Strategy in Orange Series: previously published on LinkedIn – October 26, 2025
Perfectionism sets impossible standards. Authenticity is rugged but brings humility, peace and change.
In the nonprofit space, perfectionism can lead to burnout, stifle creativity, and hinder adaptive leadership. Leaders often chase ever-changing expectations when the stakes are already high. Welcoming and practicing authenticity, though difficult, lets leaders connect more deeply with teams. This creates a supportive environment that champions making room for what’s next and resilience, which helps organizations remain relevant and agile. Using these ideas as a springboard for refining and aligning organizational strategies, nonprofit leaders can address operational challenges, foster staff development, recognize individual contributions, and enhance long-term effectiveness. This became real for me in the following example.
A hard lesson I had to navigate early in my career, spanning to the mid-point, was to be okay with — and set the culture within my teams — that we have the freedom to fail. But, in the same vein, it does not stop there; we must own where we missed the mark, take stock, regroup, and start again to make a significant impact.
What are your earliest memories of perfectionism and authenticity? For me, these concepts surfaced early in life, and it took considerable reflection to recall my initial experiences with both. Let’s take a few seconds to reflect, and in the spirit of authenticity. I will share mine.
In third grade, my love for music was cemented. My family shaped my taste in gospel, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and funk. People started calling me an ‘old soul.’ For my school’s Halloween talent show, I chose to lip-sync to Luther Vandross’s ‘Having a Party’ dressed as Dracula. I was determined to win, so I spent hours perfecting my performance, even though no one would hear me sing. Trying so hard to be perfect took its toll. I felt exhausted, while the other contestants just had fun.
This experience taught me the importance of balancing aspiration with enjoyment. Nowadays, I remind myself to focus equally on the process and the outcome. As a leader, I encourage those around me to strive for quality and excellence without falling for the perfectionism illusion, and I support them in celebrating the momentum, and affirm their contributions and achievements. I had to shift my mindset and behavior that was anchored in the reasoning that if I made no mistakes it somehow proved my credibility, worthiness, and impact. This way of thinking and being as well as this internal narrative is more prevalent than we care to admit and is accelerated in atmospheres where equity is absent or unrealized fully. Coming to terms with the fact that I am still a work in progress is not easy, but it demonstrates that no one is perfect, and the illusion is flawed.
As a nonprofit leader, I encourage open dialogue to avoid unintentionally or intentionally creating an echo chamber, especially during meetings, strategy roundtables, and one-on-one sessions, so that every voice is valued. Though we, including leaders and teams, or peer-to-peer, sometimes disagree, that’s the actual test of open communication: shared ownership and solutions to advance our work. This approach, while occasionally messy, fosters an inclusive, innovative setting that prioritizes being present and proactive over being provocative.
Tips from my experience involve: 1) Learning to navigate disagreements constructively and encouraging active listening and empathy. 2) Understanding each other’s perspectives helps in reducing tension. 3) Setting explicit norms at the beginning of these opportunities to connect and engage with each other, such as respecting time and allowing everyone to speak. and 4) If a disagreement escalates, guide the conversation towards finding common ground and collective solutions.
I see the same drive in other nonprofit leaders, all of whom are motivated by a sense of purpose. Those who embrace authenticity often see better team dynamics and mission success. Some of my best mentors implemented open dialogue as I described, enhancing morale and organizational outcomes. Embracing authenticity and open dialogue can be especially beneficial for culturally diverse teams, where different perspectives are brought to the table.
This installment encourages leaders to recognize the importance of learning from our mistakes, staying true to our roots, and bringing every aspect of ourselves to work. Amid recent societal and legislative changes, we should still leverage our cultural backgrounds to enrich our professional and personal lives, even when it is no longer popular, and without fear of penalty. This remains our right and responsibility.
Demonstrating vulnerability, authenticity, and courage reflects strength and cultivated skill. Like muscles, these tools strengthen with experience and will become one of our greatest assets as a leader. My experiences, good and bad, shape how I coach leaders. As leaders, our teams and communities are relying on us. Therefore, we must model learning, name tensions, and act from internal and organizational values.
The throughline includes going beyond standard advice, delving deeper, and focusing on creating a lasting impact. Being unapologetic about our uniqueness preserves our authenticity. That is the sentiment behind the quote on my hoodie and this installment’s opening graphic: ‘You are enough.’ Know we possess the necessary qualities to lead and serve with confidence and integrity. As a practical habit, let’s take a few moments before checking emails to note something we are grateful for and how we demonstrate our values, or reflect during our commute if time is limited. Adapt the practice to suit our routine. This daily exercise highlights the development of our evolving leadership identity and realization.
Authenticity is essential for building and maintaining trust, supported by honesty and transparency. As leaders, we have to be bold and normalize authenticity by establishing a shared definition, norms, integrating it into our processes, and rewarding our teams when it is achieved. Let’s turn authenticity from a lofty goal into a deliverable, measured by internal feedback, pulse surveys, performance evaluations, and storytelling.
Openness about our strengths and goals is essential. There are no shortcuts. Genuine authenticity means committing fully to the journey and working to drive real change. When our work matters, we must not hold back.
With this in mind, consider formulating leadership strategies should be a priority. What actions can we take now to grow ourselves, our teams, or our communities? Here are a couple of ideas. Schedule regular team deep dives to foster open communication. Or set a goal to read one book on leadership or strategy each month to keep our skills sharp. I encourage us to focus on topics that empower us and our teams.
A win for me in applying authenticity: I started a leadership circle with my directors. We cover topics that help us grow individually and as a group. Now, we are reading a book on Emotional Intelligence; before that, we were reading another book titled Strategic Doing. The current leadership circle exemplifies our intention to push through our discomfort and be vulnerable, where we shared our overall Emotional Intelligence assessment scores and areas of development. These circle sessions serve as a vehicle for us, as teammates, to learn and improve skills in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship building. At the same time, each of us has an accountability partner.
My closing thought is this: being enough and authentic never expires. Remember, staying true to ourselves and igniting authenticity within ourselves and our teams are powerful, strategic tools for the radical change we want to see and deserve.
Until next time!
About Ernest Lewis III
Ernest Lewis III is a nonprofit executive, strategist, and systems thinker who currently serves as Vice President of Community Impact & Vitality at BakerRipley and Founder & Chief Consultant of The Harvey Lewis Group. With over two decades of leadership across Houston and New Orleans, Ernest is known for architecting straightforward strategies that unify legacy wisdom with future-ready innovation.
A champion of collective impact and organizational resilience, Ernest bridges theory and practice to drive transformation at scale. His work spans strategic planning, organizational development, fundraising, and executive advising, always grounded in cultural intelligence, adaptive leadership, and a deep commitment to community.
Whether guiding complex realignments, cultivating emotionally intelligent teams, or shaping thought leadership across sectors, Ernest leads with a human-centered approach, garnering results. He does not just refine strategy; he stress-tests it to ensure its longevity.
The Harvey Lewis Group 