding yourself and others.

There are six distinct Perceptual Styles™, each with its own strengths, communication patterns, and approaches to problem-solving. Every style can work well with every other style—as long as people understand and value those differences instead of trying to “fix” each other.

In Jack’s case, the solution wasn’t dialing back his vision. It was learning how to translate it. A Perceptual Style™ assessment for the team—followed by a facilitated workshop—helped everyone see their own strengths and better understand one another. Communication improved. Resistance softened. Progress resumed.

Great teamwork isn’t just about skill sets. It’s about perception. How we communicate. How we make decisions. How we act under stress. When teams understand these dynamics, they don’t just collaborate—they trust each other. And trust, as it turns out, is a powerful sleep aid.

So if you’re lying awake at night wondering why your brilliant ideas aren’t landing, why your team feels stuck, or why communication feels harder than it should . . . it might not be a leadership failure. It might simply be a Perceptual Style™ mismatch.

Curious to learn what your Perceptual Style™ is? Vision? Activity? Goals? One of the others? I offer one-on-one coaching and team assessments—virtually or in person—that help leaders and teams work better together (and yes, sleep better too).

Because when you finally understand how people see the world, everything starts to click.