Mission Advancement

06/01/2026

"Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind."

David Slover, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at HighGround Advisors, leans on this line from Brené Brown to describe what mission-minded leadership really requires.

Being nice and being kind are not the same thing. Sometimes the kindest thing a leader can do is be clear, even when clarity is the harder choice.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube, or listen on your favorite platform. Link in the comments.

05/28/2026

New episode of the Mission Advancement Podcast is live.

David Slover, Founder of HighGround Advisors, joins Jennifer Lehman to talk generosity, organizational health, and what courageous leadership actually looks like in practice.
David has spent more than thirty years in the nonprofit sector and brings hard-won clarity to every part of this conversation.

A few things that stood out: the growth trap is real and it is not about failure, not for profit is a tax status not a business strategy, and building a culture of nice is not the same as building a culture of kindness.

Watch or listen on your favorite platform.
Link in our Bio.

05/28/2026

What does strong, mission-minded leadership actually require?

That is the question at the center of our latest episode, and David Slover, Founder of HighGround Advisors does not give a surface-level answer.

David has spent more than thirty years in the nonprofit sector. He knows what healthy organizations look like and what gets in the way of them staying that way.

A few things from this conversation worth your time:
• Not for profit is a tax status, not a business strategy. The organizations that blur that line are not protecting their mission. They are quietly undermining it.

• The growth trap is not about failure. It is about success moving faster than your infrastructure. Slowing down before you are forced to is one of the most courageous things a leader can do.

• Building a culture of nice is not the same as building a culture of kindness. Sometimes the most generous thing a leader can do is tell the truth.

Watch or listen here:

What does strong, mission-minded leadership really require? In this episode of the Mission Advancement Podcast, David Slover of HighGround Advisors shares th...

05/27/2026

Great insight in this! Even more coming tomorrow!

05/22/2026

"Everyone thought I was crazy."

Elisabeth Jordan said that is what people thought when she started The Human Impact as a young woman with a big calling and no roadmap.

They thought it was a fad. She kept going anyway.
Link in the comments.

05/19/2026

This one is for every leader in the middle of May mayhem.

"None of us have it figured out." The best leaders stay curious, stay humble, and stay connected to why they started -- even in the busiest seasons.

If you needed someone to say we see you today, consider this that moment.

Full episode link in the comments.

05/14/2026

The best leaders make it look easy. That does not mean it is. Nicole Gann’s advice to young professionals: pay attention. The leaders worth admiring are the ones who carry the weight without showing it. Her full episode is live now. Link in our bio.

05/14/2026

Part two of our conversation with Nicole Gann is live.

Nicole, CEO and President of Juliette Fowler Communities returns for a second conversation about what it actually takes to lead a 135 year mission forward without letting it become a cage.

A few moments worth your time:
• Legacy can be a cage. Nicole's framing on this one stopped us in our tracks. Organizations that confuse heritage with rigidity put their mission at risk.

• Generosity from a board is trust. Nicole's board has given her the room to lead through hard, complex change, and that belief is its own form of generosity.

• Leadership is lonely, and that is part of the work. Nicole is honest about the moments that do not make the highlight reel.

If part one was about leading through change, part two is about what it costs to do it.
Link to watch in the comments.

05/13/2026

Legacy can be an anchor. Or can it be a cage.

05/13/2026

Legacy can be an anchor. Or it can be a cage.

The difference? Whether you are willing to adapt.

Nicole Clinton Gann, CEO of Juliette Fowler Communities leads one of Dallas's oldest nonprofits, 135 years of mission behind her. In part two of her conversation on the Mission Advancement Podcast, she talks about what it really means to honor a legacy without being imprisoned by it, the courage board leadership demands, and why organizations that cling too tightly to the past stop thriving.

Full episode drops tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Watch on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
Link in the comments.