People-First Leadership for Nonprofits with Marisa Tran and Maria Rio

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Ever tried to juggle visionary ideas, tight budgets, and a team that spans every learning style under the sun? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria sits down with management coach and EDI powerhouse Marisa Tran (they/them) to unpack what “people-first, consent-based leadership” really looks like when you’re running a small shop. 

Marisa is an autistic, gender-queer, Irish-Vietnamese settler with 15 years of experience helping organizations clean up their HR, embed equity, and grow managers into actual leaders. Their superpowers: workplace harm reduction, accessibility audits, and coaching folks who were promoted for being great at their job...but never shown how to lead. 

Managing People – The Highlights 

• Performance talks should be boringly routine 
  Make goals and feedback part of every weekly or bi-weekly check-in so “the big scary review” never sneaks up on anyone. 
• Consent in management 
  LONG before performance reviews, work with the staffer to create a work plan and a check in cadence. Autonomy = trust. 
• Recognition isn’t one-size-fits-all 
  Annual raises matter, but some staff love public shout-outs while others want quiet affirmation or extra learning budgets. Ask, don’t assume. 
• Leaders own the misses; teams own the wins 
  When targets slip, step up and shield your crew. When they soar, hand them the mic and the credit. 
• Diversity of thought strengthens strategy 
  Pair big-idea generators with detail-oriented implementers and professional problem-spotters. Different brains, stronger outcomes. 

3 Actionable Tips for Managing People: 

• Bake goals into your meeting agenda 
  Create a living doc or dashboard you revisit every check-in. Progress, blockers, next steps; nothing fancy, just visible. 
• Run a “How do you like to be celebrated?” survey 
  Five quick questions (think love-languages-at-work) will save you from that pizza-party flop and show staff you actually listen. 
• Track turnover like a KPI 
  Note tenure, role, and identities (where shared). Spikes in departures—especially among marginalized staff—are flashing red lights for culture repair. 

Resources and Links 

• Connect with our host, Maria Rio 
• Connect with our guest, Marisa Tran 
• Marisa’s website 
• Support our show. We are fully self-funded! 
• Watch this episode on YouTube 
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