We recently connected with Ian Adair and have shared our conversation below.

Ian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

The most innovative thing I have done in my career was to be proactive in seeking out leadership roles in more than just one sector or industry. Doing this has provided me the opportunity to lead organizations, programs, and teams around the country in the nonprofit, education, and corporate sectors. Each of these roles offered me invaluable experiences and knowledge I would not have had if I only focused my efforts in one, and each helped support my development as a manager and leader.

Because of the personal and professional fulfillment I feel for the work that I do, I have dedicated a majority of my career to the nonprofit sector. Although I have experienced much success as the CEO of three nonprofit organizations, those successes might not have come without the experiences, training, and mentorship I received from the corporate and education sectors. My time in education provided me with hundreds of hours teaching and lesson planning, which helped me tremendously as a national speaker and workshop facilitator. My time in the corporate sector helped sharpen my board development skills and introduced me to strategies and practices concerning diversity, equity and inclusion I would not have had otherwise.

Leadership truly is a self-discovery and self-improvement process. To be a well-rounded leader you have to have a willingness to leave your comfort zone and embrace continuous learning and professional development. It’s important for leaders to understand the privilege to be able to nurture and support the development of our current and future workforce. As leaders we have the responsibility of taking care of our employees and teams, which leads me to my favorite thing to say whenever I speak to any group – leadership today is about taking care of the people responsible for the work, not just the work itself.

The next chapter of my career begins when I join the Association of Fundraising Professionals Global Office as the Director of Leadership Development and Credentialing in late September. AFP-Global serves more than 26,000 professionals and has 240 chapters across North America. Leadership development and training is something I have been involved with and excited about for several years now. I look forward to supporting AFP’s efforts around leadership development at all levels. 

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 background and context?

I’ve had to navigate some tough situations and challenges early in my life which really led me to the work I do today. These challenges mainly centered on my father’s battle with addiction and eventual abandonment; growing up in the welfare system; and seeing my mother struggle both with her mental and physical health for more than 20 years before her passing in 2006. Mental illness and substance abuse destroyed my family. Watching and caring for loved one’s battle these diseases shaped my life. I’m grateful that now I have the opportunity and platform to help change the discussion around mental health and encourage those suffering to get the help they need.

Over the past several years my career centered on topics concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion, which led me to me to mental health space and my passion to end the stigma associated with mental illness and recovery. My work today focuses on the intersection between leadership and mental health, this has allowed me to become one of the leading voices in a movement to encourage nonprofit and corporate leaders to take bold action to support the health and wellbeing of our workforce. 

I have worked very hard to get where I am today in my career to be recognized as a nonprofit industry influencer, and expert in leadership, fundraising, and nonprofit management. I enjoy being a speaker, author, and advocate concerning mental health awareness and addressing mental health in the workplace. I’m the author of the book, Stronger Than Stigma, A Call to Action: Stories of Grief, Loss, and Inspiration! I also enjoy the opportunities I get to be a contributing writer to regional and national magazines on topics concerning leadership, mental health and wellness, and philanthropy.

I’m most proud of the work I have done with nonprofit and corporate leaders. I train and coach executive leadership and management teams to utilize five strategies in order to help cultivate a culture of empathy and support in the workplace, these include: (1) Create Safe Environments, (2) Allow for Accommodations, (3) Share Stories Across all Levels, (4) Educate Managers and Employees, and (5) Make Wellness a Priority. The best thing about these strategies is that any size company or organization can incorporate them at little to no cost; and each promotes and fosters a culture of support that research shows employees really want today.

What all leaders have to understand, is that mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s okay to say that. The need to support employee mental health and wellness has reached a critical point. Leaders today are faced with supporting a workforce dealing with an unprecedented amount of anxiety, isolation, and mental exhaustion. The goal for leaders should be to promote the acceptance and inclusion of those dealing with a mental health issue by; creating safe environments for discussions to take place, improving support systems, and spreading awareness.

This work has been incredibly rewarding because these actions help support and cultivate a culture of empathy, psychological safety, and wellness in the workplace. Companies who invest and prioritize mental health and wellness can develop and nurture healthier work culture for their employees. These investments can lead to significant improvements in employee retention and engagement, company morale, while also promoting the type of work environment that will attract top talent.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I truly believe that public speaking and storytelling are two of the most valuable skills you can have in any industry. I took advantage of every opportunity I could to speak in public. It did not matter the stage, size of the audience or makeup of the group – with every opportunity I became a more comfortable and engaging storyteller. Stories have the ability to impact us on a profound level, especially when we feel a strong connection to the storyteller, but this skill takes time to really develop. 

When I first started out I viewed ever opportunity to speak like time in a batting cage, and it would be only be after countless hours of practice before would I ever earn a chance to hit a home run in front of a crowd. This strategy extended to virtual conferences and workshops throughout the pandemic since they were the only means to reach audiences for more than two years. Like any new format it took lots of practice to learn to become an engaging virtual speaker, where you could still display your personality and energy, now I like them just as much as in person events.

Public speaking and storytelling through digital and social channels are incredibly valuable ways to win consumer and stakeholder attention. In a 24/7, 365 information overloaded world, winning attention is a must in order to cultivate brand awareness, make a sale, or get someone to donate to your organization.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my career to have the opportunity to speak at more than 200 conferences and events around the world, reaching more than 50,000 professionals in the nonprofit, mental health, education, and corporate sectors. My keynotes and presentations are known for their high energy, humor, and radical candor. I think my speaking style sets me apart from others because of my willingness to combine vulnerability and authenticity with humor, while at the same time poking a little fun at human behavior.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building an audience on social media requires an understanding that it will take a huge investment of time to accomplish, and the discipline to hold to that commitment. I have used several strategies throughout the years as platforms have evolved, but not matter the approach the overall goal always remained – to provide value to my audience.

The three biggest mistakes I see people make on social media concerns how they communicate to the public and their stakeholders: (1) Too often this communication happens through “push messages,” meaning they only have their company or organization’s interest in mind. (2) Treat social media ONLY as a distribution channel. (3) Are too transaction heavy. This communication style comes from the belief that their product or service is so good and necessary that they deserve our attention, time, and money -REGARDLESS of an existing relationship, established trust, or transparency.

The three tactics I continue to this day to rinse and repeat in order to build and engage my audience are; (1) Act like a media pro, (2) Engage where my audience is, not where I want them to be and (3) Create a community around my content. We all take photos and videos every day and have a device in our pocket now that can edit them for immediate use any way we see fit. By engaging your audience with quality content (photos, videos, and info-graphics), listening for when and how you can provide value, then engage whenever and wherever possible – you will build your audience. These actions build the trust and the social equity you need with your audience before you can ask them to give you their time or money. 

People are genuinely interested in learning your backstory, and will want to get involved in your journey if you engage them. So no matter where they pop in along the way, document your journey and take them with you. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.strategy27.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ianmadair
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianadair2010
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IanMAdair
• Other: TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/0JGMu-uLNSM