Authentic Leadership in Uncertain Times — with Dr. Nicole Assisi, CEO of Thrive

What does it take to lead — and to keep leaders — when nonprofits and schools are navigating more uncertainty than ever before? In this episode of The Ground Floor, Christina sits down with Dr. Nicole Assisi, CEO of Thrive, to talk about what it really takes to build leadership that lasts.Nicole brings decades of experience as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and now executive coach and strategy partner to nonprofits and school systems across California and beyond. She and Christina dig into:Why the era of buttoned-up "persona leadership" is over — and what authentic leadership looks like in practiceThe four C's of retaining great people when compensation alone isn't enough: collaboration, culture, coaching, and yes, comp (including the story of a leader who turned down a $700K role over culture)Why hiring is only step one — and why losing a leader is more expensive than finding oneWhat boards need to learn to be great supervisors of CEOs and EDs, not just great fiduciariesCoaching as "becoming yourself with more skill" — not becoming someone elseWhy coherence beats more initiatives in a hectic moment, and how leaders can resist the hamster wheel of putting out firesA grounded, practical conversation for board members, executives, and anyone thinking about how to build organizations where leaders can do their best work — and stay.Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to The Ground Floor wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts — it helps more nonprofit leaders find the show. Follow Christina on LinkedIn for more on leadership, hiring, and building stronger organizations.