We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dustin Oltman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dustin, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is to help nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals think, plan, and execute on purpose.

Passionate visionaries often start great businesses, ventures, and organizations. However, without a clear plan, many times they miss opportunities and struggle to maintain the same vigorous energy needed to sustain.

I have seen this in my personal life as well as my professional life. From the good, the bad, and oh yes the ugly.

Having a structured plan helped provide me with clarity and direction through dark times and during successful ones. Through separation / divorce, job changes, promotions, program creation, staffing challenges, and community engagement.

Furthermore, by breaking down goals into smaller steps, I have experienced firsthand the benefits of effective time management and decision-making for myself and those who I have managed or consulted.

On the flip side, I have also experienced how it feels when others build hope but then under deliver on their promises. Lack of trust, respect, and credibility are common results from these types of actions.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in a single parent household and waited for years to be matched with a mentor in a local mentoring organization. That day never came.

So, about 13 years ago, I decided to give someone else the opportunity that I didn’t get and became a volunteer mentor through a different program. Within a few months, I joined their staff as the Mentoring Director. This began my journey in the nonprofit world.

Over the years, I have worn many different hats in a variety of settings. A majority of my experience has been in the nonprofit space. All of my success has been credited to providing structure and creating opportunities for voices to be heard and talent to be displayed.

I would say I thrive best in collaborative environments. In fact, I take the “LOC” approach when making decisions and organizing ideas. I listen and observe to connect patterns with possibilities.

Through my personal values of respect, awareness, authenticity and growth, I focus on purpose and identity clarification in helping visions become reality.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Coming off of the heels of COVID-19 lockdowns and adjustments, my kid’s mom and I separated after being together for 18 years. Interesting enough, we were also in the process of moving into a new home when this took place.

Then over the course of the next 12 months, I had to make some tough work-related decisions and eventually left the organization that I had invested so much into.

These uncomfortable and often painful experiences made me realize that hiding behind insecurities had caused me more harm than good. I wanted to make others happy at my own expense which created resentment and unmet expectations.

The biggest pivot I made during all of this time was identifying and calling out areas where I hadn’t been open and honest. This process began with myself and then in conversations with others. Personal reflection became a familiar exercise in my life which brought more clarity, and understanding.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

There are so many lessons in my life that I feel I have had to unlearn. The biggest one that comes to mind is realizing that my perspective isn’t necessarily the right or wrong perspective to have. Someone else could have had similar experiences, but how they see the world may be vastly different than mine.

I have used this lesson to help me when receiving feedback, when listening to and learning from others, and in my communications. It’s helped me become more open-minded and accepting to a variety of viewpoints.

I believe it has been one of the most impactful lessons to unlearn. Especially in building relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dkoperspectives.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/dustinoltman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561700252455
• Linkedin: https://LinkedIn.com/in/dustin-oltman

Image Credits

Dustin Oltman – DKO Perspectives